Think India Foundation

Population is only part of the environmental impact equation

SEVEN BILLION PEOPLE: In the early 1970s, three leading American scientists were locked in a passionate debate about what had made the greatest contribution to humanity’s impact on the environment.

Every new person is a new consumer of resources. World Resources

The environmentalist and biologist Barry Commoner argued that advances in technology since World War II had been the most significant. Read more

Source : theconversation.edu.au

India, the milk bowl of the world

Dairy industry plays an important role in the socio-economic development of India generating huge rural employment and providing cheap nutritional food to a vast population. The Indian dairy industry is growing rapidly, trying to keep pace with the galloping progress around the world. Currently, India is the world’s largest milk producer, accounting for more than 13% of world’s total milk production. In the last decade or so, the dairy boom has been most prominent in Asia, led by India and China, where increased prosperity and rapid growth of the middle-class has been triggering a significant rise in consumption.

Dairy sector growth
India is not only one of the largest producers of dairy products, but also the largest consumer. The consumption of dairy products has been growing exponentially as they provide rich nutrition to millions of Indians. For a large vegetarian population, it is the only acceptable source of animal protein. The rising economic prowess of India coupled with the growing consciousness of vegetarianism is expected to spur a huge change in how people consume milk in India, benefiting organised dairy companies present in the country. Read more

Source : fnbnews.com

Food Bill: Govt may raise general quota if output improves

NEW DELHI: The government has decided to redraft the National Food Security Bill to keep an option open for supplying more than three kilograms of subsidised foodgrains to general households in case of increased output.

"We have received public comments and views of state governments on the draft Food Bill. We have decided to make some changes while finalising the bill," Food minister K V Thomas said. Read more

Source : articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com

INDIA: Soaring demand doubles student loan numbers

While the middle classes in India have traditionally pursued higher education for their children, rising aspirations among the lower-middle class and poor have led to soaring demand for student loans, despite families having to put assets on the line. The number of students applying for loans has more than doubled in five years.

"Indian parents will go to any extent to ensure that children are educated and employed. Many parents don't think twice before taking out a loan if they cannot afford the tuition fee," said Naresh Gulati, CEO of Oceanic Consultants, an agency that helps Indian students with admissions abroad. Read more

Source : universityworldnews.com

No redemption for burgeoning Bangalore

BANGALORE: The city continues to be the engine of population growth in the state, notwithstanding all efforts by the authorities to shift the balance of development in favour of tier-II cities, and remove regional imbalances in growth.

Provisional Census of India 2011 figures reveal that Bangalore's rate of population growth is way ahead of the state's average, reflecting continued migration to the city from all parts of the country. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Happy Day of 7 Billion!

According to UN calculations presented in May today, October 31 2011, the world population reaches 7 billion people. If you would have to make a bet where, India is your best choice.

Zooming in to find the world’s 7 billionth human inhabitant. According to UN calculations he or she will be born somewhere on our planet – today. (Visit Infographics Page for full resolution image.)

With over 350,000 newborns sharing the same birthday there is of course no way to be sure. In India today an estimated 75,000 people will be born, quite a lot more than the numbers two and three, China (46,000) and Nigeria (17,000). [It is by the way why India will topple China in 10 years from now.] Read more

Source : bitsofscience.org

High Speed Rail Corridor in Kerala?

At a staggering Rs.1.62 lakh crores as the budget for this, would it be another case of a proposal destined to gather dust?

Trivandrum: The woes of common commuters on late arrivals and departures of passenger trains and on the overcrowded, poorly maintained coaches have been repeated a million times before. It has been accepted as the norm in God’s own country. In the midst of all these comes the high speed rail corridor project, budgeted at a whopping Rs 1.62 lakh crores.

According to the latest, in a meeting presided by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, it has been decided to hold an all party meeting to discuss the project which is planned to start from Trivandrum and extend up till Mangalore. A detailed report from Delhi Metro Rail Corporation is awaited before this meeting is convened. The feasibility report on the project has already been handed over to the Chief Minister by the Chairman of Metro Rail Corporation, E Sreedharan. Read more

Source : yentha.com

NaMo proposes, PM disposes

Narendra Modi’s report on controlling prices gathers dust.

