Annual deficit of 8,000 girls in Tamil Nadu in 2002: study

Source: http://www.hindu.com/2007/12/25/stories/2007122555430700.htm

Aarti Dhar

NEW DELHI: There was a deficit of 8,000 girls annually in Tamil Nadu in 2002 with a pre-birth shortfall accounting for 68 per cent. This is a decline from the annual deficit of 11,000 daughters reported in 1996-99 when the pre-birth deficit accounted for 60 per cent. The decline in the number of ‘missing girls’ in 2002 was driven by the sharp reduction in post-birth shortage.

According to a study “Declining Daughter Deficits in Tamil Nadu, India?” conducted by Arjun Singh Bedi and Sharada Srinivasan of the Institute of Social Sciences at The Haugue, the post-birth daughter deficit declined spectacularly in Salem and Dharmapuri, accounting for 87 per cent of the reduction.

The decline appears to be durable as the differential between estimated and expected female infant mortality rate (FIMR) based on Sample Registration System (SRS) data collected in 2004 is in the same range as in 2002. There has been no evidence of increases in pre-birth daughter deficit during this period, the survey points out attributing the decline to a number of measures taken by the State Government for the protection of girl child.

Given the range of interventions including Cradle Baby Scheme (CBS) and Girl Child Protection Scheme (GCPS), we cannot draw a casual link between a specific intervention and reduction. However, it does seem that the various interventions have led to a sharp reduction in pre-birth daughter deficit, the survey suggests while pointing out that relying on these two schemes is not enough and tackling the deficit required a broader coalition which brings together government pressure, administrative zeal and participation of self-help groups and non-governmental organisations.

Daughter elimination


Daughter elimination in Tamil Nadu came to light in 1985-86 in the form of female infanticide among the Kallar community of Maduri. About 6,000 female babies were reportedly poisoned between 1975 and 1985.

But then it was thought to be limited to a geographical area and certain socio-economic groups. However, in 1992 and 1993, female infanticide was reported among Gounders, a relatively wealthy group in Salem and Vellore. By 1997, female infanticide was reported from 8 districts and 35 self-ascribed caste groups.

As far as the Infant Mortality Rate is concerned, Salem and Dharmapuri have also experienced sharp declines in the gap between estimated and expected female infant mortality rates with the figure declining from 82 to 17 per 1,000 live births in Salem and 66 to 13 in Dharmapuri.

The 0-6 sex ratio in Tamil Nadu in 2001 was 942 as compared to the national average of 933, though it was a decline from 948 in 1991.

Indian Christians unite with Civil Society and demand end of Orissa violence against rural Christian

Source: http://indianchristians.in/news/content/view/1789/42/

Today’s rally in Delhi results in promises from National Commission for Minorities and Union Home Minister, but Christian delegation not satisfied

NEW DELHI – Dec. 27, 2007 – About 1,000 Christians from churches across Delhi rallied today to demand that the Central Government halt escalating anti-Christian violence in Orissa. A memo presented to the Prime Minister resulted in a meeting with the Union Home Minister this evening. Earlier in the day, Christian leaders met with the head of the National Commission for Minorities.

The rally, held in front of the gates of Orissa Bhavan in Delhi from 4–6pm, Dec. 27, 2007, revealed support from across the political and religious spectrum. Protestors were united in their call for an end to the communal violence against Christians in Orissa. The All India Christian Council (aicc) was a key organiser of the rally.

Speakers included: V.P. Singh, former Prime Minister; Binda Karat, CPI(M) spokesperson; Shabnam Hashmi, Director of ANHAD; Swami Agnivesh; and more. India’s largest Christian groups were represented including the Evangelical Fellowship of India (EFI), All India Catholic Union (AICU), Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) and more. Church members from many denominations across Delhi participated in the rally.

A memo was presented to the office of Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh. The PM’s office instructed the Union Home Minister, Shivraj V. Patil, to schedule a meeting with a delegation of Christians immediately. The delegation met Shri Patil at 6pm, Dec. 27, 2007, and was told that roadblocks and communication breakdowns are making it difficult to restore security in the villages of Orissa. Shri Patil said he will likely visit Orissa and promised he is doing everything possible to stop the attacks, culprits will be booked, and compensation will be provided to victims.

