Category Archives: Public Administration

Education, News, Public Administration, Urban and Regional Planning

ROLE OF ASHAs IN KEEPING INDIA’S VILLAGES PROTECTED FROM CORONAVIRUS

Accredited Social Health Activists, ASHAs, are playing an indispensable role in rural outreach by educating village people on arresting the spread of the much-dreaded Coronavirus. Field reports from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s constituency, Varanasi indicate that ASHAs credited with juggling multiple roles have been deputed to spread awareness on prevention of Coronavirus in their areas. They are after all the backbone of primary healthcare in more than seven lakh villages of India.

On April 14, the day Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced an extension of the 21-day lockdown till May 3, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, advised in a COVID-19 related tweet that persons having symptoms may approach national/ state helpline centres or frontline workers such as ASHA workers and field workers. The tweet said that these workers have been oriented about the process to be followed and can help in early detection and facilitate proper treatment in hospitals.

Rekha Sharma, a forty-year-old ASHA worker says that ASHA workers in Varanasi have been asked to cover 25 to 30 houses a day in the assigned villages till the end of May. After lockdown, some workers working in Bengaluru, Delhi, Pune and other cities have come back to the villages because they did not have any work in lockdown. They have been asked to undergo tests for COVID- 19.”

The ASHAs are given performance-based incentives for promoting universal immunisation, referral and escort services for reproductive and child health and other healthcare programmes and construction of household toilets. They counsel women on birth preparedness, the importance of safe delivery, breast-feeding and complementary feeding, immunisation, contraception and prevention of common infections including Reproductive Tract Infections/ Sexually Transmitted Infections (RTIs and STIs) and care of the young child. From time to time, the ASHA workers have been deservingly honoured as well. In December 2019, Balvinder Kaur, an ASHA worker from Khosi Kalan village of sub-centre Koomkala of Ludhiana, Punjab was honoured with the National Universal Health Coverage Award by Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Dr Harsh Wardhan. She was honoured for her contribution to promoting facilities of Health and Wellness Centres in her block, Likewise, Jamuna Mani Singh was also felicitated by the Odisha government. “From the time we came to know that COVID-19 is going to pose a big threat to India, we took it upon ourselves to strengthen our rural outreach. Since we have been working in several states of India with special focus on many districts of Uttar Pradesh for a long time, we offered our services to government departments like education, health, women and child welfare departments.

We have made sure that all facts on COVID-19 that are being put out by the World Health Organisation and the Ministry of Health, are disseminated to the villages daily. As and when required, we are seeking the help of community-based organisations and other voluntary organisations.” Mr Pradhan explained that MAMTA is using the existing WhatsApp groups through which they normally function with senior government officers on several social welfare and development-oriented schemes, to spread awareness on COVID-19 as well. We are working in all eight blocks in the Prime Minister’s constituency. We have also asked ASHAs, frontline workers, Nehru Yuvak Kendra, NSS (National Service Scheme) and NCC (National Cadet Corps) volunteers to ask villagers to download Arogya Setu App (a mobile app developed by the Ministry of IT and Electronics to help citizens identify the risk of contracting COVID-19 infection). All government departments of Varanasi are already actively promoting Arogya Setu. To make it easy, we have shared the Arogya Setu link with all volunteers and social workers. Surely, the army of dedicated and friendly health activists in India’s villages is taking on the COVID- 19 challenge by empowering people with knowledge.

