Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'Govt. at last pays attention to children' that was published in Newsband

Govt. at last pays attention to children

In India, issue relating to education for children was being ignored. But now the government seems to have woken up. After a long period of neglect, Indian government now promises to devote attention to the issue of preparing all children for primary schooling. The National Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) policy recently approved by the Union Cabinet is the proof.

This policy has led to the mushrooming of expensive crèches, play schools, nursery schools and so on. The ECCE policy will cover 158.7 million children in the 0 to 6 year age group. The government has promised to take care of every aspect of children, may it be health, nutrition, age-appropriate care, stimulation and early learning in a protective and enabling environment.

Discussions between the Ministry of Women and Child Development and the States on the ECCE policy should continue for it to succeed across public, private and voluntary sectors.

It is not that government had not come up with a policy relating to this issue earlier. But the implementation of these policies was not proper. The delivery of supplementary nutrition and pre-school education was depressingly poor. Infrastructure was so weak that many anganwadi centres had no toilet and no drinking water.

What is good about ECCE policy is that the child’s mother tongue or language spoken at home will get the top priority and this will be followed by child’s exposure to oral English and regional languages. This is a perfect step taken to enhance child development.

Why should we expect the government only to do everything? The private big shots can also contribute in the sense that they too can come up with private play school, nursery etc that will help in child’s development. The private sector should tale the initiative to run anganwadi or economically feasible play schools. Just Bills and laws can not help poor children - this we have learnt from Right to Education Act. You go to any reputed school and you find very less percentage of poor children.

The government is spending exorbitant amount for sending rockets to Mars. The government must focus on primary education first before going to Mars.

It is highly depressing that Child health and education has been overlooked for so many years even in the well-to-do states of India which boasts of economic prosperity despite the prevailing economic slowdown. The profits are illegally raked in by the mushrooming of expensive playschools, nursery schools etc which leave no other options

for the parents but to admit their children in these schools despite their own financial fiasco.

ECCE policy needs to be implemented in such a way that it should provide some respite from this current scenario and make the children flourish in their endeavours.

Dinesh Kamath's news item 'Tenders to maintain Vashi exhibition centre to be soon called for' that was published in Newsband

Tenders to maintain Vashi exhibition centre to be soon called for

By Dinesh Kamath

NAVI MUMBAI: The City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) will soon call for tenders from prospective bidders to maintain the upcoming exhibition centre in Vashi. Some foreign and Indian companies have been visiting the site to decide whether to bid or not. The company which will satisfy the technical criteria to maintain the exhibition centre will get the contract. These criterias have not yet been revealed and kept secret. It will be released only when the tender is issued. 

CIDCO is coming up with relevant documents and designs of the exhibition centre and once they are approved by the Managing Director of CIDCO they will be forwarded to the bidders. CIDCO has worked on a nine-year contract on a revenue-sharing model. It has also worked out as to what experience these operators need to possess for maintaining such projects.

CIDCO has sanctioned Rs 8 crore more for the interior designing work. Addition of more facilities at this Centre has led to deadline getting pushed forward to February 2014. Earlier it was October 2013. Around 8000 sq m was added and seating capacity was increased from 500 to 670. These additions will enhance the beauty of the exhibition centre.

Now it is left to be seen as to which company will win the contract for maintaining of this exhibition centre at Vashi.

Dinesh Kamath's news item 'Efforts being made to provide continuous water supply to Kharghar' that was published in Newsband

Efforts being made to provide continuous water supply to Kharghar

By Dinesh Kamath

KHARGHAR: City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) had promised 24x7 water supply to Kharghar. But the promise has not yet been kept. The reason for this is that the planning authority could not get approval from the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) for laying pipelines by digging up the Sion-Panvel highway. However, CIDCO authorities do have hope that NHAI will one day let them excavate the road.

To ensure continuous water supply to Kharghar, there is a need for laying of a pipe from Hetwane dam to the node. But NHAI has yet to grant permission to lay a pipeline.