“Sadly, the delegation was not satisfied with the promises of the Union Home Minister since most violence continues in rural villages and the government didn’t give specific plans to halt the violence in villages nor a planned amount for compensation of victims,” said Rev. Abraham Sahu, aicc Delhi Chapter President.

Earlier in the day a delegation of Christians met with and received assurances from the head of the National Commission for Minorities, Mohamed Shafi Qureshi, that Christians will be protected in Orissa. He said he plans to visit the state.

“It is clear that the local police and Orissa state government have not been able to protect the Christian minority. While Orissa’s leaders claim they were prepared and are fully committed to stopping communal violence, we have doubts. For example, why does Orissa not have a state minorities commission? The Central Government must act now.” said John Dayal, aicc Secretary-General.

“The VHP and other groups clearly don’t believe in freedom of religion nor freedom of speech. They use accusations of forced and fraudulent conversions as an excuse for violence. Has there been a proven case in the courts of a missionary forcing someone to become a Christian recently? No! We are requesting immediate action to protect peaceful Christians and the arrest of miscreants from radical Hindutva groups,” said Sam Paul, aicc Secretary of Public Affairs.

Also, the Orissa chapter of the aicc met Orissa Chief Minister Neevan Patnaik this evening who gave assurances to the delegation and ensured protection for the Christian minorities. Yet, his inability to stop the violence against Christians is doubtful in light of the Sangh Parivar's organised attacks from the time violence broke out on December 23.

According to media reports, NGO press statements, and calls from aicc leaders on the ground in Orissa, at least 30 churches, Christian schools, and convents have been damaged or destroyed since December 24th, Christmas Eve. Four Christians were reported killed and many roads are blocked by radical Hindutva activists which prevents both police and fact finding teams from reaching victims. Despite a supposed helicopter tour of the affected districts by the Orissa Chief Minister, Naveen Patnaik, and his repeated statements in various media channels that everything is under control, reports of attacks on Christians and churches continue to reach aicc and similar groups.

The violence allegedly began when Christians in a village 150 kms from the district headquarters of Phulbani began to celebrate Christmas Eve. Local Hindu fundamentalists opposed the event and a fight ensued. Also, a Hindutva leader, Swami Saraswati, was attacked by unknown assailants -- allegedly Christians -- near Daringbadi while he was travelling. The next day the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) called for a strike and its members began attacking Christians across the state.

The All India Christian Council (www.aiccindia.org), birthed in 1998, exists to protect and serve the Christian community, minorities, and the oppressed castes. The aicc is a coalition of thousands of Indian denominations, organizations, and lay leaders.

Mr. Madhu Chandra,
All India Christian Council,
Regional Secretary
aiccdelhi@gmail.com
(0) 9868184939

FORUM-ASIA welcomes the adoption of the Resolution for a Global Moratorium on the death penalty

Wednesday, 19 December 2007

FORUM-ASIA welcomes the adoption of the resolution by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) calling for a global moratorium on death penalty. The General Assembly adopted the resolution on 19 December 2007, and is considered an important step towards the abolition of the death penalty worldwide. FORUM-ASIA hopes this landmark resolution will prompt Asian governments still practicing the death penalty to take action and move towards its abolition.

Eleven countries in Asia still impose the death penalty: Bangladesh, China, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, North Korea, Pakistan, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam. Human rights groups have been campaigning for the abolition of the death penalty since it is considered as one of the gross violations of human rights – particularly, the right to life. The resolution had the support of 104 UN Member States. Fifty-four Member States voted against the resolution, including two from Asia: Singapore and Japan. Interestingly, Japan just recently executed three murder convicts on 7 December, amid the intense debate over this resolution since its proposal last month. FORUM-ASIA considers this move to be an affront against the international trend towards the abolition of the death penalty.

The UNGA resolution calls on all countries imposing the death penalty to “establish a moratorium on execution with a view to abolishing the death penalty”. The resolution likewise states that “there is no conclusive evidence of the death penalty’s deterrent value and that any miscarriage or failure of justice in the death penalty’s implementation is irreversible and irreparable”.

FORUM-ASIA urges Asian governments that still impose the death penalty to implement this resolution and take necessary provisions to abolish death penalty from their legislation. FORUM-ASIA further urges these countries to ratify and implement immediately the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR-OP2) which aims at the abolition of the death penalty. Only Nepal, Timor-Leste and the Philippines are State Parties to ICCPR-OP2.

FORUM-ASIA views this resolution for the global moratorium as vital in the promotion and protection of human rights in Asia.


