3rd Global Tobacco Treaty Action Guide 2008 released

3rd Global Tobacco Treaty Action Guide 2008 released

The 3rd edition of the "Global Tobacco Treaty Action Guide 2008: Protecting Against Tobacco Industry Interference" was released earlier this week in many countries including India, during International Week of Resistance (IWR) to tobacco transnationals (22-28 September 2008). The Global Tobacco Treaty Action Guide 2008 is produced by Corporate Accountability International [which is in official relations with the World Health Organization (WHO)], along with the Network for Accountability of Tobacco Transnationals (NATT).

The need for IWR was never so acute - when on one hand government of India is resolved to enforce the nation-wide ban on smoking from 2 October 2008, the tobacco industry and others including ITC ltd and Indian Hotel Association, have challenged these smoke-free policies in the court of law.

Secondhand smoke, also know as environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), is a mixture of the smoke given off by the burning end of a cigarette, pipe or cigar and the smoke exhaled from the lungs of smokers. It is involuntarily inhaled by nonsmokers, lingers in the air hours after cigarettes have been extinguished and can cause or exacerbate a wide range of adverse health effects, including cancer, respiratory infections, and asthma. Secondhand smoke has been classified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a known cause of cancer in humans (Group A carcinogen).

Despite of such overwhelming evidence, the industry is hell-bent to choose profits over people.

"The repeated delay, at times weakening, and postponing the implementation of public health policies, mustn't occur again" said Dr Sandeep Pandey, national convener of National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM) and Magsaysay Awardee (2002).

"For years the tobacco industry has operated with the express intention of subverting public health policies. If the tobacco giants were truly serious about saving lives, they would back off and let governments swiftly, fully implement the public health policies, including the national health policies and also the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) -- the first global corporate accountability and public health treaty" added Dr Pandey.

In July 2007, at the second implementation and enforcement meeting on the FCTC, parties took the courageous step of initiating the development of guidelines on the implementation of Article 5.3 of the FCTC. These guidelines will help governments anticipate and thwart attempts by the vested commercial interests of the tobacco industry to undermine the implementation of the tobacco control policies.

Tobacco kills 5.4 million people around the world each year. Tobacco is a risk factor in six of the eight leading causes of death worldwide. The death toll is projected to rise to eight million a year by 2030, with 80 percent of those deaths occurring in developing countries. If current trends are not reversed, tobacco will claim one billion lives this century.

Published in
Assam Times, Guwahati, Assam, India
Thai Indian news, Bangkok, Thailand
Ghana News, Accra, Ghana
Media for Freedom, Kathmandu, Nepal
Khabar Express, Bikaner, Rajasthan, India
The Seoul Times, Seoul, South Korea
News Track India, Delhi
Bihar and Jharkhand News Service (BJNS)
The Liberian Journal, Liberia
Northern News Lines
The Zimbabwe Guardian, Harare, Zimbabwe
The Guatemala Times, Guatemala
Yahoo! News
Central Chronicle, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh
Banderas News, Mexico

3rd Global Tobacco Treaty Action Guide 2008 released

3rd Global Tobacco Treaty Action Guide 2008 released

The 3rd edition of the "Global Tobacco Treaty Action Guide 2008: Protecting Against Tobacco Industry Interference" was released earlier this week in many countries including India, during International Week of Resistance (IWR) to tobacco transnationals (22-28 September 2008). The Global Tobacco Treaty Action Guide 2008 is produced by Corporate Accountability International [which is in official relations with the World Health Organization (WHO)], along with the Network for Accountability of Tobacco Transnationals (NATT).

The need for IWR was never so acute - when on one hand government of India is resolved to enforce the nation-wide ban on smoking from 2 October 2008, the tobacco industry and others including ITC ltd and Indian Hotel Association, have challenged these smoke-free policies in the court of law.

Secondhand smoke, also know as environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), is a mixture of the smoke given off by the burning end of a cigarette, pipe or cigar and the smoke exhaled from the lungs of smokers. It is involuntarily inhaled by nonsmokers, lingers in the air hours after cigarettes have been extinguished and can cause or exacerbate a wide range of adverse health effects, including cancer, respiratory infections, and asthma. Secondhand smoke has been classified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a known cause of cancer in humans (Group A carcinogen).

Despite of such overwhelming evidence, the industry is hell-bent to choose profits over people.

"The repeated delay, at times weakening, and postponing the implementation of public health policies, mustn't occur again" said Dr Sandeep Pandey, national convener of National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM) and Magsaysay Awardee (2002).

"For years the tobacco industry has operated with the express intention of subverting public health policies. If the tobacco giants were truly serious about saving lives, they would back off and let governments swiftly, fully implement the public health policies, including the national health policies and also the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) -- the first global corporate accountability and public health treaty" added Dr Pandey.

In July 2007, at the second implementation and enforcement meeting on the FCTC, parties took the courageous step of initiating the development of guidelines on the implementation of Article 5.3 of the FCTC. These guidelines will help governments anticipate and thwart attempts by the vested commercial interests of the tobacco industry to undermine the implementation of the tobacco control policies.

Tobacco kills 5.4 million people around the world each year. Tobacco is a risk factor in six of the eight leading causes of death worldwide. The death toll is projected to rise to eight million a year by 2030, with 80 percent of those deaths occurring in developing countries. If current trends are not reversed, tobacco will claim one billion lives this century.

Published in
Assam Times, Guwahati, Assam, India
Thai Indian news, Bangkok, Thailand
Ghana News, Accra, Ghana
Media for Freedom, Kathmandu, Nepal
Khabar Express, Bikaner, Rajasthan, India
The Seoul Times, Seoul, South Korea
News Track India, Delhi
Bihar and Jharkhand News Service (BJNS)
The Liberian Journal, Liberia
Northern News Lines
The Zimbabwe Guardian, Harare, Zimbabwe
The Guatemala Times, Guatemala
Yahoo! News
Central Chronicle, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh
Banderas News, Mexico

Uphold public health over corporate interests

Uphold public health over corporate interests

It is a pity that India's robust smoke-free policies have been challenged by those with vested interests neglecting the immense and undisputed proven public health benefits of implementing such policies for people at-large.

India is to ban smoking in public places nation-wide from October 2. However the ITC Limited and the Indian Hotel Association are among those who have challenged these public health policies in the court of law.

"Secondhand smoke, also know as environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), is a mixture of the smoke given off by the burning end of a cigarette, pipe or cigar and the smoke exhaled from the lungs of smokers. It is involuntarily inhaled by nonsmokers, lingers in the air hours after cigarettes have been extinguished and can cause or exacerbate a wide range of adverse health effects, including cancer, respiratory infections, and asthma" informs Professor (Dr) Rama Kant, who heads the Tobacco Cessation Clinics at CSM Medical University and Gandhi Memorial & Associated Hospitals.

"Secondhand smoke has been classified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a known cause of cancer in humans (Group A carcinogen)" informs Dr Rishi Sethi, Department of Cardiology, CSM Medical University.

Secondhand smoke exposure causes disease and premature death in children and adults who do not smoke. Secondhand smoke contains hundreds of chemicals known to be toxic or carcinogenic, including formaldehyde, benzene, vinyl chloride, arsenic ammonia and hydrogen cyanide. Secondhand smoke causes approximately 3,400 lung cancer deaths and 22,700-69,600 heart disease deaths in adult nonsmokers in the United States each year, further adds Dr Sethi.