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Education, Law and Order, Public Administration, Social Studies

We, The People

“We, The People”

It was in 2015, the 125th birth anniversary year of Baba Bharat Ratna Saheb Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar that the Government of India decided to celebrate 26th November, as ‘Constitution Day’ every year. The year 2019 marked the 70th year of the adoption of the Constitution. To reiterate our gratitude to the chief architect of our Constitution, and publicise the glorious and rich composite culture and diversity of our nation, the Government is celebrating the spirit of Constitution through a series of initiatives and activities till 26th November 2020. It is a tribute to the legacy of this great man and the greatness of the Constitution. The document written over 70 years ago is the most relevant at these times for the government, judiciary and citizens alike. Withstanding its core principles of justice, liberty and equality, reminding the citizens of their fundamental duties to uphold unity and integrity, and the Directive Principles for the government, our Constitution is the guiding light for the Indian society as a whole. The Constitution of India is a result of exhaustive research and deliberations of a body of experts. These makers of our Constitution, with their foresight and wisdom, prepared a futuristic and vibrant document that reflects our ideals and aspirations on the one hand and protects the future of all Indians on the other. They are credited to bring in the best features of all the hitherto existing related documents and making it the most lengthy and detailed constitutional document in the world.
The document in itself is well equipped for future amendment provisions. It was made sure that the Constitution should neither be too rigid nor too flexible. The hundred-plus amendments over the seven decades have strengthened it further and made the constitution even more relevant in the present times.
The Preamble to the Constitution declares India to be a sovereign, socialist, secular democratic republic and a welfare state committed to secure justice, liberty and equality for the people and for promoting fraternity, the dignity of the individual and unity and integrity of the nation. These Rights go hand-in-hand with the Fundamental Duties.
Every citizen must abide by the Constitution and respect its ideals and institutions; to cherish and follow the noble ideals of our freedom struggle; to renounce practices derogatory to the dignity of women, and to value and preserve the rich heritage of our culture. The Rule of Law has been a core civilisational value of Indian society since ages. India has been cherishing values of trust and faith towards justice that inspire our Constitution. About 1500 archaic laws have been repealed. And speed has been demonstrated not only in doing away with irrelevant laws but also in enacting new legislation aimed at strengthening the social fabric.
The architect of our Constitution, Dr B. R. Ambedkar had said: “Constitution is not a mere lawyer’s document, it is a vehicle of life, and its spirit is always a spirit of the age.” In legislating the rights for transgender, the law against the practice of Triple Talaq, expanding the rights of Persons with Disabilities, the government has worked with complete sensitivity and responsiveness to the needs of modern society.
The ‘Constitution of India’ lies at the foundation of the world’s largest democracy. This is the supreme document in the country’s democratic framework and it continuously guides us in our endeavours.

Education, Public Administration

MOBILE PHONE TOWERS ARE DANGEROUS?

PS: Telephone towers and nature.

An estimated one billion people now have mobile connections in India. It is hard to imagine how many towers exist to support that level of connectivity. But if we wish to know a number, there are around 5 lakh towers and counting. Even though there are many towers, people are complaining about call drops they face now and then. Then there is an additional issue that contradicts this complaint. People primarily perceive cell phone towers as radiation-emitting machines, so they want a lesser number of towers in and around their residential area, but they want better connection quality. Isn’t it ironical that in many ways we demand more of these towers that we believe to be causing possible risks of cancer, radiation and other diseases? However, the government has established that there is no practical evidence that proves these. There is a general perception in the public that towers should not be near schools, hospitals and residential areas. They are associating towers with the increase in various types of health symptoms like depression, headache, nausea, loss of appetite, memory loss, blurred vision, skin and cardiovascular problems. Perhaps it is not the tower that is spreading radiation. Maybe it is the anxiety, the fear that is in us regarding possible radiation in towers that leads to diseases.

According to authorities, the proximity of the tower to a human settlement area is not an issue. Government has established stringent safety norms and only those who comply can raise a tower over a building. Radiation limits have been increased to 1/10th of global standards making India one of the safest countries in this regard. When towers are set up, there are very stringent processes to set them up. How high they must be, what location they have to be at, then there is a line of sight issues; these are some considerations to be looked at. A company must obtain certification by the authorized operator, and if things are not checked, they can easily be removed.

In my understanding, when an antenna’s power is increased, it develops better connectivity for users as the reach-ability of mobile waves increase, and the rise in power creates the discussed problems. For power to be less radiating, towers must be set low, and they should be closer together. It is to better the user connection, smaller towers that are located close to each other are required, and they do not radiate much power.