For more information, please contact the Human Rights Defenders Programme at hrd@forum-asia.org. Click here http://www.forum-asia.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1383&Itemid=32 to view the content from the site.

Farmers' suicide in Karnataka

A fact finding team comprising of Peoples Union for Civil Liberties(PUCL), P.D.F., Agricultural labours association, Samata vedike, Revolutionary Youth Association and Pedestrian Pictures, visited Hosapura village of Nanjangud taluk, Mysore district and Harave village of Chamaraj Nagar Taluk & district , on 26th Dec 2007 to investigate the suicide of two farmers Manjunath and Siddaraju of respective villages , Who had availed loans from ICICI Bank for purchase of tractor.

Click here http://www.pucl.org/Topics/Industries-envirn-resettlement/2007/farmer_suicide.html to read the Report of the Fact finding Team on Farmers’ suicide in Mysore and Chamaraj Nagar districts

Coral mining made tsunami more destructive in Sri Lanka

by: P.K.Balachandran

Source: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/164359.html

Colombo, Dec 26 - The destruction wrought by the tsunami of Dec 25, 2004 on the southwestern coast of Sri Lanka would have been much less if successive governments had heeded Sir Arthur Clarke's persistent call to stop the mining of corals.

The British-born science writer and diving enthusiast, who had been living in Sri Lanka since 1956, was campaigning for coral reef protection and other matters relating to coastal preservation for long. But few in the island listened.

'He did create an awareness at the international level, but the message never percolated to the local level here in Sri Lanka,' said Vinod Moonesinghe, an environmental activist who had worked with the NGO 'Friends of the Earth.'

'The coral reefs from Akurela to Hikkaduwa were being mined for years to make lime which is used in the construction of buildings. The area had, in fact, become very famous for its lime. But the depletion of the corals had resulted in the killer waves lashing the shore with an unprecedented ferocity,' Moonesinghe told IANS on the third anniversary of the deadly tsunami..

In a place called Peraliya, 96 km south of Colombo, 1,500 people were killed in a matter of minutes, when the railway train in which they were traveling was struck by giant waves twice in quick succession. Peraliya town too lost heavily, with 2,500 dead and 450 families rendered homeless.

The battered, dented and rusted train quickly became a major tourist attraction, being the last vestige of the tsunami in the area, and the grimmest reminder of it.

'The corals in the 'coral garden' at Hikkaduwa and Akurela have survived the fury as they are better able to stand the waves than the species on land. And they continue to be a tourist attraction,' Moonesinghe said.

'The authorities must stop not only the mining of corals, as a matter of great urgency, but control the discharge of effluents from the beach hotels, that dot the coast,' he said.

The palm fringed coastline from Colombo to Galle has been a major tourist attraction, especially for Westerners looking for sun and sand. The place bristles with small and large lodges and hotels, several of them right on the shoreline.

Tsunami had induced some awareness of coastal management. The government had introduced a rule that there should be no construction within hundred metres of the shoreline. But the conservation measures are being implemented in a very 'desultory' manner, says Moonesinghe..

Over the years, the sea has eroded the southwestern coast greatly, and beaches are becoming scarce all along the Colombo-Galle road. In many places, the shoreline is barely a few yards away from the main road and rail line. And it is feared that due to global warming, erosion will only increase in the years to come, hitting tourism, which is already declining due to the war and the terrorist bombings.

One day training programme for government officials on disaster resistant features

One day Training Programme regarding Disaster Resistant features in Construction of Houses, Construction Techniques and materials was conducted at Villupuram Collectorate Conference Hall on 18/12/2007 by Government of Tamil Nadu. About 21 persons which includes the revenue Officials in the rank of DRO, SDC, Tahsildars and Engineers at District level working in Tsunami related project attended the training programme. Through this programme, awareness was created among the District Officials regarding disaster resistant features in construction of houses, buildings, quality aspects, Natural Hazards and its devastation in affected areas.

Andaman tsunami victims cope with tardy rehabilitation

By Sujoy Dhar, IANS
Source: http://www.indianmuslims.info/news/2007/dec/16/andaman_tsunami_victims_cope_tardy_rehabilitation.html

Port Blair : They came back from the jaws of death when the devastating tsunami devoured their habitats three years ago. But for thousands of survivors in makeshift camps in the Andamans, the process of rebuilding a life torn asunder remains incomplete.