Nonsmokers exposed to secondhand smoke at work are at increased risk for adverse health effects.

There is enough data to de-bunk the apprehensions of ban on smoking at the workplace. Since 1999, 70 percent of the U.S. workforce worked under a smoke-free policy, ranging from 83.9 percent in Utah to 48.7 percent in Nevada. Workplace productivity was increased and absenteeism was decreased among former smokers compared with current smokers.

Secondhand smoke is especially harmful to young children. Secondhand smoke is responsible for between 150,000 and 300,000 lower respiratory tract infections in infants and children under 18 months of age, resulting in between 7,500 and 15,000 hospitalizations each year, and causes 430 sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) deaths in the United States annually, says Dr Sethi.

Secondhand smoke exposure may cause buildup of fluid in the middle ear, resulting in 790,000 physician office visits per year.10 Secondhand smoke can also aggravate symptoms in 400,000 to 1,000,000 children with asthma.11

The Surgeon General's Report concluded that scientific evidence indicates that there is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke.

The 3rd edition of the "Global Tobacco Treaty Action Guide 2008: Protecting Against Tobacco Industry Interference" was released earlier this week in many countries including India. The Global Tobacco Treaty Action Guide 2008 is produced by Corporate Accountability International [which is in official relations with the World Health Organization (WHO)], along with the Network for Accountability of Tobacco Transnationals (NATT).

"The repeated delay, at times weakening, and postponing the implementation of public health policies in India, particularly the provisions of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act, 2003, mustn't occur again. With few days to go before India enforces ban on smoking in public places from 2 October 2008, and few more weeks to go before mandatory pictorial warnings on tobacco products from 30 November 2008 get enforced, it is high time to prepare ourselves to contribute effectively in the implementation of these health policies" said Dr Sandeep Pandey, national convener of National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM) and Magsaysay Awardee (2002).

"For years the tobacco industry has operated with the express intention of subverting public health policies. If the tobacco giants were truly serious about saving lives, they would back off and let governments swiftly, fully implement the public health policies, including the national health policies and also the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) -- the first global corporate accountability and public health treaty" added Dr Pandey.

Let us hope that good sense prevails and public health and welfare is upheld above corporate interests.

Published in:
Asian Tribune, Thailand/ Sri Lanka
Thai Indian News, Bangkok, Thailand
Kerala Online News, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala
News Track India, Delhi
Two Circles
Assam Times, Guwahati, Assam
Ghana News, Accra, Ghana
Guatemala Times, Guatemala
The Liberian Journal, Liberia
The Seoul Times, Seoul, South Korea
Bihar Times, Patna, Bihar
Central Chronicle, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh
Scoop Independent News, New Zealand
News from Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Media for Freedom, Kathmandu, Nepal
Bihar and Jharkhand News Service (BJNS)
Sindh Today, Sindh, Pakistan

Uphold public health over corporate interests

Uphold public health over corporate interests

It is a pity that India's robust smoke-free policies have been challenged by those with vested interests neglecting the immense and undisputed proven public health benefits of implementing such policies for people at-large.

India is to ban smoking in public places nation-wide from October 2. However the ITC Limited and the Indian Hotel Association are among those who have challenged these public health policies in the court of law.

"Secondhand smoke, also know as environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), is a mixture of the smoke given off by the burning end of a cigarette, pipe or cigar and the smoke exhaled from the lungs of smokers. It is involuntarily inhaled by nonsmokers, lingers in the air hours after cigarettes have been extinguished and can cause or exacerbate a wide range of adverse health effects, including cancer, respiratory infections, and asthma" informs Professor (Dr) Rama Kant, who heads the Tobacco Cessation Clinics at CSM Medical University and Gandhi Memorial & Associated Hospitals.

"Secondhand smoke has been classified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a known cause of cancer in humans (Group A carcinogen)" informs Dr Rishi Sethi, Department of Cardiology, CSM Medical University.

Secondhand smoke exposure causes disease and premature death in children and adults who do not smoke. Secondhand smoke contains hundreds of chemicals known to be toxic or carcinogenic, including formaldehyde, benzene, vinyl chloride, arsenic ammonia and hydrogen cyanide. Secondhand smoke causes approximately 3,400 lung cancer deaths and 22,700-69,600 heart disease deaths in adult nonsmokers in the United States each year, further adds Dr Sethi.

Nonsmokers exposed to secondhand smoke at work are at increased risk for adverse health effects.

There is enough data to de-bunk the apprehensions of ban on smoking at the workplace. Since 1999, 70 percent of the U.S. workforce worked under a smoke-free policy, ranging from 83.9 percent in Utah to 48.7 percent in Nevada. Workplace productivity was increased and absenteeism was decreased among former smokers compared with current smokers.

Secondhand smoke is especially harmful to young children. Secondhand smoke is responsible for between 150,000 and 300,000 lower respiratory tract infections in infants and children under 18 months of age, resulting in between 7,500 and 15,000 hospitalizations each year, and causes 430 sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) deaths in the United States annually, says Dr Sethi.

Secondhand smoke exposure may cause buildup of fluid in the middle ear, resulting in 790,000 physician office visits per year.10 Secondhand smoke can also aggravate symptoms in 400,000 to 1,000,000 children with asthma.11

The Surgeon General's Report concluded that scientific evidence indicates that there is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke.

The 3rd edition of the "Global Tobacco Treaty Action Guide 2008: Protecting Against Tobacco Industry Interference" was released earlier this week in many countries including India. The Global Tobacco Treaty Action Guide 2008 is produced by Corporate Accountability International [which is in official relations with the World Health Organization (WHO)], along with the Network for Accountability of Tobacco Transnationals (NATT).

"The repeated delay, at times weakening, and postponing the implementation of public health policies in India, particularly the provisions of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act, 2003, mustn't occur again. With few days to go before India enforces ban on smoking in public places from 2 October 2008, and few more weeks to go before mandatory pictorial warnings on tobacco products from 30 November 2008 get enforced, it is high time to prepare ourselves to contribute effectively in the implementation of these health policies" said Dr Sandeep Pandey, national convener of National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM) and Magsaysay Awardee (2002).

"For years the tobacco industry has operated with the express intention of subverting public health policies. If the tobacco giants were truly serious about saving lives, they would back off and let governments swiftly, fully implement the public health policies, including the national health policies and also the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) -- the first global corporate accountability and public health treaty" added Dr Pandey.

Let us hope that good sense prevails and public health and welfare is upheld above corporate interests.

Published in:
Asian Tribune, Thailand/ Sri Lanka
Thai Indian News, Bangkok, Thailand
Kerala Online News, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala
News Track India, Delhi
Two Circles
Assam Times, Guwahati, Assam
Ghana News, Accra, Ghana
Guatemala Times, Guatemala
The Liberian Journal, Liberia
The Seoul Times, Seoul, South Korea
Bihar Times, Patna, Bihar
Central Chronicle, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh
Scoop Independent News, New Zealand
News from Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Media for Freedom, Kathmandu, Nepal
Bihar and Jharkhand News Service (BJNS)
Sindh Today, Sindh, Pakistan

Bringing diabetes to light

Bringing diabetes to light

There is a growing consensus to raise awareness about diabetes in the 50 days leading up to World Diabetes Day on 14 November 2008. The International Diabetes Federation announced that the theme for this year's campaign is "Diabetes in Children and Adolescents."