In 21st century India we have an expanding underclass, the masses who are wretchedly poor and desperately hungry. The rich live in their plush ivory towers, the middle-classes remain cocooned in their tacky drawing rooms, the rest languish in abject misery. The rich aspire for the moon, the middle-classes aspire to become rich, the miserably impoverished aspire to earn Rs 26 a day so that they can crawl above the poverty line. We have our version of the ‘Poor Law’, drafted by the Army of the Virtuous also known as the National Advisory Council, headed by Ms Sonia Gandhi, and implemented by a Government which has a surfeit of ‘economists’, including one who presides over a decrepit and corrupt regime. It’s called the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme. It’s also the latest means of politicians and babus pocketing cash meant for the poor, a fact established in State after State, including Odisha whose allegedly squeaky clean Chief Minister can reportedly do no wrong. Read more

Source : dailypioneer.com

Education brings down girl child labour

New Delhi : The increasing number of girls running to schools has a collateral effect of causing a decline of child labour among girls.

The recently released India Human Development Report (IHDR) 2011 has lauded various policy initiatives by the government aimed at improving female education. Read more

 

 

Source : deccanherald.com

Is movement matching monument?

NEW DELHI: The colossal statues, gargantuan memorials, swathes of parks. As Mayawati goes on a building spree, we look at how dalits have actually fared in Uttar Pradesh.

Agiant statue in a Lucknow square made 12-year-old Rashi curious . Whose statue is this, she asked her father. Although a BSP worker, Jhanki Ram couldn't go beyond the name - Jyotiba Phule. But not wanting to show his ignorance, he added, "He was a Mahatma who did a lot for the dalit community" . Both had come from Etawah to take part in Kanshiram Parinirvan functions this month. For them, the tour of dalit memorials raised by Mayawati was empowering. "It shows that we also have a history," said Ram, especially impressed by the massive memorial of dalit icon Bhimrao Ambedkar. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Sunny days ahead

Government policies and global trends will play a key role in deciding the attractiveness of the solar power sector for investors.

Solar power is one of the most talked about topics in India today. With peak power deficit hovering around the 12 per cent and increasing fossil fuel costs, the government is aggressively pushing for renewable sources of energy. Of the 182 GW of total installed power generation capacity in India, renewables constitute about 11 per cent. However, the installed solar capacity still has less than 1 per cent share in the total renewable energy installed capacity. Read more

Source : thehindubusinessline.com

The rise of Asia’s middle class

It is not just a China and India story but one of South-east Asia too?

COMPANIES rub their hands with glee when they think of Asian consumers.

Higher purchasing power: The growth of the middle-class in India, China and Southeast Asia has created a higher demand for household electrical items, like those shown in this electronics mega-store in Mumbai, India.

Dr Bala Shankar, an adjunct professor at Singapore Management University, recently wrote: “Asia is home to nearly four billion consumers, more than half the world. If the predictions that China and India will overtake many of the Western nations in GDP terms come true, it could be the largest bonanza for the marketers.”

The key is the rising middle class. Read more

Source : thestar.com.my

IT City retains suicide capital tag

Bangalore : Bangalore recorded 1,778 suicides last year, the highest for any metro

Bangalore has retained its dubious distinction as the suicide capital of the country by recording 1,778 suicides during 2010, the highest for any city. Read more

Source : thehindu.com

30,000 saplings planted and still counting in Bangalore

BANGALORE: Tree-hugging and dirt worshiping have become a trend in the most of the urban cities of the country were development and urbanisation have been stealthily taking over the green canopy that these cities once had to offer. Numerous trees are cut under the banner of development and urbanisation. Be it road widening to cater to the heavy vehicular traffic on the roads or more landscape to construct homes for the ever growing population. However, thanks to a few who stand tall, shoulder to shoulder with these stationary giants, all hope may not be lost.