In the makeshift tenements of tsunami victims around the Andaman and Nicobar Islands capital Port Blair, resentment is brewing even as apparently shiny and quakeproof houses are getting ready for the victims.

The victims are protesting the tardy progress of relief work, including the construction of the houses, and inadequate support for their livelihood.

On Dec 26, 2004, the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago suffered massive destruction when one of the fiercest tsunamis struck the islands after a severe earthquake, killing at least 3,513 people besides wiping out villages and ruining farmlands.

Impatient over the delays, Apparao, in his 30s, gives vent to his anger before government officials and visiting dignitaries in one of the camps at Bamboo Flat, an island just 10 minute ferry ride from Port Blair.

"We have been living in temporary shelters for the past 19 months. We have not yet got the houses. The hardship we face every day is immense," an agitated Apparao told IANS right in front of the relief commissioner.

"The ration is not enough. We have not got rice for the past three months," he said as more camp inhabitants joined the chorus of protest.

Another victim, Banu, a photographer from Nicobar, is nearly jobless since the tsunami destroyed his habitat forcing him to live in a relief camp in Andaman.

Banu did manage to open a photo studio at Bamboo Flat but there are simply no visitors to his shop.

"I have virtually no employment. I have college-going children and only I know how each day passes," Banu said.

"The houses have not yet been delivered," he said.

"It is sheer laziness of the government which delayed our project. The slow progress makes us impatient. If they had wanted they could have delivered earlier," Banu said.

Andaman and Nicobar Relief Commissioner Dharam Pal admitted the delay but attributed it to the failure of NGOs, which had over-committed themselves.

"The relief phase is now over. We are now in the final phase of rehabilitation. We started constructing in 2006 and are now almost nearing completion in 2007. The first batch is ready for handing over to the victims.

"NGOs had committed 2,500 houses but they can now only deliver 709. They were given the task in south Andaman. They found it difficult to construct," Dharam Pal said.

"The costs are high in the islands, which the NGOs had not foreseen initially. Everything has to be brought from the mainland. A cost of Rs.500,000-600,000 can go up to Rs.1.1 million in Car Nicobar. The average cost of the house is Rs.900,000," Pal said.

"In places like Great Nicobar it is very difficult to construct since you don't even have access all the time. You have to wait for good weather conditions and go in a dingy. The sea condition there is so rough. Moreover, there is no harbour, no beach, nothing," he said.

But several of the victims in Andaman want to build their own house and have demanded the money.

"Give us money instead of building houses in places where we don't want them. If they give us money we can build our houses for much less and spend the rest for starting small business since we have lost everything in the tsunami," said 45-year-old Harichand Roy at the Namunaghar shelter in Port Blair.

But Dharam Pal said such demands are impractical.

"We cannot give them money. Because they would spend the money on liquor as we have found in many families who got monetary compensation. Also, this time we are building houses which are earthquake resistant," he said.

Andaman's noted tribal expert Samir Acharya, who runs the NGO named Society for Andaman and Nicobar Ecology (SANE) and acts as the spokesman of the Nicobarese community, is critical of the government policy as well.

"Any fool can say that the construction is delayed. Ideally they should not have built 70 percent of the houses.

"If you go by records, you will find Nicobar houses were inherently earthquake resistant. They get 100 earthquakes every year but because of low density of population there was never too much human loss," he said.

"The houses we are building have been vetted by IIT Chennai. Also remember that the tribal population in Andaman is only eight percent of the population.

"The houses we are building here is like a model for India," he said.

While the NGO-government spat continues, in the Andamans the sufferers continue to be the tsunami victims whose life, since the natural disaster, has become a jigsaw of broken pieces they are yet to put together.

Exclusive elders' village inaugurated in Tamil Nadu

Source: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/160062.html

Tamaraikulam (Tamil Nadu), Dec 17 - India's first elders' eco-friendly village was inaugurated here Monday to house at least 100 senior citizens who were victims of the 2004 tsunami. Much of the funding was by viewers of prominent news channel NDTV.

Renowned media personality and NDTV chief Prannoy Roy inaugurated the village, 175 km south of Chennai, under the auspices of HelpAge India. It was funded to the extent of Rs.15 million by NDTV viewers.

