This Blog is created to promote social awareness, consciousness and commitment amongst general public and tune their thinking and actions to all-encompassing loyalty to our society, our country, our people and indeed to all humanity and to motivate and inspire them to ably, efficiently and whole-heartedly discharge their social duties and national responsibilities.
Negative stigma and prejudice linked to mental health problems are still widespread. They marginalise people suffering from mental health problems and prevent them from being fully included in the community.On 10 October, Mental Health Europe launched a campaign “Mental Health and Social Inclusion – Making Steps” to support the integration of people with mental health problems in all aspects of life (employment, education, quality-care, housing) by highlighting their abilities rather than their non-abilities. “People with mental health problems can work; they have talents and skills and have the right to use them.”
What, you may ask, is common between potatoes, tomatoes, brinjal, chilli, datura, tobacco and the deadly nightshade (belladonna)? They all belong to a plant family called Solanaceae. The Solanaceae family contains a number of important agricultural plants as well as many psychoactive and toxic plants. Solanaceae species are rich in complex chemicals called alkaloids and contain some of the most poisonous plants known to mankind. They produce alkaloids in their roots, leaves and flowers. These alkaloids can be hallucinogens, stimulants or outright toxic. For example, when potatoes are exposed to light, a chemical called solanin is produced which appears as a green tinge. Green potatoes can be toxic, damage an unborn fetus and cause abortions. Other plants of this family known for their toxic qualities are belladonna, datura and tobacco.
Farmers have been working for thousands of years to domesticate wild plants like those of the Solanaceae family, to make them safe for eating. Much of this exercise involved breeding out the toxins contained in the wild plants. Scientists too have used careful, selective breeding to “clean up” crop varieties which had good qualities but contained toxins. Now brinjal, a member of this family, has been genetically engineered (GE) to produce a toxin to protect itself against a particular pest. This seems to be a process working to reverse several thousand years of efforts to detoxify natural plants to make them fit for human consumption!
Genetic engineering in plants has not been mastered enough to rule out the creation of dangerous new products in the cells when genes are muddled during the insertion of new, usually foreign genes. Several cases are known when new proteins and toxins were produced in plants which were genetically engineered. For example, when genetically modified (GM) peas were being developed by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) in Australia to protect peas from the pest pea weevil, it was found that newly-formed proteins in the GM peas repeatedly caused immunity problems and lung inflammation when fed to mice. The experiments had to be abandoned. In another case, when mice were fed the genetically engineered Flavr Savr tomato, seven out of 40 experimental animals died within 14 days and the others suffered stomach lesions.
Genetic engineering in plants of the Solanaceae family could be dangerous since disturbing their genetic material through the process of inserting new gene constructs containing a battery of genes — including the toxin producing Bt gene — may trigger off metabolic processes that have been lying dormant. There are apprehensions that not only could new toxins develop but that old toxins that were removed by selective breeding may reappear. Disturbing the cell metabolism (by genetic engineering) of species that are naturally genetically hardwired to produce toxins, is likely to call up old plant toxins in these species.
Testing for food safety is key in genetically engineered plants; it becomes more so with the Solanaceae family. At present biotechnology companies rely on the concept of “substantial equivalence” to demonstrate the safety of genetically engineered foods. In this method, the overall chemical composition of the genetically engineered food is compared to an equivalent conventional food. If there is no significant difference between the two, the GE plant is considered to be safe.
The Mahyco seed company has also tested its Bt brinjal in the same way. However, substantial equivalence is a highly contested paradigm, favored by the biotech industry but rejected by most countries. This is because there is no mechanism in such an approach to detect unexpected or unintended changes like new toxic compounds in the cell.
Apart from the critical safety issues, there are other questions that arise with the impending release of India’s first genetically engineered food crop. There is no system in place for labeling these foods. Indeed, how can one in the Indian situation label a vegetable that will be sold from farmers’ fields, laden into trucks and taken to wholesale mandis. How will the vegetables on the vendor’s cart or the corner shop be labeled as GM? The Government of India recognises the need to label GE food, and its position in the meetings of the Codex Alimentarius has been consistently in favor of mandatory labeling.
Accordingly, the ministry of health has drafted rules under the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act to include labeling of GE food and food ingredients. But there is as yet no mechanism in place to label GE food, nor have any awareness programs been conducted to explain the nature of GE foods and the need for labeling them. For most consumers, especially rural consumers, GE foods are a black box and unless they are made aware of the nature of GE foods, labelling would be meaningless. Despite these big gaps in preparedness, the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) has approved Mahyco’s Bt brinjal for commercial production.
Does this mean that the consumer’s right to informed choice about their food is about to be trashed? This right is enshrined in India’s Consumer Protection Act and the GEAC approval will violate the provisions of this Act. Further, labeling is not just about pasting a colored sticker on a brinjal, it involves a rigorous process of segregation and identity preservation (IP) to keep Bt and non-Bt food segregated. IP is a complex and expensive process requiring separation of a GM food from non-GM food, starting from farmers’ fields, all the way to vegetable shops. Without going through this process, labeling cannot be done. Or has the GEAC planned that all brinjals cultivated in this country henceforth will be genetically engineered?