Diabetes is one of the most common chronic diseases to affect children. It can strike children of any age, even toddlers and babies. Every day more than 200 children are diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, requiring them to take multiple daily insulin shots and monitor the glucose levels in their blood. It is increasing at a rate of 3% each year among children and rising even faster in pre-school children at a rate of 5% per year. Over 70,000 children a year under the age of 15 get diabetes.

"If not detected early enough in a child, diabetes can be fatal or result in serious brain damage. The obvious warning signs of increased urination, increased thirst, weight loss and tiredness are at times completely overlooked and the disease is misdiagnosed as the flu or not diagnosed at all" said Professor (Dr) Rama Kant, who heads the Diabetic Foot clinic at Chhatrapati Shahuji Maharaj Medical University and is a senior consultant at Gandhi Memorial & Associated Hospitals in Lucknow, India.

"Every parent, school teacher, school nurse, doctor and anyone involved in the care of children should be familiar with the warning signs and alert to the diabetes threat," said Dr Martin Silink, President of the International Diabetes Federation. "Children who are not diagnosed or misdiagnosed can die from DKA (diabetic coma). In the developing world insulin is not reaching many children who need it and the children are dying. The International Diabetes Federation is advocating that access to appropriate medication and care should be a right for a child with diabetes and not a privilege."

World Diabetes Day made a global splash last year, organizing the lighting of several of the world's most recognizable monuments in blue. For 2008 the Federation is reaching out to the global community for their ideas on how to raise awareness.

"There are activities planned worldwide. We hope to have them all listed on the World Diabetes Day website," said Campaign Director Phil Riley. "We're encouraging people to join in with activities in their community and contact us with their ideas."

Countries like India have an estimated 34 to 35 million of people suffering from diabetes, which is the highest in the world. The prevalence of Diabetes in urban population is 17% and in rural it is 2.5%. This indicates impact of life style and nutritional habits. Among the chronic complications of diabetes, diabetic foot is the most devastating complication and is the leading cause of leg amputation among diabetics. It is estimated that in India alone about 50,000 legs are amputated every year, of which almost 75 percent are potentially preventable, said Professor (Dr) Rama Kant.

This problem is further compounded by the lack of awareness, practice of barefoot walking, home surgery, faulty footwear (slippers) and delay in reporting. The cost, both in terms of human health as well as economic burden of the foot ulcer treatment and complication is very high. In countries like Thailand or India, foot care is very critical as a significant majority of the population stays in rural areas. Therefore prevention of ulcer and its subsequent complications is of utmost importance, stressed Professor Kant.

Recent trends are focusing on prevention by life style modifications, adequate control, multi-speciality treatments and aggressive debridements, open traditional and endovascular surgery, use of stents for improving circulation followed by free use of latest dressing techniques, use of different growth factors, off-loading of pressure points, use of modified shoes and also occasional use of boot therapy or modified boot therapy with a special equipments, said Professor Kant.

Let us hope that the 50 days awareness raising campaign in lead up to the World Diabetes Day this year will be effective in bringing down the incidence in times to come.

Published in
News Track India, Delhi
Assam Times, Guwahati, Assam
News Blaze, USA
Thai Indian News, Bangkok, Thailand
Media for Freedom, Kathmandu, Nepal
Ghana News, Accra, Ghana
The Zimbabwe Guardian, Harare, Zimbabwe
Howrah News Service, Kolkata, West Bengal
Leadership Nigeria, Nigeria
My News, Delhi
Kerala Online News, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala
American Chronicle, USA
Mehdirazvi
The Liberian, Liberia
The Liberian Journal, Liberia
Bihar and Jharkhand News Service (BJNS)
Guatemala Times, Guatemala
Banderas News, Mexico
California Chronicle, California, USA
The Seoul Times, Seoul, South Korea
Bihar Times, Patna, Bihar
The Med Guru
The Bangladesh Today, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Meri News, Delhi
News from Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh
The New Times, Rwanda
Northern News Lines
The Standard Times, Sierre Leone

Bringing diabetes to light

Bringing diabetes to light

There is a growing consensus to raise awareness about diabetes in the 50 days leading up to World Diabetes Day on 14 November 2008. The International Diabetes Federation announced that the theme for this year's campaign is "Diabetes in Children and Adolescents."

Diabetes is one of the most common chronic diseases to affect children. It can strike children of any age, even toddlers and babies. Every day more than 200 children are diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, requiring them to take multiple daily insulin shots and monitor the glucose levels in their blood. It is increasing at a rate of 3% each year among children and rising even faster in pre-school children at a rate of 5% per year. Over 70,000 children a year under the age of 15 get diabetes.

"If not detected early enough in a child, diabetes can be fatal or result in serious brain damage. The obvious warning signs of increased urination, increased thirst, weight loss and tiredness are at times completely overlooked and the disease is misdiagnosed as the flu or not diagnosed at all" said Professor (Dr) Rama Kant, who heads the Diabetic Foot clinic at Chhatrapati Shahuji Maharaj Medical University and is a senior consultant at Gandhi Memorial & Associated Hospitals in Lucknow, India.

"Every parent, school teacher, school nurse, doctor and anyone involved in the care of children should be familiar with the warning signs and alert to the diabetes threat," said Dr Martin Silink, President of the International Diabetes Federation. "Children who are not diagnosed or misdiagnosed can die from DKA (diabetic coma). In the developing world insulin is not reaching many children who need it and the children are dying. The International Diabetes Federation is advocating that access to appropriate medication and care should be a right for a child with diabetes and not a privilege."

World Diabetes Day made a global splash last year, organizing the lighting of several of the world's most recognizable monuments in blue. For 2008 the Federation is reaching out to the global community for their ideas on how to raise awareness.

"There are activities planned worldwide. We hope to have them all listed on the World Diabetes Day website," said Campaign Director Phil Riley. "We're encouraging people to join in with activities in their community and contact us with their ideas."

Countries like India have an estimated 34 to 35 million of people suffering from diabetes, which is the highest in the world. The prevalence of Diabetes in urban population is 17% and in rural it is 2.5%. This indicates impact of life style and nutritional habits. Among the chronic complications of diabetes, diabetic foot is the most devastating complication and is the leading cause of leg amputation among diabetics. It is estimated that in India alone about 50,000 legs are amputated every year, of which almost 75 percent are potentially preventable, said Professor (Dr) Rama Kant.

This problem is further compounded by the lack of awareness, practice of barefoot walking, home surgery, faulty footwear (slippers) and delay in reporting. The cost, both in terms of human health as well as economic burden of the foot ulcer treatment and complication is very high. In countries like Thailand or India, foot care is very critical as a significant majority of the population stays in rural areas. Therefore prevention of ulcer and its subsequent complications is of utmost importance, stressed Professor Kant.

Recent trends are focusing on prevention by life style modifications, adequate control, multi-speciality treatments and aggressive debridements, open traditional and endovascular surgery, use of stents for improving circulation followed by free use of latest dressing techniques, use of different growth factors, off-loading of pressure points, use of modified shoes and also occasional use of boot therapy or modified boot therapy with a special equipments, said Professor Kant.