Panvel MLA Prashant Thakur is also making efforts in this direction. He considers this issue as one of top priority and he has requested both NHAI and CIDCO to consider this issue with all seriousness.

More and more people from neighbouring areas are migrating to Kharghar to settle over here. Kharghar has many educational institutions and this is one of the factors which is attracting the people residing outside. Although Kharghar is quite densely populated it has one drawback and that is lack of continuous water supply. Efforts were made to provide Kharghar as much water supply as possible by constructing three water tanks but even these do not seem to be enough. These three tanks with quite a large storage capacity were constructed by CIDCO after spending more than Rs 20 crore.

At some places in Kharghar, there is acute water shortage while water supply at other places is just for two hours a day.

Many complaints from Kharghar residents relating to poor water supply poured into CIDCO office. CIDCO authorities promised these residents that it would ensure continuous water supply as soon as they get the green signal from the National Highway Authority. But NHAI seems to be hesitating to permit CIDCO to lay the pipelines necessary to ensure continuous water supply for the reasons not yet known.

Kharghar residents are becoming restless since the population here goes on swelling and the problem relating to water is becoming more and more acute. Kharghar is known for its natural beauty and does have advanced infrastructure but when it comes to water supply Kharghar lags behind.

To provide better administration to Kharghar, it has been divided into 45 sectors. This place has Central Park, Golf Course, Metro Station, Malls, Railway Station and Police Station. It is strange that such a modern place like Kharghar is facing water problems.

People of Kharghar have high hopes reposed on MLA Prashant Thakur who is trying his best to see to it that Kharghar gets proper water supply. He is trying to get both NHAI and CIDCO to help solve the water relating problem in Kharghar at the earliest. 

Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'End this neocolonialism' that was published in Newsband

End this neocolonialism

India’s food security law may well hinge on the outcome of the World Trade Organization (WTO) ministerial meet in Bali in December. At the Bali Conference, it is likely the U.S. and (European Union) EU will push for a grand bargain: lesser import restrictions and open markets in developing countries for exemptions on procuring subsidised food grain. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh signalled India’s readiness to strike this bargain during his recent visit to Washington.

In an election year, with the Food Security Act touted as a jewel in its crown, the United Progressive Alliance cannot afford to be complacent. To protect its food security law — and the promise of adequate nutrition for the poor it is supposed to deliver — the government must go into a diplomatic overdrive.

Many feel that more trade will solve all problems. Is this really true? Will the wealth generated from more business trickle down to the poor? One only needs to look at the growing divide between the rich and the poor in US and also parts of the EU to see that this is not true. Then why is India blindly following ‘this trade is good’ mantra or that ‘nuclear power at any cost’ mantra?

Seeking approval from WTO for feeding our people who suffer from malnutrition is like grossly violating sovereignty of India. India joining WTO is a mechanism that ensures profit for greedy corporates all over the world even if it means starving billions.

This is another instance of the US-EU dominated international institutions adopting policies that are detrimental to the interests of developing nations. Sometimes it is trade, sometimes environment and this time it’s food. If the masses need subsidy then it has to be offered; if we can produce more grains at cheaper cost then the imported ones then we should not import. In case of every issue, developing nations are bullied in the name of treaties and agreements.

India needs to act now. We have to ensure that the legitimate basic rights of our people are not blocked by agricultural lobbies of EU and US. India has to fight for including factors like the population of a country, the average area of cultivated land, the level of mechanization and technology input into agriculture, the number of farm workers per hectare, the number of households dependent on agriculture etc. while discussing the issue of subsidy.

Agriculture in EU and US are heavily subsidized, and they are sacred cows, even to legislators there. Unlike India, large areas of land in these countries are cultivated using mechanization and technology inputs, by few big farmers, for commercial use, unlike here, where majority does it

for sustenance. So, we should not be forced to allow dumping their surplus into our markets, on the dictates of WTO, or block food subsidy. We should exert diplomatic pressure with other developing countries to ensure food security to our hungry millions.