'It is in the fitness of things that we have begun our endeavour here because the highest number of viewers for our first essay in the arena of television - 'World This Week' - was in Tamil Nadu. And it is my privilege to tell you that we are in the process of creating many more such facilities all over India,' Roy told the senior citizens.

Apart from being landscaped beautifully, the dwellings have four immovable beds, a spacious living room, attached toilets with running water and a sit out. A common kitchen, dining and recreational hall are the other facilities.

'I do not agree with the common belief that Indians are miserly when making donations for good causes. Being sure that their money is going to fund a good cause, our viewers contributed handsomely. On this day, it is my duty to assure all donors that their munificence will be put to good and apt use under the watchful eyes of an overseeing committee,' Roy said.

'Beneficiaries who reside in the Elders' Village are identified by village level groups as well as panchayats. Only the neediest have been housed here,' added Mathew Cherian, chief executive, HelpAge India.

Union Minister of State for Finance S.S. Palanimanickam was slated to inaugurate the facility, but could not make it. The organisers explained that he had been held up on the way back from Tirunelveli, where the ruling DMK conference concluded on Sunday.

Similar facilities are to be created in 660 districts all over India, thanks to a legislation to help senior citizens, a press release issued by Helpage said.

Though the clusters of dwellings have been inaugurated, it will be sometime before they become completely functional. While electricity and water connections are yet to be given final touches, the rest of the groundwork - especially landfills - are yet to be completed.

UNICEF releases Tsunami 2007 report

Source: http://www.unicef.org/media/media_42234.html

New York/Geneva, 18 December 2007 - Three years after the Indian Ocean Tsunami claimed the lives of more than 200,000 people and devastated towns and communities, UNICEF has released its 2007 Tsunami report (http://www.unicef.org/emerg/disasterinasia/) highlighting progress made for children since the 2004 catastrophe.

Including a detailed financial analysis of funds collected and expenditures to date, the report shows significant gains in education, particularly in the area of school construction in the eight affected countries. Since 2004, more than 150 million US dollars have been spent on education – more than a third of which were put into use in the past year. UNICEF has completed construction on more than 100 schools, and the building process is underway for another 254.

The report also highlights progress in UNICEF’s other programme areas, including health and nutrition, water and sanitation, HIV/AIDS and child protection in India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Thailand. Some of the achievements in these areas include:

• Construction on 59 health facilities has been completed, while construction is underway on an additional 115;
• More than 20,000 water points have been restored, serving over 730,000 people, and over 42,000 latrines constructed;
• Insecticide-treated mosquito nets have been distributed, benefiting nearly 3.5 million people;
• Over 1.2 million children have benefited from UNICEF’s psycho-social activities;
• HIV/AIDS awareness and education campaigns have reached over 330,000 people.

In addition to UNICEF’s achievements to date, the 2007 Tsunami Monitoring Report also highlights the challenges that often hinder recovery programmes. For example, work in Sri Lanka and Somalia has in some cases been halted due to a resurgence of violence in the past year. Also, construction in Indonesia has been hampered by the lack of new roads and unresolved land titles, monitoring and evaluation in the Maldives by the dispersed geography, and access in Myanmar by geography and security.

Realizing that lasting recovery will take years, UNICEF tries not only to move quickly, but also to be accountable and ensure its work has lasting impact. The aim is not to find quick solutions that cannot be sustained, but to build back better, involving communities and local governments in the recovery and rebuilding process. With these long-term goals in mind, UNICEF’s tsunami programmes and corresponding funding are planned through the end of 2009.

About UNICEF

UNICEF is on the ground in over 150 countries and territories to help children survive and thrive, from early childhood through adolescence. The world’s largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments.

For further information, please contact:

Patrick McCormick, UNICEF New York, + 1 212 326 7426, pmccormick@unicef.org
Veronique Taveau, UNICEF Geneva. +41 22 909 5716, vtaveau@unicef.org
Miranda Eeles, UNICEF Geneva. +41 22 909 5715, meeles@unicef.org

Tsunami survivors photograph their lives three years on

Date: 03 Dec 2007

Three years on from the tsunami, which devastated vast swathes of Asia, people whose lives were torn apart have taken part in a photography project to show how they are putting their lives back together.

The British Red Cross project involved photographer Ruth Robinson working with around 90 tsunami survivors in Indonesia, the Maldives and Sri Lanka, taking photographs and explaining them in their own words.

Ms Robinson said: “Taking part in this project and speaking to people about their photographs was incredibly moving.