In a collaborated effort between SAP lab employees and founder of Treeforfree, Janet, 600 saplings were planted in Minhajnagar which is situated near Dayananda Sagar College, Kumaraswamy Layout, near Banashankari. “Most of the trees were planted along the road side while a few were planted near a temple in Minhajnagar,” said Janet. The saplings were planted with bamboo tree guards on the roadside of Minhajnagar and inside Idgah Campus of nearby locality. Read more

Source : ibnlive.in.com

More urban adolescent boys take to drugs, bunk schools than girls

Chandigarh: 48% boys, 4% girls show deviant behaviour due to unhealthy relationship with parents: PU study

It seems that adolescent boys in urban areas have a higher tendency of showing deviant behaviour — behaviour that does not conform to social norms and values — as compared to girls. A recent study conducted by the Panjab University (PU) has shown that among urban boys and girls, while 48 per cent of boys showed deviant behaviour, only 4 per cent were girls in the same category. Read more

Source : indianexpress.com

Dispur far from safe

Guwahati : Three years after 60 people died in serial blasts here, the city is as vulnerable as it was on that dark day — October 30, 2008.

The Gateway to the Northeast is under siege and almost nothing is being done about it.

This is evident as Dispur is yet to implement some of the key recommendations of the Deepak Narayan Dutta committee, which was constituted by the Tarun Gogoi government following the blasts allegedly carried out by NDFB militants. This also becomes apparent from the well-entrenched voices from within the system (See views of former top cops below). Read more

Source : telegraphindia.com

Number of emergency cases shoots up

AHMEDABAD: The number of emergency cases handled by GVK EMRI 108 during Diwali and Bhai Bij rose this year. There has been substantial rise in emergency cases across all categories in Gujarat as compared to number of cases reported on normal days.

This year, EMRI handled more than 2,100 emergencies on a daily basis during Diwali, new year and Bhai Bij. Experts attributed road accidents to increase in traffic during festival season and cases of burns and respiratory problems to firecrackers. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Development issues dear to India to figure on G20 agenda: Montek

New Delhi : Euro zone debt crisis with its potential spillover effect could take a lot of the G20 leaders' time at this week's Cannes summit, but “development issues” dear to India won't be pushed into corner, Planning Commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia said on Saturday. Global food security, infrastructure financing in emerging market economies and employment creation were indeed on the summit agenda, he said.

Acting on the advice of French president Nicholas Sarkozy, billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates would suggest innovative ways to finance development and these would be discussed by the leaders, Ahluwalia, who is India's sherpa to the Nov 3-4 summit, said. India would push for open markets, (increased) market access for its exports and newer ways of infrastructure financing, he said. Read more

Source : expressindia.com

Infrastructure in suburbs, key to growth

Suburbs with better infrastructure are doing well, with demand driven by middle-income buyers.

As residential prices across cities go out of reach of most buyers, demand is shifting to the peripheries. But exactly where in the suburbs the demand builds up depends on connectivity and infrastructure development. Typically, in most metros, there are pockets of real estate development that do well, and some that have hit a dead end, at least for now. Read more

Source : thehindubusinessline.com

'Release white paper on losses of discoms'

JAIPUR: The resentment among farmers over crippled power supply is snowballing into a political issue. Former finance minister and BJP leader Manik Chand Surana on Saturday accused the state government of mismanaging the power sector and demanded that a white paper be released on the accumulated losses of the power companies.

Farmers in various parts of the state have demonstrated demanding at least six-hour per day supply of electricity for agriculture. Earlier, panchayati raj minister Bharat Singh held talks with chief minister Ashok Gehlot as well as the ruling party president Chandrabhan to convey the resentment of farmers from the Kota region. The issue was raised by several party men even at the Pradesh Congress Committee executive meeting on October 23. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

BSTDC to promote tourism project in Sabbalpur Diara near Patna

Mumbai : Bihar State Tourism Development Corporation (BSTDC) has decided to project Sabbalpur Diara (riverine) tourism project in a big way. The riverine has the Ganga and Gandak rivers on its either side. Tourists from November 15, 2011 onwards will be able to enjoy camel rides, water sports activities and mouth-watering dishes at Sabbalpur Diara. The sandbar, situated a few kilometres from the banks of Ganga in Patna City, would be developed as a tourism hub under the aegis of Sabbalpur Diara Island River Project of BSTDC.

