Senior Citizens NATIONAL PROTEST DAY: AUGUST 16, 2010, India

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA, STOP ELDER ABUSE


Senior Citizens, in spite of their number, collective wisdom & experience will continue to be ignored and marginalized, unless they unite – Kofi Annan


Today Indian population of Senior Citizen’s is more than 96 million , around 9% of a total population of our Country, According to one survey 66% of them cannot afford two square meals a day, 90% of them have no social or health security, 73% are illiterate and can only survive by doing physical labour, and 37% are lonely cursing their age.

Indian Government is signatory to the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing in 2002 when it committed to halve the old age poverty by 2015 but the reverse seems to be happening. According to another estimate while the population of BPL (Below Poverty Line) category has gone down below 22% , that in case of the Older Persons has exceeded 66%. This segment thus is becoming larger and larger at the same time is getting poorer and poorer. The poorest among the poor are Senior Citizens.

All this is happening because of the gross neglect and ignorance by our rulers of concerns and problems of Elderly. You will agree with the fact that our elders have waited for years on end to get attention from our rulers but all that they have received is indifference towards elder issues. While Senior Citizens are keen to play role in the development of the Country and the activities for the welfare of community, they are also demanding that their concerns must be addressed.

To address various issue and neglect of Elderly a Joint Action Committee has been set up for Organizing Senior Citizens' National Protest Day on August 16, 2010.

August 16th is going to be one of the historic day for Elderly in India, more than 25 national and state organizations & gerontologist, social activist working for Senior Citizens have come together and have set up a United Front to fight for basic rights of elderly.



The tentative programme for 16th August:
• Wear a black band for the whole day
• Walk in a silent procession in the morning to the place for Dharna or Human Chain for an hour or so
• Hold a joint meeting with other Senior Citizens’ Organizations in the evening highlighting the problems and the indifferent and cold response of the Government
• Submission of a Memorandum
• Press meet


The suggested National Demands for memorandum to be submitted to government:

1. Health Insurance cover for all Senior Citizens without restrictions due to entry and exit age and pre-existing health condition with modest premium which does not increase with age, fully subsidized for BPL and graded sharing for others.[Aarogyasri of AP state meets these requirements] only it does not cover the APL Senior Citizens]
2. Very early implementation of the Maintenance & Welfare of Parents & Senior Citizens Act in all States and UT's
3. Immediate steps to be taken to fully implement the existing NPOP with budgetary support and not to postpone it till the reviewed Policy is ready
4. Truthful implementation of the Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme. Increase minimum Pension to 500/- pm and minimum age of beneficiary to be reduced to 60 from present 65.
5. All resident of Old Age Homes to be covered under State subsidized Health Insurance, including those who are terminally ill. Those who are eligible should be given Old Age Pension.
6. Minimum of 50% concession in State Bus and Railway fares for all Senior Citizens
7. Implement the rights of the elderly citizens as enunciated in the Constitution of India and establish a unified governance structure to implement the rights. A preferred structure at both Central and State levels - Ministry for Older Persons along with National Commission for Older Persons
8. Immediate declaration of State Policy on Senior Citizens by every State and formation of State Councils and Commissionerates for Senior Citizens by all State Govts.
9. Provision of Multi-service Centres / day Care centres in each town and large village with facilities of recreation, games and news papers etc.
10. Nomination of 2 representatives of Senior Citizens on the Rajya Sabha and on Vidhan Parishad of every State.
11. Fast track Courts for speedy, time-bound disposal of pending cases of Senior Citizens in all Courts.
12. Early establishment of the promised National Institutes of Research on Aging and courses in Medical Colleges in Gerontology and Geriatrics
13. Uniform Age
14. Comprehensive policy for Dementia and Alzheimer’s
15. Separate Ministry for Senior Citizens or to have National Commission on line with Women and human right commission


Some of the Partners:
1] All India Senior Citizens’ Confederation [AISCCON]
2]National Alliance of Senior Citizens Associations of India [NASCAI]
3] Bharat Pensioners’ Samaj (BPS)
4] RREWAS
5] Respect Age International (RAI)
6] Indian Federation of Ageing (InFA)
7] Indian Association of Retired Persons [IARP]
8] Andhra Pradesh Senior Citizens' Confederation
9] Federation of Senior Citizens' of Maharashtra [FESCOM]
10] Federation of Senior Citizens of UP [FESCUP]
11] Federaion of AP Senior Citzens' Organisations [FAPSCO]
12] Kerala Federation of Senior Citizens' Associations
13] Karnatak Senior Citizens Federation
14] Tamil Nadu Senior Citizens' Confedration
15] Silver Inning Foundation [Mumbai]
16] Delhi Federation of Senior Citizens' Associations
17] Gujarat Federation of Senior Citizens
18]Prantiya Varishtha Nagrik Mahasangh [MP]
19] Varishtha Nagrik Sansthan [Rajasthan]
20] Senior Citizens Council of Assam
[21] All India Bank Retirees Federation
22] Nightingales Medical Trust , Bangalore
23]Kerala Sr.Citizens’ Forum