“One picture that really stands out was by a man in Indonesia called Bakhtiar. At first it looks like an amusing picture of a toddler in a nappy with sunglasses on, but when the individual explained his picture to me a heart-wrenching story was behind it.”

She explained: “He took the picture for remembrance of his family members who died in the tsunami, in particular his nephew who Bakhtiar was trying to hold onto but the tsunami swept him away.”

The project aims to be empowering for those involved and offers a unique insight into their thoughts and feelings.

One of the participants, 34-year-old, Soufan from Addalachchenai, Sri Lanka, explained: “I have taken these pictures to touch your minds and hearts and I hope the people who come to see these pictures at the exhibition will be inspired by our communities and our lives.”

Matthias Schmale, director of international at the British Red Cross said: “It is important that we feed back to the public how their donations have made a difference to people’s lives – and what better way than to enable those who were caught up in this tsunami to tell their own stories of their recovery?”

The exhibition is open to the public from Thursday 6 December to Sunday 6 January at the.gallery@oxo on the South Bank in London.

Open daily (except closed 24-25 Dec and 1 Jan), Open from 11am to 6pm (except 26 and 31 Dec, 11am to 4pm).

The British Red Cross would like to thank all those organisations and individuals who have offered generous support, without whom this event would not have been possible. They include Coin Street Community Builders, Ruth Robinson, Swansea Institute Art & Design Faculty, Eric Armstrong of Murain Frames, Passion Organic and Nick Wilcock of Jessops, Swansea.

The exhibition is on display at the.gallery@oxo, Oxo Tower Wharf, Bargehouse Street, South Bank, London. SE1 9PH.

Opening times:

11- 6pm - Thursday 6 December - Sunday 23 December
Closed: 24 & 25 December
11-4pm - Wednesday 26 December
11-6pm - Thursday 27 - Sunday 30th December
11-4pm - Monday 31 December

Closed: Tuesday 1 Jan

11-6pm: Wednesday 2 Jan - Sunday 6 Jan

or further information visit: http://www.redcross.org.uk/ or http://www.coinstreet.org/

Source: http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/KKAA-79R9JP?OpenDocument&rc=3&emid=TS-2004-000147-LKA

75 per cent of projects in India are over: French Red Cross

Friday, Dec 14, 2007

CHENNAI: “Humanitarian action is not only emergency action,” says the president of the French Red Cross and former French Health Minister, Jean-Francois Mattei. “If you save someone from drowning in the sea, you don’t abandon him on the beach.”

Nearly three years on from the tsunami, this is perhaps one of the most significant lessons learned — besides bringing devastation to the lives of fisherfolk along the coast of India, the tsunami exposed the more persistent problems of poverty, including gender and caste inequality. As more and more international and local non-governmental organisations bring their projects to a close, The Hindu spoke to Professor Mattei at the end of his two-day visit to Tamil Nadu to review progress in the field.

Selection of partners

The French Red Cross was not a natural fit for tsunami reconstruction and it arrived late. “We have been working in India for just over two years in a new way … The French Red Cross does not normally finance NGOs,” Professor Mattei says. Since the French people gave a lot of money to the Red Cross for tsunami relief, they selected partners they deemed trustworthy in the State.

As many donors discovered, not everyone involved in tsunami work was interested in relief — projects with two out of 14 organisations were terminated.

“We are controlled officially by the government of France, therefore, we had to impose on our partners the same rules that we have in France,” he stressed. There are several basic procedures involved in the auditing process: money is given at each stage in the project and no increases in the budget are accepted, it retains tight control on the quality of the project, sends an audit company from France to visit the projects to ensure compliance.

Despite these hiccups, says Professor Mattei, it is through its work here in India that the French Red Cross has developed what he now calls sustainable humanitarian action.

In India, he says, the Red Cross found all the elements crucial to helping people rebuild their lives: housing, training, education for children and agricultural productivity. It is by working together, he stresses, they have found success: 1,745 houses have been constructed, 200 young people have been employed (some of those for grandmasters such as Jean-Francois Lesage), and a microfinance project for small landowners near Puducherry, teaching them how to make and use organic fertilizers, brought a 50 per cent increase in crop yield.

“Life is winning the battle against death,” he says. Children are the incarnation of that, he adds, commenting on the smiles of the children seen in two projects in particular — SOS children’s villages of India, which runs homes for children, and Speed Trust, which works with children in the slums of T. Nagar in Chennai.