A senior official from BSTDC said that two temporary food courts at Sabbalpur Diara will be set up, which would be covered on three sides with a canopy on top. There will be two big and two small sitting lounges with capacities of 18 and eight people, respectively. These lounges would also be open canopy tents. Moreover, 12 eco-friendly river view benches would be provided to the visitors to enjoy the leisurely hangout at the riverine. Read more

Source : travelbizmonitor.com

How unequal is India?

A common criticism of India's growth story has been that it is very unequal. The rich get richer while the poor get poorer is a common mantra we hear. Casual observation confirms just how unequal incomes are in the country. For example, what the average driver or servant earns in a year is often less than what the average middle class professional earns in a month.

Asad Dossani

But does this mean that India is a highly unequal country? Are the poor not benefitting from the high economic growth? And how does India's inequality stack up against the income inequality in other countries? Some of the answers are quite surprising, and may show that India's income inequality is not as bad as it seems at first glance. Read more

Source : equitymaster.com

Generators Of Power

Jayalalitha knows her state needs power, but spars with the UPA over the N-plant

 

It seems Tamil Nadu chief minister J. Jayalalitha has now chosen to make the Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KKNPP) a handle to beat the Centre with. As the Centre squirms over the agitation in Idinthakarai, Tirunelveli district, against setting up the nuclear plant, Jayalalitha has done nothing to ease things. The antipathy has only grown over the Centre not clearing the Rs 2.5 lakh-crore Tamil Nadu has sought for clearing its financial mess. At the National Development Council meeting on October 23, Tamil Nadu finance minister O. Paneerselvam read out the chief minister’s speech in which she said the Centre was treating states as if they were “glorified municipal corporations”. She has often said the UPA “does not seem to understand that people living in non-Congress states are as much citizens of India” as those in Congress-ruled states.

One of Jayalalitha’s first promises on becoming chief minister was that she would solve the power crisis within three months, which she later extended to “by 2012”. This led many to think she would help bring the KKNPP into early operation, for the state was entitled to a substantial share of the power generated. (In fact, the prime minister has written to Jayalalitha that Tamil Nadu would be allocated 925 of the 2,000 MW to be generated by Units 1 and 2 of the plant.) But she seems in no hurry on the already much-delayed project. Or perhaps, she has changed her mind. Read more

Source : outlookindia.com

When pistols turn into hedge clippers

Patna : The thought is surreal, but in Bihar it's quite real. Hundreds of arms like pistols and guns, all seized from criminals and stored in police stations, will be melted to manufacture farming and gardening tools.

It's a novel initiative by Bihar Police.

"The 'last rites' of seized arms will be conducted by melting them - to send a message that they will not be used to kill someone. Anyway, weapons are not going to benefit anyone. Tools made from them would be used for development to help people earn their livelihood," Director General of Police Abhayanand told IANS. Read more

Source : twocircles.net

Ramesh wants Assam rural jobs scheme audited

Guwahati : The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India will be asked to do a performance audit of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme in Assam, according to Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh.

The decision assumes significance because allegations of anomalies in the implementation of the scheme are mounting in Assam. There are also allegations, especially from Dima Hasao district, that wages were paid for more than the mandated 100 days. Read more

Source : twocircles.net

Modi launches website for Global Meet in Bihar

Patna (PTI) : Deputy Chief Minister S K Modi today launched a special website for holding the proposed three-day 'Global Conclave on Changing Bihar: Forging Partnerships for Development' likely to take place here from February 17 next year. Talking to reporters on the occasion, Modi said around one thousand important personalities, industries and entrepreneurs were likely to participate in the Global Conclave.

The proposed meet also aims to bring together eminent individuals including intellectuals, investors, industrialists, development practioners, policy makers and professions, as well as various organisations including development agencies, donors and civil society institutions for contributing to the ongoing process of change and development in Bihar, he said. Read more

Source : ibnlive.in.com

India in 2030: The 7 billionth child is 20 years old

For the first time since Earth was formed 4.54 billion years ago, the number of human beings will cross seven billion. Given that Mother India delivers 51 babies a minute, chances are the baby will be an Indian. The odds of it being a girl are not so great but more on that later. Let's assume the baby is a girl and let's call her Bharti. Let's also assume, given appalling primary health conditions in some states, that Bharti survives her first months.