And what about fixing liability for damage? There is no liability law in India. In the event of contamination of organic brinjal with Bt brinjal, what will be the process of recall? Who will be liable to the producers of organic brinjal? There are no provisions for monitoring the long-term impact of GE foods on the health of consumers. In case adverse health impacts are reported from eating Bt brinjal, who would be liable to pay compensation? How would the liability be fixed and what would be the quantum? In the absence of any kind of preparedness or safeguards, what would be the liability of the government for approving such food crops? And in the event of damage caused by Bt brinjal, will Mahyco be put in the dock?
By Suman Sahai
10 Novemberl, 2009 Genecampaign.org
Forget yourself for others, and others will never forget you.
Friends of Women’s World Banking, Indiawas established in 1982, with a vision to build a society based on equity and social justice in which women are active partners in holisticdevelopment. FWWB is planning to spin of its ‘lending activity’ to a regulated entity and it will continue to work in the areas of
·Nurturing and building sustainable community based institutions; women’s leadership building
·Livelihood promotion and building entrepreneurship among members of low income households.
·Financial inclusion through integrated financial services and financial education.
·Action research and pilots on new products and services that impact on the lives of the poor.
Reason for Hire:
Ms. Vijayalakshmi Das, current CEO, FWWB, India has been chosen to Head (as CEO) the new NBFC being set up by the trust and would need to devote full time attention to setting up and streamlining the activities of the new entity.
Against this backdrop FWWB India is looking for a dynamic leader to take over charge from Ms Vijayalakshmi Das and be responsible for poviding leadership, direction and management for the organisation during a period of significant organisational change and dynamic growth.
Roles and Responsibilities
·Provide strategic leadership for the development of FWWB, India and for the proposed transition.
·Oversee design, marketing, promotion, delivery and quality of programs, products and services.
·Provide strong leadership and direction to FWWB, India staff and build a high performing management team committed to the new structure.
·Effectively manage the human resources according to organizations personnel policies and procedures.
·Recommend yearly budget for Board approval and prudently manage the organization’s resources.
·Develop, maintain and implement sound financial management in accordance with FWWB’s India’s standards and controls.
·Developing partner relationships and support partners’ capacity and abilities in program, people and financial management.
·Lead planning to ensure that FWWB, India is acknowledged as an expert in the sector and maximise potential for influencing the sector in India.
·Oversee fundraising planning and implementation, including identifying resource requirements, researching funding sources, establishing strategies to approach funders, submitting proposals and administrating fundraising records and documentation
·Represent FWWB, India in a variety of forums and maintain external relationships within the sector including national government, key national and international NGOs, donors, academic, media and research institutions.
·Build the image of the organization and its mission, programs, products and services consistently relevant stakeholders
Must have:
·15+ years of professional experience with a track record of 3-5 years in a leadership role (at least functional), providing imaginative and strategic leadership and effective management of an organization of talented professionals.
·Demonstrated business acumen (strong financial management skills), analytic skills, and administrative abilities).
·A record of attracting and retaining funds and funders.
·A proven ability to establish effective working relationships and partnerships with diverse stakeholders.
·Excellent communication skills and capability to represent the organisation in professional forums.
Preferable:
·Experience of reporting directly to a board of trustees.
·Experience and knowledge in one or more of the Trust's program areas.
·International experience would be an advantage.
Location: Ahmedabad
Interested candidates can send in their CVs along with three references and a cover note to ceofwwbi@gmail.com. Or contact us at 91 22 24371068/ 24371194. Only shorlisted candidates would be contacted.
Forget yourself for others, and others will never forget you.
I thought younger generation will infuse energy to STOP the corrupt and hatred society/politics,but my heart bleeds for my country. See what is happening with violent protest all over India , see what happen in Assembly of Elected representative in Maharashtra,see the partial judicial system , see the corruption by ex CM of Jharkhand..................................Iam tired ,Iam helpless
Is this going to be Abdul Kalam's India 2020 ?
I have lots of hope , our Elders should guide and mould the energy of youth for nation building.
Lets come together, Let be the change we want to see . Lets preserve our culture,tradition and move towards becoming Super Power India.
Please stop culture,language,age,sex,color,class,race,nation,caste divide.Lets work together as responsible citizens of this world ,let live for today and work for better future for all.
Lets make this society for all ages , society for all !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Forget yourself for others, and others will never forget you.
Volunteerism has played an instrumental role in the development & progress of communities all around the globe. MyKartavya, an initiative by NASSCOM Foundation, not only connects you to a wide spectrum of volunteering opportunities, but also helps you manage & evaluate your efforts!
Why Volunteer?
We all have an obligation, a duty or responsibility towards ourselves, our family, our organization - but what about our communities, our nation, our society? As a part of today's corporate India, we are among the most talented & privileged! So help transform India and drive it closer towards a vision of being an inclusive, prosperous & equitable. Get involved in the development of your nation and yourself by volunteering!
As an Employee:
Get a sense of achievement as your efforts pay off with the progress of the NGO you get involved with
Develop new skills & add value to your profile - Employers give high value to those with volunteering hours on their resume
Be a part of your community - Volunteering is about helping others &creating an impact
Meet diverse people - More the merrier!
As a Company:
Track, monitor & evaluate impact
Increase efficiency in promoting volunteering, managing registration & event evaluation
Recruit, retain and engage top talent employees (Strong CSR & volunteer program helps!)
Enhance Brand Reputation - Serving in your community raises the profile of your company
MyKartavya does not require a unique degree or prior experience - but only a willingness to help! Learn new skills such as leadership and management, while enhancing the ones you have. Experience the satisfaction of sharing your knowledge. Call your friends, family, and coworkers and get involved - it will forever change the person you are.