Why should we need West's permission to feed our poor? Is it that international obligations transcend the lines of the humanity? Of course bargaining and asking for exemptions are the routes suggested. But what are we bargaining? We are not bargaining for trade concession or for some export exemption, it's a matter of hunger and malnutrition. If this is not neocolonialism then what is?

Dinesh Kamath's cartoons based on 'Alooramji' that were published in Newsband

Dinesh Kamath's news item 'Police assure animal activists that stray animals will get justice' that was published in Newsband

Police assure animal activists that stray animals will get justice

By Dinesh Kamath

NAVI MUMBAI: A few days back a stray dog was badly thrashed inside the Millennium Tower housing complex. This had aroused the ire of animal rights activists and they have succeeded in pressurizing the Turbhe police into probing deep into this incident and warn the culprits.

The stray dog was very badly beaten up inside the Millennium Tower premises by the private security guards. After that the dog was tied up and dragged out. The dog had bitten a small boy and this was the reason for this shabby treatment it had to undergo.

The animal activists asked the police to probe into this case under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. They went to the extent of meeting the police commissioner himself and got him to give orders to his men to probe into this case. The police commissioner obliged them and Turbhe police assured these animal activists that they would issue a circular to all the local residents not to hurt the animals in any way.

Stray animals are worst exploited. They are hurt for no reasons too. Dogs particularly which are found moving around where the humans dwell are vulnerable to such exploitations. In the past there were many cases of dogs being treated very cruelly.

One of the animal activist said that these stray animals need as much protection as human beings and hence the policemen in Navi Mumbai should take all the possible steps to end cruelties to innocent animals. He also said that there should be more hospitals for animals since they are left to die on streets when they are affected by severe diseases. He expressed the need of more veterinarians to treat these animals which exist in big number in the city. According to him these animals sometimes suffer from ailments which require veterinary surgeons to cure them. He said the public awareness should be created in the matter of treating animals kindly and if any member of the public notices cruelty meted out to any animal, he or she should report the Animal Welfare Center or the police immediately so that action can be taken against the culprits.

“During the rainy season especially, these stray animals don’t find shelter to prevent themselves from getting wet. Also they catch diseases and suffer from skin infections. Hence during such times they need more attention and care,” he concluded. 

Dinesh Kamath's news item 'Modern fish markets to come up in Panvel' that was published in Newsband

Modern fish markets to come up in Panvel

By Dinesh Kamath

PANVEL: Panvel residents will get two fish markets with modern facilities. The standing committee of Panvel Municipal Council (PMC) has approved the plan for construction of these two fish markets in the city. Two agencies have been chosen to do the construction works.

There already exists one fish market at Uran Naka. The new market will come in the place of the old one. The area chosen for this market is 1800 sq m. Half this space will be used to construct 154 shops, each admeasuring 16 sq feet. All the measures will be taken to see to it that the waste water of the market is drained out. The other half of the space will be reserved for parking purpose.

The second market will come up at Lokhand Pada. This place will have 104 shops, parking lots, free water and toilet facilities. Even the market at Uran Naka will have all these facilities.

S N Naik & Brothers and Manoj Enterprises are the two agencies chosen for developing the markets.

The residents of Panvel are feeling relieved that two hygienic fish markets are to come up in the city. The existing fish markets were found to be horrible. These fish markets were unhygienic, without parking facilities and without modern methods of storing fishes which would affect the quality of fishes sold here.

As far as the new markets are concerned, the PMC will come up with a technologically advanced cold storage that will keep the fishes fresh and not let them decay.

PMC will not have to dish out money from their coffers to construct these two fish markets since Central Fisheries Development Board has volunteered to bear the full cost for building the two fish markets. Around Rs 4 crores will be spent to build these markets.