Seventy-five per cent of the Red Cross projects are now complete. By the end of 2008, the French Red Cross will withdraw completely. “The goal of humanitarian action is to help people to become autonomous,” he says. But what about the unfinished work in the villages, the stories of casteism and gender discrimination that the tsunami revealed?

“Humanitarian action,” he says “is not supposed to become assistance … The Red Cross opposes all forms of discrimination … If it is written in the story of the country, that country has to invoke the right to equality … These are basic human rights.”

Source: http://www.hindu.com/2007/12/14/stories/2007121461121700.htm

Nine Indians indicted for human trafficking to US

Washington, December 15: The authorities in the United States have announced that 9 persons from India have been indicted for their alleged roles in a global human trafficking racket aimed at transporting illegal immigrants through southeast Asia to the US.

The acting United States Attorney for Pennsylvania and the Department of Homeland Security have announced that 9 persons from India have been indicted for their alleged roles in a major international alien smuggling ring.

A federal grand jury has returned a three-count indictment against nine persons from India -- Naresh Patel, Dinesh Diwan, Rakesh Patel, Hiren Mehta, Rajesh Katwa, Jitendra Sheth, Asha Varma, Bibin Balachandran and Sandip Kumar Patel -- charging them with conspiring to illegally smuggle undocumented aliens from India to Pennsylvania through Thailand, Los Angeles and Philadelphia.

The indictment returned by the grand jury alleged that the racket extended from 2003 through December 5, 2007.

The grand jury said that over the past five years the defendants - eight Indian nationals and a naturalised US citizen - brought a dozen immigrants into the US on false passports and fabricated documents.

Eight suspects were arrested on December 5 in Chicago and Pennsylvania, while the ninth, 22-year-old Katwa of the Chicago area, is considered a fugitive.

According to the indictment, which has been posted by the Attorney's Office in Pennsylvania, the conspirators were paid thousands of dollars for each alien smuggled into the US.

Source: http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Nine-Indians-indicted-for-human-trafficking-to-US/250728/

Road map to fight climate change

BALI: India played a key role in the drama of “extra-time” negotiations at the United Nations climate change talks here on Saturday as 190 countries finally agreed on a road map for the future fight against climate change, following a last-minute collapse of the opposition from the United States.

The “Bali road map” will guide negotiations over the next two years to shape the global fight against climate change in the period after 2012, when the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol, which requires 36 industrial nations to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 5 per cent below 1990 levels, ends. The U.S. is the only rich nation which has not ratified the Protocol.

Union Science and Technology Minister Kapil Sibal, who led the Indian delegation here, described the road map as a “historic breakthrough,” especially since it brought the U.S. on board the global effort to mitigate climate change, which was already causing rising temperatures and extreme weather events.

The agenda for the journey to 2009 now includes action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, to help developing countries adapt to the impact of climate change, to deploy climate-friendly technologies and to finance both adaptation and technology measures. However, it does not include any target range of emission reduction goals for the developed countries, a measure aggressively pushed by the European Union and bitterly opposed by the U.S.

For the first time, the developing countries have also agreed to take some measurable action to mitigate climate change, although they are not required to do so under the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change, since development goals are their first priority. “They have binding commitments, we have responsibilities. How we discharge our responsibilities depends on how they enable technology and financing,” said Mr. Sibal.

In a key intervention that delayed the approval of the road map by several hours, India ensured that the language of the text included means to keep the developed countries’ accountable for their commitments with regard to enabling technology, financing and capacity building measures in the developing countries.

Source: http://www.hindu.com/2007/12/16/stories/2007121658570100.htm

“330,000 children die every year for want of vitamin A”

NEW DELHI: India has the highest number of vitamin A deficient children in the world, with 330,000 of them dying annually because of this malady.

Despite years of various supplementation approaches, deficiencies of these micronutrients are still largely prevalent, according to Sesikeran, Director, National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad.

In a paper presented at a conference on “Role of Micronutrients in Child Development: Give Kids a Good Start,” organised by the International Life Sciences Institute here on Friday, Dr. Sesikeran said studies carried out by various agencies showed that the prevalence of anaemia, vitamin

A deficiency and iodine deficiency disorders continue to be high, though there is a small decline in the prevalence of iodine deficiency disorders.