7 billionth child

What will Bharti's life be like 19 years from now, in circa 2030? Read more

Source : economictimes.indiatimes.com

Gurgaon gets new Huda administrator

Chandigarh : The Haryana government has transferred eight district magistrates, while issuing transfer and promotion orders of 14 IAS officers, including the administrator of Huda, Gurgaon, Nitin Yadav.

Deputy commissioners (DCs) of Ambala, Kaithal, Sirsa, Fatehabad, Faridabad, Palwal and district commissioners of Bhiwani and Jhajjar have been transferred. Read more

Source : hindustantimes.com

Govt fair price drug stores fail to take off in JK

Jammu : The much hyped proposal to open government run medicine stores in Jammu and Kashmir has not been able to see the light of the day with the powerful  ‘drug lobby’ hampering the project well before its take off.

Sources said that the proposed fair price shops called Jan Aushadhi Drug Stores (JADS) were to be opened across the State to make quality drugs available for the common man at genuine rates. But even after a couple of years since the central sponsored scheme was announced for the State, the project has failed to take off due to the pressure from powerful drug manufactures and distributors. Read more

Source : greaterkashmir.com

Caste census delayed in Pune city

PUNE: Independent India's first Socio-Economic and Caste Census ( SECC) is yet to start in Pune due to non-availability of special tablet computers. The census, which was to start on October 7 and finish by December end, will simplify identification of households living below the poverty line in rural and urban areas of the country. The results will be utilised in the 12th five-year plan (2012 to 2017).

"Servers are ready. We expect the hand-helds (read tablet computers) to reach us in 10 or 15 days. The tablets will then be connected to servers. The process will take a couple of days once the tabs (tablets reach us," said deputy municipal commissioner Praveen Ashtikar, who is also the census officer of the Pune municipal corporation (PMC). Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

High level board headed by Karnataka CM to boost agricultural production

Bangalore (PTI): The Karnataka Government today decided to set up a high-level board headed by the Chief Minister for effective implementation of programmes aimed at boosting agricultural production and to rechristen its "organic farming mission" as "Amrutha Bhoomi" project. Ministers of Agriculture and Horticulture would be the other board members as per the cabinet meeting decision today, Minister for Higher Education Dr V S Acharya told reporters.

The cabinet decided no action is necessary on a complaint which alleged a Rs 50 crore scam in Karnataka Drugs and Logistics Warehousing Society in purchase of drugs after the Official committee which went into it declared there was no truth in it, he said. Acharya said the Cabinet decided to amend the Karnataka Judicial Service Act 2004 to facilitate 10 per cent of posts of district judges be given to civil judges who have completed five years of service during the selection process. Read more

Source : ibnlive.in.com

'Rainwater, treated sewage water can quench 50 lakh people's thirst'

Bangalore : Rainwater, along with treated sewage water, when utilised properly, can meet the water requirement of nearly 50 lakh people in the City, said K C Subhash Chandra, former senior geologist, Mines and Geology department.

He was delivering a lecture on ‘Demand, resource availability and status of drinking water supply to mega city like Bangalore,’ at the Geological Society of India here on Wednesday. Read more

 

Source : deccanherald.com

 

States urged to allocate more funds to buy medicines

NEW DELHI: Maharashtra spent only 5.2% of its health expenditure last year on purchasing drugs as against 11.3% a decade ago. Similarly, Rajasthan cut down its expenditure on purchasing medicines from 9.6% (2001) to a meagre 1.5% (2010).

Haryana has reduced spending on drugs from 9.8% (2001) to 5.5% (2010). Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh have followed suit - from 7.9% to 6.3% and 11.8% to 9.3%, respectively, during the same period. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Gaur leads sanitation drive in MP

Bhopal : Urban Administration and Development (UAD) Minister Babulal Gaur during the special sanitation campaign at Gandhi Market in Piplani requested the residents and shopkeepers of the area to throw garbage at the specified place. He also requested them to encourage others for the same

Gaur himself cleaned the road, by brooming the road symbolically in order to encourage people for cleanliness and to bring them the importance of cleanliness. He termed garbage as a root of diseases and an obstacle in the development. Gaur requested the residents to take pledge to make the city garbage free and extend support to the Corporation. Read more

Source : dailypioneer.com

More American patients seek treatment abroad to escape high medical costs

Washington D.C. : The number of Americans heading abroad for medical care rose sharply last year amid high health care costs and a poor economy in the United States, according to medical tourism industry figures.