Coordinating Committee:
1. R.N.Mital , Co-ordinator , President - APSCCON
2. Dr. P. Vyasamoorthy , Joint Co-ordinator , President – SSS;
3. Prof. V. Vishweswariah , General Secretary , President - AoSC, Hyderabad
4. V. Nageswar Rao , Jt. Secretary , President – Sr. Cn. Welfare Association
5. Dr. P. Pothamsetty , Treasurer , Gen. Sec.- AoSC [Hyd]
6. Sailesh Mishra, Member, Founder President, Silver Inning Foundation, Mumbai


Advisory:
1. Sri Shivaswarup Agarwal, Sec. gen., International Chinmaya Mission
2. Dr. S.D. Gokhale -President India, ILC, Pune
3. Dr. PV Ramamurti Emeritus Prof, SV University
4. Dr. D.Jamuna ,Prof – Psychology SV University
5. Dr. Indira Jai Prakash,Prof. Bangalore University
6. Dr. Shiva Raju ,Prof. Tata Inst of Social Sc.
7. Dr. Sugan Bhatia, Advisor -AISCCON


If you support the cause of Elderly and would like to participate in National protest day then please write to: apsccon@gmail.com / silverinnings@gmail.com

Contact for more info:
Joint Action Committee for Organising Senior Citizens' National Protest Day on August 16, 2010
Address: 8-2-333/14a, Road No. 3, Banjara Hills Hyderabad-500 034, A.P., INDIA,
Tel.: 040-2354 2719, Fax : 040-2354 8409, Mobile : 0905 200 4913,
email : rnmital@gmail.com / apsccon@gmail.com


Silver Inning Foundation supports the Rights of our Elderly and is honored to be part this advocacy and networking historic event.



Forget yourself for others, and others will never forget you.

Delhi targets rebels with a cause

The Indian government has hit back at civil society groups who claim its "war against Maoists" is targeted at tribals living in the conflict zone rather than the rebels, accusing them of being rebel sympathizers.

The Home Ministry last month warned "civil society groups, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), intellectuals and the general public" that "supporting the CPI [Communist Party of India - Maoist] ideology" would attract action under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) of 1967.

Section 39 of the act states that "any person who commits the offense of supporting a terrorist organization with inter alia intention to further the activities of such groups would be liable to be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding 10 years or with fine or with both".

The Maoists were declared a terrorist organization under the UAPA in June last year. Operations against them have been ongoing for several years but in November last year the government launched a coordinated military offensive called "Operation Green Hunt".

The operation, which is focused on five states in central and eastern India - Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and West Bengal - aims ostensibly to eliminate the rebel group, which the government claims want to overthrow the Indian state.

Violence between security forces and the Maoists have since reached unprecedented levels. In April, a Maoist attack on security forces in Dantewada claimed the lives of 76 troops, while a roadside bomb destroyed a loaded bus there in May, killing at least 40. The deadly derailment of a passenger train in West Bengal
on May 28 killed some 140 people, but the rebels have denied involvement.

Home Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram has come under criticism from civil society activists for Green Hunt's objectives and strategy. For example, Supreme Court advocate and activist Prashant Bhushan says it seems the operation is aimed not at weakening the Maoists, but at driving out tribals from their homes so mining firms can exploit natural resources on their lands.

"Green Hunt is creating a civil war situation in mineral-rich areas, where tribals live. It plans to drive them out of here so that mining corporations can enter and begin extracting minerals that the military offensive is aimed," he told Asia Times Online.

Such criticism has raised the hackles of Chidambaram, mining corporations and proponents of the military offensive. Bhushan says anyone who criticizes the government's approach towards tribals or calls for an end to Green Hunt has now been deemed a "Maoist sympathizer".

Bhushan is one such activist, Others who share the tag include Booker Prize winner and human-rights activist, Arundhati Roy and Kavita Srivastava, general secretary of the People's Union for Civil Liberties.


Read more:
Asia Times Online :: South Asia news, business and economy from India and Pakistan


Forget yourself for others, and others will never forget you.