Let us hope that the 50 days awareness raising campaign in lead up to the World Diabetes Day this year will be effective in bringing down the incidence in times to come.

Published in
News Track India, Delhi
Assam Times, Guwahati, Assam
News Blaze, USA
Thai Indian News, Bangkok, Thailand
Media for Freedom, Kathmandu, Nepal
Ghana News, Accra, Ghana
The Zimbabwe Guardian, Harare, Zimbabwe
Howrah News Service, Kolkata, West Bengal
Leadership Nigeria, Nigeria
My News, Delhi
Kerala Online News, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala
American Chronicle, USA
Mehdirazvi
The Liberian, Liberia
The Liberian Journal, Liberia
Bihar and Jharkhand News Service (BJNS)
Guatemala Times, Guatemala
Banderas News, Mexico
California Chronicle, California, USA
The Seoul Times, Seoul, South Korea
Bihar Times, Patna, Bihar
The Med Guru
The Bangladesh Today, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Meri News, Delhi
News from Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh
The New Times, Rwanda
Northern News Lines
The Standard Times, Sierre Leone

India to treat multi-drug resistant tuberculosis country-wide by 2010

India to treat multi-drug resistant tuberculosis nation-wide by 2010
Amit Dwivedi

India is gearing up to strengthen tuberculosis (TB) control so as to provide TB prevention, diagnostics and treatment, particularly for multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB), nation-wide by 2010.

MDR-TB is TB that is resistant to at least two of the best anti-TB drugs, isoniazid and rifampicin. These drugs are considered first-line drugs and are used to treat all persons with TB disease.

"The 4th Global Survey on anti-TB drug resistance does not indicate that the rates of MDR-TB are increasing sharply in India or in Indonesia, or in the South-East Asian Region as a whole. The overall rates for MDR-TB among new smear-positive cases in the Region is 2.8% among new cases and 18.8% among people receiving prior treatment for TB for one month or more. However given population sizes in our larger countries, the numbers of cases are indeed large" said Dr Jai P Narain, Director, Communicable Diseases Department, South East Asian Regional Office (SEARO) of the World Health Organization (WHO).

MDR-TB is a result of inadequate programme performance of Directly Observed Treatment Short-Course (DOTS). DOTS is the WHO-recommended treatment strategy for detection and cure of TB which combines five elements: political commitment, microscopy services, drug supplies, surveillance and monitoring systems and use of highly efficacious regimes with direct observation of treatment.

"National TB control programmes in our Region have moved steadily to achieving the case detection and treatment success targets under DOTS. Treatment success rates in excess of 85% have been consistently achieved since 2002" further explains Dr Narain.

However due to a broad range of reasons, some people with drug-susceptible TB (which is not resistant to any anti-TB drug) develop resistance to anti-TB drugs, or may contract the drug-resistant strain of TB, which is also a possibility. People living with HIV (PLHIV) or those with compromised immunity are at particularly alarming TB risk (both drug susceptible and drug-resistant TB strains).

"MDR-TB cases arise among patients failing Category 1 and 2 regimens, contacts of MDR-TB cases, congregate settings and in other at risk populations such as PLHIV" adds Dr Narain.

Testing or diagnosing these drug-resistant strains of TB and providing effective medication (which is many times more expensive, and treatment duration is much longer) and improving DOTS programme performance for successfully diagnosing and curing drug-susceptible TB (and preventing development of any further anti-TB drug-resistance) can certainly make TB control more effective.

"We see this as an opportunity to strengthen our efforts to focus on prevention of MDR-TB so that we do not have to make the larger investments in treating additional cases of MDR-TB" says Dr Narain.

"India has adopted policy and is now rapidly building laboratory capacity through a network of 24 reference laboratories qualified to undertake culture and drug susceptibility testing (DST) to offer testing to all those who may have drug-resistant forms of TB. There is also an expansion plan to treat MDR-TB cases country-wide by the end of 2010" informs Dr Narain.

Dr Narain points out two specific areas that require attention: To determine how/ where MDR-TB is being generated, and to prevent further emergence of MDR-TB.

While achieving good cure rates under DOTS, we need to focus also on reasons for default and other unfavourable outcomes" says Dr Narain. "Given good cure rates under DOTS, are most MDR-TB cases arising from unsupervised treatment, through unsustainable out-of-pocket expenditure, outside of DOTS programmes?" asks he.

Dr Narain suggests some ways to prevent further emergence of MDR-TB. "By addressing all causes of adverse TB treatment outcomes, enhancing involvement of private sector and unlinked public health facilities, and promoting wider acceptance and application of the International Standards of TB Care" can possibly improve TB programmes in the region.

Amit Dwivedi

(The author is a Special Correspondent to Citizen News Service (CNS). He can be contacted at: amit@citizen-news.org)

Published in
Thai Indian News, Bangkok, Thailand
Assam Times, Guwahati, Assam
Bihar and Jharkhand News Service
Drug and Policy Control, Delhi
The Seoul Times, Seoul, South Korea
News Track India, Delhi
Central Chronicle, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh
Manipur Comments, Imphal, Manipur

India to treat multi-drug resistant tuberculosis country-wide by 2010

India to treat multi-drug resistant tuberculosis nation-wide by 2010
Amit Dwivedi

India is gearing up to strengthen tuberculosis (TB) control so as to provide TB prevention, diagnostics and treatment, particularly for multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB), nation-wide by 2010.

MDR-TB is TB that is resistant to at least two of the best anti-TB drugs, isoniazid and rifampicin. These drugs are considered first-line drugs and are used to treat all persons with TB disease.

"The 4th Global Survey on anti-TB drug resistance does not indicate that the rates of MDR-TB are increasing sharply in India or in Indonesia, or in the South-East Asian Region as a whole. The overall rates for MDR-TB among new smear-positive cases in the Region is 2.8% among new cases and 18.8% among people receiving prior treatment for TB for one month or more. However given population sizes in our larger countries, the numbers of cases are indeed large" said Dr Jai P Narain, Director, Communicable Diseases Department, South East Asian Regional Office (SEARO) of the World Health Organization (WHO).

MDR-TB is a result of inadequate programme performance of Directly Observed Treatment Short-Course (DOTS). DOTS is the WHO-recommended treatment strategy for detection and cure of TB which combines five elements: political commitment, microscopy services, drug supplies, surveillance and monitoring systems and use of highly efficacious regimes with direct observation of treatment.

"National TB control programmes in our Region have moved steadily to achieving the case detection and treatment success targets under DOTS. Treatment success rates in excess of 85% have been consistently achieved since 2002" further explains Dr Narain.

However due to a broad range of reasons, some people with drug-susceptible TB (which is not resistant to any anti-TB drug) develop resistance to anti-TB drugs, or may contract the drug-resistant strain of TB, which is also a possibility. People living with HIV (PLHIV) or those with compromised immunity are at particularly alarming TB risk (both drug susceptible and drug-resistant TB strains).

"MDR-TB cases arise among patients failing Category 1 and 2 regimens, contacts of MDR-TB cases, congregate settings and in other at risk populations such as PLHIV" adds Dr Narain.