Some of their preferred locations for life-saving surgeries and other procedures are India and Mexico, the health information company Health Digital Systems reported. Read more

Source : allheadlinenews.com

The risks arising from Asia's water stress

The fastest-growing economies in the region are all in or near water-stressed conditions, with huge implications for economic growth and inter-riparian relations.

Water, the most vital of all resources, has emerged as a key issue that would determine if Asia is headed toward cooperation or competition. After all, the driest continent in the world is not Africa but Asia, where availability of freshwater is not even half the global annual average of 6,380 cubic metres per inhabitant.

When the estimated reserves of rivers, lakes, and aquifers are added up, Asia has less than one-tenth of the waters of South America, Australia and New Zealand, not even one-fourth of North America, almost one-third of Europe, and moderately less than Africa per inhabitant. Yet the world's fastest-growing demand for water for food and industrial production and for municipal supply is in Asia, which now serves as the locomotive of the world economy. Read more

Source : thehindu.com

Our world of seven billion can thrive – UN

With the world population projected to reach seven billion in three days’ time, actions taken now will decide whether the future will be healthy, sustainable and prosperous or marked by inequalities, environmental decline and economic setbacks, according to a United Nations report published on Wednesday

UN Population Fund (UNFPA) executive director Babatunde Osotimehin wrote in the foreword of the study that the world must seize the opportunity to invest in the health and education of its youth to reap the full benefits of future economic development or else face a continuation of the sorry state of disparities in which hundreds of millions of people in developing nations lack the most basic ingredients for a decent life. Read more

Source : independent.com.mt

Outsourcing builds a new life in the country

Indian IT services firms are looking outside the big cities to set up their new operations...

India's countryside is undergoing a creeping transformation. You'll find none of the fancy buildings, multi-cuisine food courts, night shifts, 24/7 operations, accent neutralisation training or company gyms that normally accompany the arrival of India's high-tech industry - or any of the other trappings of the big city.

Yet, India's smaller towns and rural areas are beginning to feel the impact of change wrought by the country's IT sector. Read more

Source : silicon.com

Cooperation law needs changes: Patil

PUNE: State cooperation minister Harshavardhan Patil has suggested that an amendment to the law that governs cooperative societies in the state may be necessary to address the peculiarities of housing societies. Patil also hinted at setting up a tribunal that will address issues and cases with respect to the state's cooperative housing societies.

Addressing a gathering hosted by the department of cooperation and Federation of Cooperative Housing Societies, Pune recently, Patil said it is impractical to apply, in a blanket manner, the provisions of the state's law on cooperation to housing societies. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Shrinking our world

TRANSPORTATION and communication systems are becoming increasingly faster and cheaper.

The process has been going on slowly for centuries but has had a major boost in recent decades.

Geographers call the process of transporting people, goods and information at faster overall speeds "time-space convergence", and the process of making those transactions cheaper "cost-space convergence". Read more

Source : themercury.com.au 

Pune metro rail project delayed by red tape

Pune: The metro rail system in Bangalore was inaugurated recently, but the Pune metro project is stuck in red tape and is unlikely to be implemented in the next few years.

Efforts for the Pune metro project are being made since 2006, but five years later, the proposal for the project is yet to be finally approved by the government. Read more

Source : daily.bhaskar.com

Bariatric surgery offers hope for obese Mysoreans

MYSORE: India has a new problem on hand_ urban, middle-class obesity. Statistics reveal that obesity affects 5-7 % of the total population. And shockingly, children and youths top the list.

Gymming, aerobics, brisk walks and liposuction therapy. The obese have tried them all. Now, a private hospital in the city has come up with the weight reducing surgery, bariatric surgery. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Mysore too may host mass rapid transit system

Chennai/ Mysore : Now that Bangalore has the ‘Namma Metro’, will Mysore too play host to a mass rapid transit system?