Corporate Social Responsibility - CORE VALUES

Companies at the cutting edge of corporate responsibility are weaving their citizenship efforts into the strategic heart of the business.


In the decade or so since the phrase "corporate social responsibility" first began to make its way into the mainstream corporate lexicon, the concept has gained widespread support and acceptance in the business world. In fact, the formal adoption of CSR policies has become so widespread that, among larger companies at least, it is almost universal. Adam Greene, vice president for labor affairs and corporate responsibility at the United States Council for International Business ( USCIB ), a business promotion group that counts most of the biggest US companies among its members, believes the majority of large companies feel like they are responsible corporate citizens. "For the most part, most US companies have got the CSR policies and systems in place," he says. "That's not to say nothing will ever go wrong, but they're covered in terms of the main issues they're trying to track."


There is no doubt that the corporate world is mostly aware of-if not entirely convinced about-the importance of social responsibility. But while the vast majority of the biggest companies may have CSR policies or departments in place, their effectiveness and strategic influence within the business is often questionable. Part of the problem is that CSR, even now, is far too rarely considered a strategically important element of a business. Laura Herman, a managing director at CSR consultant FSG Social Impact Advisors, says that in a surprisingly large number of companies the CSR department still does not have direct access to the top-level decision makers. "It's a challenge getting top leadership to embrace CSR," she says. "It's still seen as taking a risk-although really it's a risk not to embrace it."


According to Herman, many senior executives still have only a rudimentary understanding of the purpose and promise of CSR. "Unfortunately, the CSR function is often not a function that speaks directly to the C-suite," she says. "The people in these departments may have great business or strategic ideas, but the people at the top may not be open to hearing them because they don't perceive the CSR function as generating business ideas."


Often it is only after a company ends up on the sharp end of a consumer or pressure group campaign that its leaders recognize the strategic importance of corporate citizenship. As a result, many of the leaders in the CSR field are those companies that have been most badly mauled by NGO (non-governmental organization) or consumer-led campaigns against them in the past. "Nothing focuses the mind like having a bunch of campaigners camped outside your head office," says Eric Biel, managing director for corporate responsibility at global public relations firm Burson-Marsteller. It is no surprise, then, that some of the organizations most vilified over the years by human rights and environmental campaigners-companies such as Wal-Mart and Nike-have become enthusiastic cheerleaders for CSR.


Biel says companies that have "had their feet held to the fire" are extremely likely to continue building on their CSR efforts even after the pressure is off. "Once companies put in the programs and commit the resources-not just on human rights but sustainability-as long as they can tie it to their core business objectives and it's something that can be demonstrated to be good for the bottom line, I don't think there is any going back," he says. "In fact, a lot of those companies bring some of their critics inside the tent." US clothing retailer Gap, for example, gives critics space in the company's sustainability report to discuss the company's progress, while Wal-Mart has brought activists into its head office to help guide its environmental policies, Biel adds.


Read More:
Corporate Social Responsibility - NASDAQ.com


Forget yourself for others, and others will never forget you.

Dignity Foundation chief caught for illegal transfer from 89-yr-old’s fund, News - Cover Story - Mumbai Mirror

The head of Dignity Foundation, Sheilu Srinivasan, was released by the police on bail on Monday 31st May 2010 after allegations that her group fraudulently obtained power of attorney from an 89-year-old resident of Opera House to administer property worth crores of rupees.


Srinivasan has been named in a complaint, filed at Girgaum metropolitan court in September last year, that says equity shares worth Rs 6.5 crore owned by H S Wadia were sold by a man named Mehernosh Palia, who had influenced him to become co-owner of the shares.

D B Marg police station said that using the power of attorney, an amount of Rs 1,24,000 was transferred from Wadia’s bank account to Srinivasan’s Dignity Foundation.

While investigations do not show whether the NGO was involved in the sale of the shares, police say that a manager of the Dignity Foundation, Hemang Desai, had created a bogus power of attorney allowing the organisation to make financial dealings on behalf of Wadia. Desai was arrested in December 2009, and subsequently released.

On Monday, Srinivasan, 62, furnished a surety at the police station pursuant to a sessions court order in an anticipatory bail application in the matter.

Wadia, a bachelor who lives alone, was a partner in a now defunct family-run engineering firm. Apart from the Opera House flat, he owns equity shares worth several crore rupees. His sister Khorshed Izakil, who is based in New Delhi, has told police that she was suspicious after she saw transactions in her brother’s bank pass-book while visiting him in Mumbai.