Testing or diagnosing these drug-resistant strains of TB and providing effective medication (which is many times more expensive, and treatment duration is much longer) and improving DOTS programme performance for successfully diagnosing and curing drug-susceptible TB (and preventing development of any further anti-TB drug-resistance) can certainly make TB control more effective.

"We see this as an opportunity to strengthen our efforts to focus on prevention of MDR-TB so that we do not have to make the larger investments in treating additional cases of MDR-TB" says Dr Narain.

"India has adopted policy and is now rapidly building laboratory capacity through a network of 24 reference laboratories qualified to undertake culture and drug susceptibility testing (DST) to offer testing to all those who may have drug-resistant forms of TB. There is also an expansion plan to treat MDR-TB cases country-wide by the end of 2010" informs Dr Narain.

Dr Narain points out two specific areas that require attention: To determine how/ where MDR-TB is being generated, and to prevent further emergence of MDR-TB.

While achieving good cure rates under DOTS, we need to focus also on reasons for default and other unfavourable outcomes" says Dr Narain. "Given good cure rates under DOTS, are most MDR-TB cases arising from unsupervised treatment, through unsustainable out-of-pocket expenditure, outside of DOTS programmes?" asks he.

Dr Narain suggests some ways to prevent further emergence of MDR-TB. "By addressing all causes of adverse TB treatment outcomes, enhancing involvement of private sector and unlinked public health facilities, and promoting wider acceptance and application of the International Standards of TB Care" can possibly improve TB programmes in the region.

Amit Dwivedi

(The author is a Special Correspondent to Citizen News Service (CNS). He can be contacted at: amit@citizen-news.org)

Published in
Thai Indian News, Bangkok, Thailand
Assam Times, Guwahati, Assam
Bihar and Jharkhand News Service
Drug and Policy Control, Delhi
The Seoul Times, Seoul, South Korea
News Track India, Delhi
Central Chronicle, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh
Manipur Comments, Imphal, Manipur

Andhra Pradesh should gear up to enforce tobacco control policies

Andhra Pradesh should gear up to enforce tobacco control policies

Thankfully, the commitment of Andhra Pradesh state-capital's Medical and Health Officer Ms Jaya Kumari to enforce smoke-free policies and that of Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Anbumani Ramadoss is indeed unprecedented.

Smoking in public places will be banned from 2 October 2008 in compliance with the rulings of The Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production Supply and Distribution) Act, 2003.

However a recent walk around in city of nawabs - Hyderabad - makes me wonder if the city is geared to enforce this public health policy. Walking around Abids - one of the most happening streets in Hyderabad, one can clearly see tobacco retail shops within 100 meters of educational institutions, people were smoking on the banks of the Hussain Sagar Lake in Hyderabad when I went for morning walk, the auto-richshaw driver was smoking, and to top it all, while having dinner at a restaurant, the waiter approached me if I will like to have a hookah!

The Bombay Municipal Corporation (BMC) in compliance with court orders, is coming down heavily on hookah parlours to enforce smoke-free air policies. Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) has something to learn here!

Also while walking around in Golconda fort, I found quite a few instances where people were having a puff - however the city's Medical and Health officer Ms Jaya Kumari says smoking will be banned from 2 October in monuments as well. With less than two weeks left to enforce the ban, I am wondering how this rapid transformation will be implemented?

The repeated delay, at times weakening, and postponing the implementation of public health policies in India, particularly the provisions of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act, 2003, mustn't occur again. With two weeks to go before India enforces ban on smoking in public places from 2 October 2008, and few more weeks to go before mandatory pictorial warnings on tobacco products from 30 November 2008 get enforced, it is high time to prepare ourselves to contribute effectively in the implementation of these health policies

At the launch of the 3rd edition of the "Global Tobacco Treaty Action Guide 2008: Protecting Against Tobacco Industry Interference" in Hyderabad on Saturday, 20 September 2008, it is clear that the tobacco giants have disqualified themselves from participating in the development of public health policy. Worldwide release of the Global Tobacco Treaty Action Guide is a centerpiece of this year's 9th International Week of Resistance (IWR) to Tobacco Transnationals (22-28 September 2008).

The Global Tobacco Treaty Action Guide 2008 is produced by Corporate Accountability International [which is in official relations with the World Health Organization (WHO)], along with the Network for Accountability of Tobacco Transnationals (NATT).

For years the tobacco industry has operated with the express intention of subverting public health policies. If the tobacco giants were truly serious about saving lives, they would back off and let governments swiftly, fully implement the public health policies, including the national health policies and also the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) – the first global corporate accountability and public health treaty. India, along with more than 150 countries, has ratified the global tobacco treaty (FCTC). The WHO estimates that broad implementation of the treaty could save 200 million lives by 2050.

In July 2007, at the second implementation and enforcement meeting on the FCTC, parties took the courageous step of initiating the development of guidelines on the implementation of Article 5.3 of the FCTC. These guidelines will help governments anticipate and thwart attempts by the vested commercial interests of the tobacco industry to undermine the implementation of the tobacco control policies.

Tobacco kills 5.4 million people around the world each year. Tobacco is a risk factor in six of the eight leading causes of death worldwide. The death toll is projected to rise to eight million a year by 2030, with 80 percent of those deaths occurring in developing countries. If current trends are not reversed, tobacco will claim one billion lives this century.

Proven tobacco control measures required in Andhra Pradesh, as well as in rest of India, by the global tobacco treaty (FCTC), and also by the Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products Act, 2003, such as the ban on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship, graphic and effective warning labels, strong tax policies and protection from exposure to tobacco smoke, will bring in the desired change. However, the enforcement of some of these policies in India got delayed repeatedly, owing to pressure from the tobacco-growers' associations and other such agencies. The various governmental and non-governmental stakeholders need to be vigilant so as to facilitate the enforcement of these policies and guard them against undue interference, said activists.

Published in
Central Chronicle, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh
News Track India, Andhra Pradesh
Thai Indian News, Bangkok, Thailand
American Chronicle, USA
The Seoul Times, Seoul, South Korea

Andhra Pradesh should gear up to enforce tobacco control policies

Andhra Pradesh should gear up to enforce tobacco control policies

Thankfully, the commitment of Andhra Pradesh state-capital's Medical and Health Officer Ms Jaya Kumari to enforce smoke-free policies and that of Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Anbumani Ramadoss is indeed unprecedented.

Smoking in public places will be banned from 2 October 2008 in compliance with the rulings of The Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production Supply and Distribution) Act, 2003.

However a recent walk around in city of nawabs - Hyderabad - makes me wonder if the city is geared to enforce this public health policy. Walking around Abids - one of the most happening streets in Hyderabad, one can clearly see tobacco retail shops within 100 meters of educational institutions, people were smoking on the banks of the Hussain Sagar Lake in Hyderabad when I went for morning walk, the auto-richshaw driver was smoking, and to top it all, while having dinner at a restaurant, the waiter approached me if I will like to have a hookah!

The Bombay Municipal Corporation (BMC) in compliance with court orders, is coming down heavily on hookah parlours to enforce smoke-free air policies. Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) has something to learn here!

Also while walking around in Golconda fort, I found quite a few instances where people were having a puff - however the city's Medical and Health officer Ms Jaya Kumari says smoking will be banned from 2 October in monuments as well. With less than two weeks left to enforce the ban, I am wondering how this rapid transformation will be implemented?