Mysore is the second most important city in Karnataka after Bangalore with a rich heritage and a big future. There was a lot of hype when the IT revolution set in about the big strides that the royal city would make and was considered one of the top 10 ‘B’ cities. Though it has not met the anticipated growth, it did attract some IT major like Infosys which set up its biggest IT training centre. There are many medium and small level players too contributing to retain Mysore’s status as the second biggest IT exporter after Bangalore in Karnataka. Read more

Source : business-standard.com

Empowering low-income families

Engineer from Bengaluru brings electricity to rural areas using solar power

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Image Credit: Nilima Pathak/Gulf News

Harish Hande

He launched Selco (Solid Waste to Electricity Company), a social venture based in Bengaluru. His goal is to provide affordable, reliable and environmentally sustainable energy services to homes and businesses in rural areas. Read more

Source : gulfnews.com

Cities have more women today than ever : Census

Women constitute a larger proportion of the population of Indian towns and cities today than has ever been recorded in Indian history. This startling fact is despite the child sex ratio (the number of girls for every 1,000 boys in the 0-6 age group) having fallen alarmingly in recent decades.

Data from the 2011 census reveals that the population of urban women grew at a brisk 34% in the decade spanning 2001 to 2011. In the same period, their rural population grew by just over 12%. As a result, the sex ratio for urban areas jumped from 900 women per 1,000 men in 2001 to 926 in 2011, the highest decadal increase since Independence. In rural areas, the sex ratio increased nominally from 946 to 947. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Govt apathy behind drainage-related woes of Guwahati city

GUWAHATI – The drainage-related woes of Guwahati started with the Government’s contravening the 1971 Drainage Master Plan of the city prepared by the Calcuttal Metropolitan Development Organisation (CMDO) said noted engineer Indrajit Barua, who has been working on the Guwahati drainage problems of the city for around two decades.

Barua told The Assam Tribune that this is the reason why the drains constructed by different agencies of the Government at a cost of Rs 40 crore had to be given up as ‘abandoned’ some years back. Read more

Source : assamtribune.com

‘Endgame’ for polio

New Delhi : India will henceforth treat even a single case of polio anywhere in the country as a public health emergency requiring unprecedented rapid response, the health ministry announced today after the longest polio-free period in the country.

Health authorities have so far detected a single patient with paralysis caused by the wild polio virus this year ---- from Howrah in Bengal on January 13 ----- according to the latest counts from the National Polio Surveillance Programme. Read more

Source : telegraphindia.com

Building ban near defence zones in Dispur

Jorhat : Dispur has directed town planning and civic bodies across the state not to allow construction of buildings within a 500-yard radius of any defence installation without obtaining no-objection certificates.

Sources said defence set-ups in state are on the verge of getting a major upgrade, because of which security in the areas near these installations would be of prime importance, and hence, the Centre had asked the state government to be strict while granting permission for construction of houses and buildings within a radius of 500 yards of any defence establishment. Read more

Source : telegraphindia.com

Survivors of breast cancer want surgery, ‘normal’ look

An increasing number of breast cancer survivors - 70% cases detected early can be fully cured - are keen on aesthetic surgery once the tumour is removed.

The demand has forced many cancer surgeons to acquire skills to perform cosmetic surgeries in addition to removing cancerous tumours. The union of cancer surgery with plastic surgery techniques, termed as oncoplastic breast conservation, is a field fast gaining acceptance in urban cancer centres. Oncoplastic procedures were popular in the West for five to seven years, now Indian patients and doctors are warming up to the idea. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

WaterHackathon: A solution in sight

Six teams won the WaterHackathon award even as the developers were told to develop apps for rain water harvesting

Bangalore : After three days of hectic deliberations, the WaterHackathon in Bangalore gave some hope to the world that the water and sanitation problems can be solved if governments implement the right programmes in the right way.

An initiative of the World Bank, the hackathon brought together software engineers and water experts, who identified critical global challenges in water and sanitation sector, and presented their ideas. In all, 97 developers from 15 teams presented their innovations. Though every idea had something innovative, some ideas were adjudged the best by the jury. Read more

Source :  ciol.com