We must not forget the frequency waves emanating from mobile devices are also harmful to us. It is also said that continuous exposure to a mobile device is more dangerous than a tower. In overseas, the telecom companies are educating people with regards to usage of cell phones example the skull of a child is small, so he must not be exposed to the device like we are. In contrast, there is no visible public initiative been taken by our telecom companies in this regard. Some forums are created by TRAI (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India) and companies, but the popularity of these forums are awful.

Some scientist believes that heavy mobile users are under danger, and the habit of mostly listening to phone from one ear increases chances of brain tumour. We must learn that cell phone use is under our control, but when we talk about towers, we cannot do much about their establishment. Even though no credible evidence has come so far against its (Tower’s) harmful effects, they are a need of the population. There is no published or unpublished literature, so now in my experience that conclusively states whether these towers are harmful or not. There are two aided projects for the study of this subject- government-aided and company aided. Assigned persons under these projects have been and are carrying studies and surveying the psychological disorders of people who are heavy users to establish some literature on harmful effects.

People in authority say that nothing has been proven while people are worried that do they have to suffer from diseases and die before things are determined. We are complaining about everything. If we take towers away, then there will be more call drops, and then we will start complaining about that as well. Hopefully, these devices of the future stay human friendly because we need them. Lastly, one question still makes us think more- if there was a mobile tower in front of our house, would we get it removed?

News, Public Administration

SHAILAJA TEACHER: corona virus slayer

Kerala, which recorded India’s first three corona virus cases,has been successful in flattening the curve of new infections. The southern state has reported 3,451 cases, of which 1809 patients were discharged after receiving treatment . Twenty-two deaths have been recorded so far in Kerala.

Kerala Health Minister KK Shailaja popularly known as Shailaja Teacher has been hailed for effectively control the Covid-19 curve in the state , at a time when the entire country was devasted by the disease. Kerala was apparently successful to fight with the virus because of timely intervention by the Minister.

Recently she was honoured by the United Nations during the celebration of Public Service Day for tackling the Covid-19 pandemic Effectively .The UN observed Public Service Day on 23 rd June to honour those who risking their life and health to deliver essential public services amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

K.K SHAILAJA attending UN Public Service Day Celebration

the event was held at virtual platform and saw the digital participatation of UN secretary General Antonio Guterres and other top dignitaries

Education, Public Administration

Frequency of floods has increased because of climate change

Mumbai floods: How to report road closure using Google Maps - The ...

NASA describes climate change as a long term change in the average weather patterns preexisting in local, regional and global climate.  Most of the changes observed in Earth’s climate since the early 20th century are primarily driven by human activities, particularly fossil fuel burning which releases greenhouse gasses like methane, nitrogen dioxide and most importantly, carbon dioxide (CO2). These gasses are heat trapping in nature and are raising the Earth’s average surface temperature. The temperature increased caused by man-made activities is referred to as global warming.

Global warming is causing extreme weather events like floods, cyclones, draughts, forest fires, heat waves, and hurricanes and melting polar ice caps of the planet. India being a tropical country faces floods every year. We also have huge coastline spanning 7,500-odd km and runs past nine states which are very vulnerable to flooding. The rapid melting of polar ice caps because of Global warming has accelerated the rise of sea levels as observed by study conducted by an IPCC panel. This is going to impact people living near the coastal areas and in islands. Mumbai, one of the largest cities in the world, with a population of 20 million is projected to be completely submerged by rising sea levels. Glaciers are also melting in the Himalayas, which is projected to increase flow rates in the Ganges and Brahmaputra Rivers. In 2013, heavy rain followed by a glacial lake outburst caused devastating floods in the state of Uttarakhand. The floods 4,000 people, destroyed and caused damages of 3.8 billion dollars.