The repeated delay, at times weakening, and postponing the implementation of public health policies in India, particularly the provisions of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act, 2003, mustn't occur again. With two weeks to go before India enforces ban on smoking in public places from 2 October 2008, and few more weeks to go before mandatory pictorial warnings on tobacco products from 30 November 2008 get enforced, it is high time to prepare ourselves to contribute effectively in the implementation of these health policies

At the launch of the 3rd edition of the "Global Tobacco Treaty Action Guide 2008: Protecting Against Tobacco Industry Interference" in Hyderabad on Saturday, 20 September 2008, it is clear that the tobacco giants have disqualified themselves from participating in the development of public health policy. Worldwide release of the Global Tobacco Treaty Action Guide is a centerpiece of this year's 9th International Week of Resistance (IWR) to Tobacco Transnationals (22-28 September 2008).

The Global Tobacco Treaty Action Guide 2008 is produced by Corporate Accountability International [which is in official relations with the World Health Organization (WHO)], along with the Network for Accountability of Tobacco Transnationals (NATT).

For years the tobacco industry has operated with the express intention of subverting public health policies. If the tobacco giants were truly serious about saving lives, they would back off and let governments swiftly, fully implement the public health policies, including the national health policies and also the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) – the first global corporate accountability and public health treaty. India, along with more than 150 countries, has ratified the global tobacco treaty (FCTC). The WHO estimates that broad implementation of the treaty could save 200 million lives by 2050.

In July 2007, at the second implementation and enforcement meeting on the FCTC, parties took the courageous step of initiating the development of guidelines on the implementation of Article 5.3 of the FCTC. These guidelines will help governments anticipate and thwart attempts by the vested commercial interests of the tobacco industry to undermine the implementation of the tobacco control policies.

Tobacco kills 5.4 million people around the world each year. Tobacco is a risk factor in six of the eight leading causes of death worldwide. The death toll is projected to rise to eight million a year by 2030, with 80 percent of those deaths occurring in developing countries. If current trends are not reversed, tobacco will claim one billion lives this century.

Proven tobacco control measures required in Andhra Pradesh, as well as in rest of India, by the global tobacco treaty (FCTC), and also by the Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products Act, 2003, such as the ban on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship, graphic and effective warning labels, strong tax policies and protection from exposure to tobacco smoke, will bring in the desired change. However, the enforcement of some of these policies in India got delayed repeatedly, owing to pressure from the tobacco-growers' associations and other such agencies. The various governmental and non-governmental stakeholders need to be vigilant so as to facilitate the enforcement of these policies and guard them against undue interference, said activists.

Published in
Central Chronicle, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh
News Track India, Andhra Pradesh
Thai Indian News, Bangkok, Thailand
American Chronicle, USA
The Seoul Times, Seoul, South Korea

India must not delay enforcing public health policies

India must not delay enforcing public health policies

The repeated delay, at times weakening, and postponing the implementation of public health policies in India, particularly the provisions of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act, 2003, mustn''t occur again. With two weeks to go before India enforces ban on smoking in public places from 2 October 2008, and few more weeks to go before mandatory pictorial warnings on tobacco products from 30 November 2008 get enforced, it is high time to prepare ourselves to contribute effectively in the implementation of these health policies.

At the launch of the 3rd edition of the "Global Tobacco Treaty Action Guide 2008: Protecting Against Tobacco Industry Interference" in New Delhi today, it is clear that the tobacco giants have disqualified themselves from participating in the development of public health policy. Worldwide release of the Global Tobacco Treaty Action Guide is a centerpiece of this year's 9th International Week of Resistance (IWR) to Tobacco Transnationals (22-28 September 2008).

The Global Tobacco Treaty Action Guide 2008 is produced by Corporate Accountability International [which is in official relations with the World Health Organization (WHO)], along with the Network for Accountability of Tobacco Transnationals (NATT).

For years the tobacco industry has operated with the express intention of subverting public health policies. If the tobacco giants were truly serious about saving lives, they would back off and let governments swiftly, fully implement the public health policies, including the national health policies and also the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) -- the first global corporate accountability and public health treaty. India, along with more than 150 countries, has ratified the global tobacco treaty (FCTC). The WHO estimates that broad implementation of the treaty could save 200 million lives by 2050.

In July 2007, at the second implementation and enforcement meeting on the FCTC, parties took the courageous step of initiating the development of guidelines on the implementation of Article 5.3 of the FCTC. These guidelines will help governments anticipate and thwart attempts by the vested commercial interests of the tobacco industry to undermine the implementation of the tobacco control policies.

Tobacco kills 5.4 million people around the world each year. Tobacco is a risk factor in six of the eight leading causes of death worldwide. The death toll is projected to rise to eight million a year by 2030, with 80 percent of those deaths occurring in developing countries. If current trends are not reversed, tobacco will claim one billion lives this century.

Proven tobacco control measures required in India by the global tobacco treaty (FCTC), and also by the Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products Act, 2003, such as the ban on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship, graphic and effective warning labels, strong tax policies and protection from exposure to tobacco smoke, are now being implemented gradually in India. However, the enforcement of some of these policies in India got delayed repeatedly, owing to pressure from the tobacco-growers' associations and other such agencies. The various governmental and non-governmental stakeholders need to be vigilant so as to facilitate the enforcement of these policies and guard them against undue interference, said activists.

Published in
Central Chronicle, Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh
My News, Delhi

India must not delay enforcing public health policies

India must not delay enforcing public health policies

The repeated delay, at times weakening, and postponing the implementation of public health policies in India, particularly the provisions of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act, 2003, mustn''t occur again. With two weeks to go before India enforces ban on smoking in public places from 2 October 2008, and few more weeks to go before mandatory pictorial warnings on tobacco products from 30 November 2008 get enforced, it is high time to prepare ourselves to contribute effectively in the implementation of these health policies.

At the launch of the 3rd edition of the "Global Tobacco Treaty Action Guide 2008: Protecting Against Tobacco Industry Interference" in New Delhi today, it is clear that the tobacco giants have disqualified themselves from participating in the development of public health policy. Worldwide release of the Global Tobacco Treaty Action Guide is a centerpiece of this year's 9th International Week of Resistance (IWR) to Tobacco Transnationals (22-28 September 2008).

The Global Tobacco Treaty Action Guide 2008 is produced by Corporate Accountability International [which is in official relations with the World Health Organization (WHO)], along with the Network for Accountability of Tobacco Transnationals (NATT).

For years the tobacco industry has operated with the express intention of subverting public health policies. If the tobacco giants were truly serious about saving lives, they would back off and let governments swiftly, fully implement the public health policies, including the national health policies and also the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) -- the first global corporate accountability and public health treaty. India, along with more than 150 countries, has ratified the global tobacco treaty (FCTC). The WHO estimates that broad implementation of the treaty could save 200 million lives by 2050.

In July 2007, at the second implementation and enforcement meeting on the FCTC, parties took the courageous step of initiating the development of guidelines on the implementation of Article 5.3 of the FCTC. These guidelines will help governments anticipate and thwart attempts by the vested commercial interests of the tobacco industry to undermine the implementation of the tobacco control policies.