When contacted, Dignity Foundation officials said that they had sent volunteers to look after Wadia after receiving a call on their helpline. Wadia, however, has denied calling them for help.

A senior police officer from D B Marg Police Station said that Wadia was not a member of Dignity Foundation. “There is no question of him giving the organisation his power of attorney to act on his behalf in property transactions,” the officer said.

“Dignity Foundation is supposed to charge only a nominal amount for providing services to senior citizens. They cannot create a power of attorney giving them the authority to manage the financial affairs of the people who they help. Srinivasan was arrested because she is the signing authority mentioned in the power of attorney.”

Read More:

Dignity chief caught for illegal transfer from 89-yr-old’s fund, News - Cover Story - Mumbai Mirror

Forget yourself for others, and others will never forget you.

The Department of Science and Technology (DST) invites proposals Technology Intervention for Elderly – TIE

Government of India ,Department of Science and Technology Call S&T based Proposals for managing issues related to elderly population (Technology Intervention for Elderly – TIE).


The Department of Science and Technology (DST) invites proposals on focused initiatives for S&T interventions to benefit of elderly population in the country. The Proposals should focus on R&D for technological solutions with multidisciplinary approach to ameliorate problems and improve quality of life of the elderly population in both rural and urban areas.

Some challenges identified for providing S&T solutions are:
1. Development of assistive devices required by the elderly population in the urban/semi-urban/rural areas characterized by:
• Cost effective and affordable by elderly of different segments in society
• Inclusive designs
• Potential for commercialization.

2. Field testing of newly developed technology for acceptance evaluation and further adaptation.

3. Modulation of already existing technology specific for use of elderly to suit Indian conditions.

4. Development of technology package for healthcare of elderly to include preventive care in the area of:
• Area specific nutritional package
• Cost effective visual/hearing aids
• Cost effective dentures/dental implants, etc
• Documentation and validation of traditional health practices for elderly in codified Indian health system
• Cognitive support for elderly (Alzheimer/Parkinson/Dementia, etc.).

5. Safe Kitchens for elderly.

Some indicative technology areas are given below:
• Assistive devices for improving functionality, cognitive and assisted safety measures, excretion defects and related issues.
• Assistive device for various form of monitoring devices/non-invasive measuring devices/systems (injury preventions, blood parameters for non-communicable diseases, standing and balance training).
• Assistive devices for frequently occurring muscular-skeletal problems such as osteoarthritis of knee, ankle joints and the osteoporosis.
• Special devices/footwear for diabetic foot and care, biosensors for clinical diagnosis, automated pill box and methods for learning and analyzing computer signals of medical changes.
• Devices/programmes for fitness of elderly.
• Simple controlled devices for operating household devices.


In addition to the above themes, other novel/innovative idea/concept related to enablement and comforts of Elderly people in the country are welcome.

Eligibility criteria: Projects can be undertaken by academic/R&D institutions, NGOs. Collaborative projects between Institutions, Industry and NGOs working in the area of the elderly are encouraged. Proposals covering Areas of social sciences are not under the purview of this programme.

Project proposals (10 hard copies and 1 soft copy) can be submitted in the prescribed format available on the Website: www.scienceandsociety-dst.org to the address mentioned below.

HEAD
Science for Equity, Empowerment and Development Division (SEED)
Department of Science and Technology, Technology Bhavan,
New Mehrauli Road,
New Delhi 110 016
Tel: 011-2659 0339, e-mail: headseedglp@gmail.com)

The envelope should be subscribed as ‘Proposal Under Tie-Programme’. The proposals can be submitted throughout the year. Proposals received up to 31 July 2010 can be considered for evaluation in the next PAMC meeting.


For further information contact:
In-charge TIE-Programme, Science for Equity, Empowerment and Development
Division (SEED), Department of Science and Technology,
Technology Bhavan,
New Mehrauli Road,
New Delhi
110 016 (usha.dixit@nic.in , phone: 011-2659 0322).


Source: The Times of India, Mumbai Edition dt.29th May 2010 pg.24





Forget yourself for others, and others will never forget you.

3rd Annual Essay Competition 2010

On the occasion of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day 2010, Silver Inning Foundation, a ‘Not for Profit’ dedicated organization for senior citizens and their family members will be commemorating Elder Abuse Day on 15th June’2010. It has taken the initiative to create awareness among civil society and Government to eliminate elder abuse at both micro and macro level.