Monsoon in 2019 witnessed 560 extreme rainfall events, a 74% jump from 324 events recorded in the year 2018. The heavy rainfall caused floods that led to a death toll of 1685 lives, spread across 14 states of the country, with Maharashtra accounting for the maximum deaths. According to Home Ministry officials heavy rains and floods fully damaged 1.09 lakh houses, partially damaged 2.05 lakh houses and destroyed 14.14 lakh hectares of crops. Responding to floods in different areas at the same time as happened last year strains emergency response efforts. NDRF, Army and the Air Force were deployed to rescue people across six states in northern and western India. An estimated 1.2 million people were living in government relief camps.

According to IPCC panel, the frequency of freak weather events like floods would drastically reduce if the rise in temperature was limited to 1.5 degree Celsius, however it is highly unlikely that we are able to achieve that target. In a study conducted by IIT Gandhinagar, it was found that short bursts of heavy rainfall, lasting only hours, are likely to increase by 20 percent if the global mean temperature rises above 1.5 degree Celsius. Such extreme events will be responsible for most cases of urban flooding.

Culture and History, Public Administration, Tourist Places, Urban and Regional Planning

Mawlynnong

Mawlynnong God’s own garden ,The cleanest village in Asia . It’s a small village in East Khasi Hills district Meghalaya state in North east India .In 2003 It was awarded the title ” cleanest village In Asia” by Discover India. a mysterious paradise, a place far from city life’s pollution .cleaniless really a great achievememt when whole country is struggle for “swachata” along with this the village has approx hundred percent literacy rate and highly progressive scenario for women.

Mawlynnong is located 90km from Shilong , along the India Bangladesh Border. Agriculture is the chief occupation of the local population. Here weather is pleasant all throughout the year, still the best time to visit is Moonsoon. During rainy season village and it’s surroundings become lush green .

each and every house of this village has functional toilets and the whole locality is provided with baboo dustbins,every waste product even dry leaves go into dustbin . Plastic and smoking strictly prohibited here. The Khasi tribe is the biggest attraction of this small village. This is a famous tribe and is well ahead of the patriarchal notions. In this tribe, children inherit their mother’s surnames and property is also passed through the matrilineal lines. Mawlynnong with all these features, proves that women empowerment is completely possible if people are convinced enough.

Living roots bridges,This natural wonder has been declared as an UNESCO World Heritage Site. The living route bridges are a phenomenon in itself. The bridges connect the aerial roots of one giant rubber tree and make a bridge hanging above the river. These bridges take years to self construct and can accommodate fifty to seventy people at a time.

Khasis in Mawlynnong are devout Christians. Surrounded by orange and palm trees, stands a 100-year-old church in the village called ‘Church of the Epiphany’. Narrow stone paths with plants bearing orange flowers reach out to the Church, which is a black and white structure exuding an old-world charm. There are no houses that rise above the Church spire.

natural beauty , simle people ,culture, local dishes , a strange blissful peace and” cleaniness” makes MAWLYNNONG a destination of relief .

Education, Law and Order, Public Administration, Social Studies

SAY NO TO DRUGS

On International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, we should be more serious about this hazard, that destroys the lives of millions including youngsters.the theme for this year’s anti-drug abuse day Is “Better Knowledge for Better Care”. The main idea behind this theme is to stress upon the need of improving the understanding of the world drug problem.

The day is also marked as an expression of its determination to strengthen action as well as cooperation and achieve the society which is free of drug abuse.Around 35.6 million people across the world are victims of drug abuse, according to the World Drug Report 2020 published by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime. Young adults and teenagers account for the largest share of those using drugs and most of them suffer from HIV, Hepatitis C and other related diseases. Only one out of eight people who need treatment and rehabilitation are able to get it, according to the report.

So many people want to quit but they can’t due to lack of awareness and social stigma. We need to take a step to secure our life and future, this is our responsibility being a citizen of a country .