Tobacco kills 5.4 million people around the world each year. Tobacco is a risk factor in six of the eight leading causes of death worldwide. The death toll is projected to rise to eight million a year by 2030, with 80 percent of those deaths occurring in developing countries. If current trends are not reversed, tobacco will claim one billion lives this century.

Proven tobacco control measures required in India by the global tobacco treaty (FCTC), and also by the Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products Act, 2003, such as the ban on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship, graphic and effective warning labels, strong tax policies and protection from exposure to tobacco smoke, are now being implemented gradually in India. However, the enforcement of some of these policies in India got delayed repeatedly, owing to pressure from the tobacco-growers' associations and other such agencies. The various governmental and non-governmental stakeholders need to be vigilant so as to facilitate the enforcement of these policies and guard them against undue interference, said activists.

Published in
Central Chronicle, Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh
My News, Delhi

Victim of terrorism - the common man

Victim of terrorism - the common man
Shobha Shukla

Recently I had the privilege to hear Mr. Ajit Sahi, the Editor-at-large of Tehelka, speak on the 'Myth Of Terrorist Organisations----SIMI fictions'.

His painstakingly collected and carefully analyzed information speaks of scores of innocent Indian Muslims languishing in the countries' prisons on false police accusations. He feels that it is a premeditated government (read Hindu) campaign to implicate and harass Muslim youth and demonise the Muslim community----all in the name of curbing terrorist activities. His findings indicate that in not a single case has it so far been conclusive that SIMI ( students' Islamic movement of India ) activists were involved in terrorist offences. Police have killed scores of innocent persons during the last several years, wrongly branding them as terrorists, whereas the the real culprits remain untouched. All this has helped to reinforce hatred against the Muslims who no longer feel safe in the country.

However they need not despair, as they are not alone in their fear and mistrust. It is the common ,hapless person on the street who is being hounded by the powers-that-be irrespective of her/his caste, creed or religion. How else do we explain the thrashing of the UPites and Biharis in Mumbai by the Shiv Sena and the Nav Nirman Sena in the name of purging Maharashtrian territory,( thus usurping the right of an Indian citizen to work in any part of the country), unleashing a wave of violence and hatred amongst members of the same religion.

Or the vandalism by the saffron brigade during a recent painting exhibition of artist Manjit Singh in New Delhi . They not only smashed his paintings but manhandled him too, as they thought his works of art to be against Hindu culture.

Or the barbaric burning to death of Rajni Majhi---a twenty year old Hindu girl in Orissa---whose only fault was that she was living in an orphanage run by Christian missionaries.

Or the police firings on the poor farmers who dared to protest against the acquisition of their farmlands at ridiculously low prices by the Government in the name of economic development.

Whether it is the heinous bomb blasts, or attacks on a particular minority community/ caste, or illegal coercion of farmers; the perpetrator is always the more powerful and the victim is the helpless poor. The new world order seems to have fuelled our brutal passion to tread upon the down trodden and to oppress the weak. It could be the State/executive against the minorities; the economically powerful industrialists against the poor farmers; the police excesses on the innocents. Everywhere it is the same blatant signature tune that I am racially/socially/economically superior to you.

A few months ago the son of my sister's domestic help was rounded by the police on a false complaint of theft, with no evidence whatsoever. When she approached a senior police officer, the charges against him were withdrawn, but his poor mother had to shell out a thousand rupees for his release. On top of it a police constable pestered him to name someone else for some other uncommitted crime, just to add numbers to the police record list. Even after his release, the boy and his mother are living in constant fear of the police. This is just one of the several cases which must be happening every day and we seem to have become immune to these indignities as long as they do not affect us directly.

Isn't the police terrorizing the common public with impunity and getting away with it?

Aren't the Bajrang Dal/ Shivsainiks/ political parties terrorizing the law abiding citizens and zealous missionaries and social activists( like Binayak Sen) for their narrow parochial gains?

Isn't the State machinery terrorizing us by usurping the fundamental rights of the common person by forcibly taking away his/her land and siphoning off funds earmarked for flood/ drought/ riot victims?

Isn't our army, deemed to be the custodians of law and order in troubled areas, violating the dignity of women and committing excesses against human rights?

How often have seen traffic rules being broken with impunity and no action taken against the culprits; cases of road rage resulting in deaths;women being subjugated and treated like dirt ( that is if they are allowed to be born) for bringing insufficient dowry/ not producing a male child / daring to exercise their choices.

All these are acts of terrorism unleashed on the weak and powerless by the strong and mighty. It is not just the Muslims, but about anyone and everyone without a political/ economic clout who are living in constant fear of the unbridled and brute force of the executive/ police/ judiciary. It is rare to find an influential person becoming a victim of any act of terrorism.

It is time for the oppressed to stand up in solidarity against all forms of terrorism, irrespective of their faith and affiliations.

The stupid (wo)man on the street ,who has been dumped by all, must stand up in non violent resistance and abide by the truth, ( just like the farmers of Jharkhand and villages adjoining New Delhi ).

We may be grateful to have survived bomb attacks but our spirit is dying and needs to be resurrected.

Shobha Shukla

The author teaches Physics at India's Loreto Convent and has been writing extensively in English and Hindi media. She serves as Editor of Citizen News Service (CNS).

Published in
Thai Indian News, Bangkok, Thailand
News Track India, Delhi
Scoop Independent News, New Zealand
Assam Times, Guwahati, Assam
Indo Asian News Service (IANS)
The Bangladesh Today, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Bihar and Jharkhand News Service
Central Chronicle, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh
Asian Tribune, Bangkok, Thailand
The Seoul Times, Seoul, South Korea

Victim of terrorism - the common man

Victim of terrorism - the common man
Shobha Shukla

Recently I had the privilege to hear Mr. Ajit Sahi, the Editor-at-large of Tehelka, speak on the 'Myth Of Terrorist Organisations----SIMI fictions'.

His painstakingly collected and carefully analyzed information speaks of scores of innocent Indian Muslims languishing in the countries' prisons on false police accusations. He feels that it is a premeditated government (read Hindu) campaign to implicate and harass Muslim youth and demonise the Muslim community----all in the name of curbing terrorist activities. His findings indicate that in not a single case has it so far been conclusive that SIMI ( students' Islamic movement of India ) activists were involved in terrorist offences. Police have killed scores of innocent persons during the last several years, wrongly branding them as terrorists, whereas the the real culprits remain untouched. All this has helped to reinforce hatred against the Muslims who no longer feel safe in the country.

However they need not despair, as they are not alone in their fear and mistrust. It is the common ,hapless person on the street who is being hounded by the powers-that-be irrespective of her/his caste, creed or religion. How else do we explain the thrashing of the UPites and Biharis in Mumbai by the Shiv Sena and the Nav Nirman Sena in the name of purging Maharashtrian territory,( thus usurping the right of an Indian citizen to work in any part of the country), unleashing a wave of violence and hatred amongst members of the same religion.

Or the vandalism by the saffron brigade during a recent painting exhibition of artist Manjit Singh in New Delhi . They not only smashed his paintings but manhandled him too, as they thought his works of art to be against Hindu culture.

Or the barbaric burning to death of Rajni Majhi---a twenty year old Hindu girl in Orissa---whose only fault was that she was living in an orphanage run by Christian missionaries.