Inaugurating the conference, D.H. Pai Panandiker, chairman of the Institute, said 75 per cent of the children in the country were anaemic, 57 per cent were deficient in vitamin A and 26 did not have enough intake of zinc.

Source: http://www.hindu.com/2007/12/15/stories/2007121556451500.htm

“330,000 children die every year for want of vitamin A”

NEW DELHI: India has the highest number of vitamin A deficient children in the world, with 330,000 of them dying annually because of this malady.

Despite years of various supplementation approaches, deficiencies of these micronutrients are still largely prevalent, according to Sesikeran, Director, National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad.

In a paper presented at a conference on “Role of Micronutrients in Child Development: Give Kids a Good Start,” organised by the International Life Sciences Institute here on Friday, Dr. Sesikeran said studies carried out by various agencies showed that the prevalence of anaemia, vitamin

A deficiency and iodine deficiency disorders continue to be high, though there is a small decline in the prevalence of iodine deficiency disorders.

Inaugurating the conference, D.H. Pai Panandiker, chairman of the Institute, said 75 per cent of the children in the country were anaemic, 57 per cent were deficient in vitamin A and 26 did not have enough intake of zinc.

Source: http://www.hindu.com/2007/12/15/stories/2007121556451500.htm

Tamil leaders ask India to help end Lanka strife

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Chennai, Dec. 17: The messy Sri Lankan ethnic conflict is taking yet another little twist in the next couple of days with three senior Tamil leaders opposed to the LTTE flying to Delhi to seek Indian involvement for ending the war that has so far consumed over 70,000 lives in about 25 years.

With the Sri Lankan government stepping up its military operations, having tasted success pushing the LTTE out of the eastern region, and the Tigers too matching the bloodletting through suicide attacks, claymore mine blasts and raids by their newly acquired "air force", it only seems that the island nation will not taste peace in the near future. Unless India takes an active role in the search for a negotiated political settlement, feel the moderates among the Sri Lankan Tamils.

Three of them, Mr V. Anandasangaree of the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF), Mr D. Sitharthan of the Peoples’ Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE) and Mr T. Sritharan of the Eelam Peoples’ Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF), will arrive in Delhi on Wednesday to lobby for the Indian involvement to end the conflict. The three Tamil leaders, opposed to the LTTE, are expected to meet some Central ministers, MPs, political leaders and government officials, for this purpose, according to information reaching here. The TULF and EPRLF have split over supporting the LTTE and a large chunk of their members are with the Tigers.

The three Tamil leaders would like to canvas support for their initiative aimed at pressuring Colombo to give up its obsession with military option as a means to end the war with the Tigers. By pursuing such a strategy, the Mahinda Rajapaksa government was causing enormous suffering on the common Tamil people, still weathering it out in the heat of the stepped-up conflict unlike thousands of their brethren who fled the island to safe refugee shelters abroad. The government is pushing its military strategy hoping to capture the Tiger territory in the north and hopes to force the Tigers to negotiate from a position of weakness — a near-impossible prospect if one really knows the LTTE supremo Velupillai Prabhakaran. Though the government appears to have gained an upper hand in recent months, thanks to help from some foreign powers providing critical military hardware.


Source: http://www.asianage.com/presentation/leftnavigation/news/india/tamil-leaders-ask-india-to-help-end-lanka-strife.aspx

Farmers threaten mass suicide

15 Dec 2007, 0251 hrs IST,TNN

AMRAVATI: Affected by damage to orange and banana crops and betel leaf plantations due to brick kilns, the farmers of village Shirasgaon Kasba in Chandur Bazaar tehsil have threatened to commit mass suicide on December 20 if the authorities concerned do not take immediate action.

There are 7-8 brick kilns near Megha river bank which are damaging nearby farms. Recently, the betel leaf plantation was damaged while orange and banana crops face the danger of drying up due to the high temperature surrounding the kilns.

Around 29 affected farmers had given a representation to tehsildar S H Shirsudhe on October 15, following which permission was refused to these kilns. Raw material for making bricks was also seized by the talathi.

However, despite orders, the kilns are still working and damaging oranges and bananas spread over 30 acres of land. Though the farmers had demanded compensation for damage, they were paid nothing. Shirsudhe said that permission for these kilns had already been denied by the government and they had stopped operating.


Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/Farmers_threaten_mass_suicide/articleshow/2623678.cms