Business and Management, Public Administration

HERE ARE THE OPTIONS INDIA HAS LEFT IN THE BORDER STAND-OFF

When the border stand-off with China deepens, India will need to think of all potential diplomatic solutions in this crisis that will lend it leverage. New arrangements with a variety of foreign powers is one such factor which is often discussed in this sense. Most military analysts salivate at the possibility of an ever stronger coalition with the United States.

It is a good moment for mobilizing public sentiment on China. As China under Xi Jinping regime has seen an unprecedented degree of global alienation.  But can that be translated into concerted global action to bring real pressure to bear on China? India should pursue every avenue possible. Yet we would always have a thorough understanding of the limits of what can be achieved for India through new partnerships or agreements.

It’s important to remember that in the context of the development paradigm of a country , international relations are formed. India’s primary goal, if it can possibly articulate one, would be to maintain the optimum space for its growth model. In that way, India isn’t special. The alliance between the US and China may have arisen in the diplomatic effort to establish a break between the Sino-Soviets. But for decades this relationship was sustained not by a strategic logic, but by the logic of the developmental political economy in both the US and China, where they depended on each other reciprocally.

The technology model ‘s diplomatic prestige waned, and it is this fact that will be essentially the catalyst of the relationship between the US and China. The question for India is not just whether the US has any stake in the development of India, which it could have. Yet it is more a matter of how India’s infrastructure needs can fit into the evolving model of US growth. Will the very powers of the political economy which establish a disengagement with China also come in the way of closer relations with India? Some sections of American big business could be batting for India; but the underlying dynamics of the political economy are less favorable.

Would the US grant India the space it wants for commerce, intellectual property, legislation, agriculture, labour mobility, the very domains where democracy is essential to the economy of India? Can an American hell-bent on getting industrial jobs back to the U.S., comfortably fit with a Bharat “atma nirbhar?” To see what’s at stake, we need only look at how friction over the development paradigm drives tensions between the US and the EU on trade, taxation and regulatory issues.

There is sometimes a complaint in the US about India being invited but refusing enthusiastically to come to table. Given the salutary cultural and political impetus in this relationship there is some reality to this. Yet the causes of this, including climate change, have also been genuine disagreements in growth. It was also that this question was antithetical to the other strategic commitments of India at various points. India was wise to stay out of the Iraq war, it was wise not to completely spurn Russia, and it is wise not to throw its weight behind the US policy on Iran.

There’s more wisdom in the US to comprehend the role of India. But there is a section of India ‘s strategic community that sees India ‘s reluctance to go in with the U.S., hook line and sinker, as a sort of ideological wimpiness, not a sign of deeper-thought-out realism that it was.

It is a strange moment in global affairs, where a common challenge emanating from China is recognised, but there is no global appetite for concerted action. The global response to the BRI could be an interesting example. Many countries struggle to meet their debt obligations to the BRI. Most loans from China have been a millstone around the necks of the debtor countries. But it’s hard to see the rest of the international community help all these countries wean their regimes away from Chinese finance dependence. Similarly, there are now considerable concerns about frontier conflict areas such as cyber security and space.

Source:https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/india-china-border-dispute-on-our-own-pratap-bhanu-mehta/

Law and Order, Public Administration

DELHI’S RISING NO. NOT PERMANENT

As predicted, on Wednesday Delhi overtook Mumbai to become the region with the country’s largest number of novel Coronavirus cases. Delhi now has over 70,000 cases, of which roughly 40,000 have been detected during the last two weeks. These are around 800 fewer Mumbai has.

Yet it’s doubtful this condition will remain permanent. Delhi’s surge can be attributed to a marked increase in the number of samples tested by the city late, particularly after deploying the recently approved rapid antigen tests, which yield results in just about half an hour. The number of tests in Delhi has risen from around five to seven thousand a day in the last ten days to close to 20,000 on Wednesday.