Or the police firings on the poor farmers who dared to protest against the acquisition of their farmlands at ridiculously low prices by the Government in the name of economic development.

Whether it is the heinous bomb blasts, or attacks on a particular minority community/ caste, or illegal coercion of farmers; the perpetrator is always the more powerful and the victim is the helpless poor. The new world order seems to have fuelled our brutal passion to tread upon the down trodden and to oppress the weak. It could be the State/executive against the minorities; the economically powerful industrialists against the poor farmers; the police excesses on the innocents. Everywhere it is the same blatant signature tune that I am racially/socially/economically superior to you.

A few months ago the son of my sister's domestic help was rounded by the police on a false complaint of theft, with no evidence whatsoever. When she approached a senior police officer, the charges against him were withdrawn, but his poor mother had to shell out a thousand rupees for his release. On top of it a police constable pestered him to name someone else for some other uncommitted crime, just to add numbers to the police record list. Even after his release, the boy and his mother are living in constant fear of the police. This is just one of the several cases which must be happening every day and we seem to have become immune to these indignities as long as they do not affect us directly.

Isn't the police terrorizing the common public with impunity and getting away with it?

Aren't the Bajrang Dal/ Shivsainiks/ political parties terrorizing the law abiding citizens and zealous missionaries and social activists( like Binayak Sen) for their narrow parochial gains?

Isn't the State machinery terrorizing us by usurping the fundamental rights of the common person by forcibly taking away his/her land and siphoning off funds earmarked for flood/ drought/ riot victims?

Isn't our army, deemed to be the custodians of law and order in troubled areas, violating the dignity of women and committing excesses against human rights?

How often have seen traffic rules being broken with impunity and no action taken against the culprits; cases of road rage resulting in deaths;women being subjugated and treated like dirt ( that is if they are allowed to be born) for bringing insufficient dowry/ not producing a male child / daring to exercise their choices.

All these are acts of terrorism unleashed on the weak and powerless by the strong and mighty. It is not just the Muslims, but about anyone and everyone without a political/ economic clout who are living in constant fear of the unbridled and brute force of the executive/ police/ judiciary. It is rare to find an influential person becoming a victim of any act of terrorism.

It is time for the oppressed to stand up in solidarity against all forms of terrorism, irrespective of their faith and affiliations.

The stupid (wo)man on the street ,who has been dumped by all, must stand up in non violent resistance and abide by the truth, ( just like the farmers of Jharkhand and villages adjoining New Delhi ).

We may be grateful to have survived bomb attacks but our spirit is dying and needs to be resurrected.

Shobha Shukla

The author teaches Physics at India's Loreto Convent and has been writing extensively in English and Hindi media. She serves as Editor of Citizen News Service (CNS).

Published in
Thai Indian News, Bangkok, Thailand
News Track India, Delhi
Scoop Independent News, New Zealand
Assam Times, Guwahati, Assam
Indo Asian News Service (IANS)
The Bangladesh Today, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Bihar and Jharkhand News Service
Central Chronicle, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh
Asian Tribune, Bangkok, Thailand
The Seoul Times, Seoul, South Korea

World Ozone Day (16 September) and our commitments

World Ozone Day (16 September) and our commitments
Vasu Shena Misra

September 16 every year is observed as "World Ozone Day". The celebration of this day is made to pay our homage to the ozone layer, that saves our earth from the harmful ultra-voilet radiation of the Sun.

The life on the Earth , depends on the energy provided by the Sun in the form of various radiations.

* Out of total energy received by the Earth, 35% will be reflected back to the space by the clouds, dust-particles and ice particles present in the atmosphere.
* 14% of the energy , which comes in the form of ultra violet radiation gets absorbed by the ozone layer, thus saving the earth from the harmful effects like over warming of the Earth or diseases like cancer
* 34% of the energy is radiated back from the Earth in the form of direct solar radiation and 17% radiated back from the Earth in the form of terrestrial radiation.

The part of the energy radiated back from the Earth unabsorbed is called "Albedo". Average Albedo ranges between 29% to 34%. Because of the artificial cover provided by the green house gases the Earth surface is unable to reflect the total energy thus gets heated. So lesser the Albedo more will be the temperature on the Earth and viceversa.

Besides this the tarnishing of ozone layer provides the way to ultra violet rays to enter in the Earth's atmosphere which can cause great destruction , catastrophies (famines ,droughts etc.) and diseases like cancer.

The fact that the density of ozone layer reduced considerably making the situation more horrified. (from 1956 to 1970 the density of the ozone layer was nearly 280 to 325 doveson which in 1994 got reduced to mere 94 doveson. The density has been on a decline since then.)

The gases which are responsible for increasing the Earth temperature artificially are called "green house gases " which includes:- carbon di-oxide, methane, chloro floro carbon (CFC), sulphur herxa-floride, nitrous oxide, perflorocarbon. These gases are called green house gases because they increase the temperature in the glass house made artificially to provide higher temperature in colder areas which in turn helps plants that are native to warmer climates, to grow in the hilly areas.

The gases like CFC, or carbon di-oxide have been used in the modern appliances like air-conditioners, refrigerators, fire extinguishers etc. So its looks like where there is more industrialisation there is greater chance of causing harm to the ozone layer.

But the reality is unbelievable and horrifying. Unbelievable because the ozone hole was discovered in the polar regions where there is negligible industrialisation and horrifying because this reality can cause more destruction in less time. The reason behind this reality is the polar stratosphere clouds provide basis for chlorine molecules (present in the CFC) to act freely in the colder regions ( as in polar regions) and in the presence of sunlight in the Antarctica region the chlorine molecules attacks on the ozone molecules (O3) and kill them in the process. More damaging fact is this molecule could have a life of 45 years to 250 years. This is also causing the glaciers to melt.

The recent report of the Inter-governmental Panel On Climate Change (IPCC) states that Earth's temperature has increased by 0.74% in the past hundred years. Its effects are disastrous like:

* Unexpected increase in the sea level that can submerge low lying regions including UK
* The melting of glaciers like Himadri in India, which will first result in floods and then a long lasting drought
* Exposure to ultra-violet rays can up the risk of cancers
* Unexpected climatic changes

USA which pretends itself as a global leader, is also the biggest producer of these harmful green-house gases (nearly 30%) but hasn't signed the "Kyoto Protocal" - a legally binding global treaty for reducing the emission of these gases.

To efficiently deal with this current fearsome situation, we have to take stringent steps. Some are:-
1. Save trees as they save life by inhaling harmful gas carbon-di-oxide.
2. more sustainable behaviour in our daily lives like saving energy at every step.
3. To use technologies which are environment-friendly, like bio-fertilizers.
4. The expansion of carbon trading by the developed countries from developing countries.
5. Globalize the technologies to the under developed nations that supports the climate.

Let us act now before it is too late.

Vasu Shena Misra
(The author is a development activist who did his post-graduation from University of Lucknow. He serves on the CNS board of writers)

Published in
Thai Indian, Bangkok, Thailand
News Track India, Delhi
Bihar and Jharkhand News Service (BJNS)
The Seoul Times, Seoul, South Korea
Khabar Express, Bikaner, Rajasthan
Pakistan Post, Karachi, Pakistan
Central Chronicle, Madhya Pradesh/ Chhattisgarh
My News, Delhi
Assam Times, Guwahati, Assam