On the other side, Mumbai performed very small experiments, between 4,000 and 4,500 a day. But Mumbai too, having ordered one lakh fast antigen kits, is now all set for an increased check. Mumbai ‘s case numbers are also expected to go up when these experiments continue to be implemented. There is already some criticism that Mumbai has spread its test net quite thinly, targeting only the primary contacts of the infected and those at the highest risk of infection. The real number of cases in Mumbai may be much higher, but since the results are small, this is not being observed.

Meanwhile, Delhi has also decided to carry out door-to – door monitoring to detect the disease early and minimize the spread. Mumbai has been doing this exercise on a smaller scale for some time, and he’s had some success. Door-to – door screening results in early identification of suspected outbreaks, thus reducing the number of individuals to which the virus can be spread. This exercise could theoretically halt or delay the growth of Delhi events.

Door-to – door surveillance is now expected in Madhya Pradesh as well as starting July 1. The test is part of a fortnight-long program to step up measures to curb the virus’ spread. The disease has also accelerated dramatically in the state. Indeed, Madhya Pradesh is the slowest growing country among major states, with growth rates below 2%.

One city which was lauded for its efforts to monitor the spread of the virus until quite recently is Bengaluru. It had succeeded in avoiding the fate of Delhi , Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Chennai , Hyderabad, Pune or Kolkata. Over the last few days, though, the situation has improved somewhat, but it is better than the other big cities. More than 1,000 new cases have been identified this month in the region, while about 70 people have died. Local officials are now considering a partial shutdown to curb the rise.

In Chandigarh, a weekend shutdown is also being considered, but it is more to do with people who do not follow basic laws of physical distance than any big surge in cases. Chandigarh has only 420 confirmed illnesses, many of which didn’t meet physical distancing rules. Nevertheless, merchants and shopkeepers have resisted any attempt to enforce a weekend lockout. Punjab also follows the pattern of lockout at the weekend.

On Wednesday about 17,000 new cases were reported across the country bringing the overall number of infections above 4.7 lakh, of which about 2.6 lakh have recovered. Close to 15,000 people have died in India so far because of the disease.

Source:https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/india-coronavirus-cases-explained-delhi-mumbai-covid-cases-deaths-6475436/

Culture and History, Education, Law and Order, Public Administration

Tri-service contingent of Indian Military Participates In Victory Day Parade In Russia

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75-member Tri-service contingent of the Indian Armed Forces participated in the 75th anniversary of the Victory Day Parade at the iconic Red Square in Moscow on June 24. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh was one of the high profile guests at the event In Russia. 24 June 2020 Russia celebrated 75th anniversary of the victory of Soviet people in great patriotic second world war 1941-45.

Defense Minister Rajnath Singh At Red square Moscow 24 June with other Guests

“I am proud that a Tri-Service contingent of the Indian Armed Forces is also participating in this parade,”he tweeted.

” impressive turnout of the Tri-Service contingent of the Indian Armed Forces at the Victory Day Parade in Moscow is indeed an extremely proud and happy moment for me,”Mr. Singh said in another tweet.

Indian Military Marched down at the wide road of the Red Square Moscow June 24 2020

The Tri-Service contingent of the Indian Armed Forces comprised 75 all ranks and marched along with contingents of Russian Armed Forces and 17 other countries, according to an official statement. The parade was reviewed by Russian President Vladimir Putin, war veterans, and guests, including Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.This year, 14,000 troops and several hundred military machines took part in the parade, including 30 historic T-34 tanks. President Putin congratulated the military and guests, saying this victory determined the future of the planet.

Moscow Celebrated delayed 75th anniversary of Victory day Russian President Putin on Victory Day

Russia postponed its military parade traditionally held on Moscow’s Red Square on May 9 for a later date due to the corona virus pandemic.On May 26, President Putin announced that the Victory Parade would be held on Moscow’s Red Square on June 2.He explained that this was chosen because, on June 24, 1945, the legendary historic parade of victors took place, when soldiers, who fought for Moscow and defended Leningrad, who stood their ground for Stalingrad, liberated Europe and stormed Berlin, marched on Red Square.