SILVER INNING FOUNDATION invites an Essay of maximum 2000 words in following category and topics:

1) For all age group:
‘Elders Abuse - The Change Has to Start at Our Home’


2) For School Students - Class 5th to class 10th:
“My Grandparents - Our Golden Treasures”


3) For Students - 1st year College to Post graduation :
'No Excuse for Elder Abuse - Signs and Solutions'


Silver Innings - Blog for Senior Citizens: 3rd Annual Essay Competition 2010


Forget yourself for others, and others will never forget you.

Closing the Digital Divide for Those with Disabilities

"Mobile Ability: The Transformational Impact of Wireless Innovation for People with Disabilities - A Report"

In each of our modern lives, broadband holds a pivotal key to enhancing economic opportunities, expanding access to education, improving our health and participating in civil society. Nowhere is this potential more powerfully on display than at the intersection of broadband and mobility. And, arguably no community has put this nearly limitless potential to more transformational use in their daily lives than the 1 in 5 Americans who, today, are living with disabilities.

From leading wireless carriers to devoted garage innovators, the mobile innovation community is embracing the true spirit of mobile broadband’s much-touted promise to bring opportunity and quality of life enhancements to all Americans. From people with disabilities who are finding innovative uses for connected smartphones and mainstream mobile applications to technologists who are thinking and creating for the unique needs of specific communities, profound innovation is underway today.

This report is intended as a celebration of this innovation—and an exploration of the common elements, values and commitments that can ensure it is continually nurtured. Twenty years ago, our nation made an extraordinary commitment to accessibility and opportunity in passing the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Wireless grew up in this era. And, today, it is ushering in a second wave of quality of life advances and inclusiveness for 54 million Americans with disabilities.

From voice-activated GPS technology that can guide a blind person down the street , to access to closed captioned video on the go, to the fact that kids with disabilities now can go to school with smartphones in their pockets rather than large, cumbersome assistive devices, these innovations reflect awe-inspiring progress. Equally encouraging is the certain fact that we have barely scratched the surface of what mobile innovation can do to expand the horizons and grow the range of opportunities available to this community.

On behalf of the Mobile Future community, we thank the organizations and technologists who contributed their insights to the development of this report. It is our hope that this paper reflects just one small contribution to a growing conversation and further exploration around unlocking opportunities in the digital/mobile age.

With the release of its National Broadband Plan and subsequent report on broadband for people with disabilities, the Federal Communications Commission is signaling its own commitment to encouraging these life-changing innovations. At this important juncture, we offer this paper to help inform both great products and meaningful policy.


Jonathan Spalter
Chairman
Mobile Future


Read Full Report: http://mobfut.3cdn.net/07bf12aba705fafb8f_fym6bat6i.pdf

Source: http://www.mobilefuture.org/content/pages/mobile_ability

Forget yourself for others, and others will never forget you.

Worlds Schizophrenia Awareness Day , Pune ,India

Our Association has been observing the World Schizophrenia Awareness Day every year on 24th May to focus on social awareness about the illness and as a part of educating people in this regard so that the stigma and the feeling of shame attached to it get eradicated.

This year also the Association would observe the World Schizophrenia Awareness Day on Monday the 24th May 2010 by organizing Public Meeting at Nivara Vrudhashram off L.B. Shastri Road, Navi Peth,Pune at 6.00 p.m.

Honorable Justice Ajit Prakash Shah former Chief Justice of Madras and Delhi High Courts has kindly consented to deliver the keynote address at the public meeting .The meeting will be presided over by Dr. Mohan Agashe.

We request you to attend the Public Meeting as per programme.

Thanking you

Yours Sincerely
Schizophrenia Awareness Association, Pune , India

Y.N. Oak
saa.help@gmail.com


RSVP_
Ms. Pooja Chauhan: 020- 64700920 / 24391202/ 9049750675


Forget yourself for others, and others will never forget you.

Women’s representation in media is 24%: monitoring study report

The 2010 preliminary report of the Global Media Monitoring Project (the final report will be out in September 2010), which has been monitoring gender equality in the media since 1995, has produced mixed results, showing improvement in many areas though not always at the expected pace.

The fourth in the series ‘Who makes the news?’ used data from 42 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean region, Pacific Islands, and Europe to gauge the representation of women in the news, and how women fare in the delivery of news and in journalistic practice.

While there is a marked improvement in representation of women in the news in this fourth report, over the previous one, the largest increase in women’s visibility is in stories on the topic ‘science and health’ which receives the lowest media attention. And while women are visible as givers of popular opinion in news stories, very few are called upon as experts.


Representation

* Twenty-four per cent of people interviewed, heard, seen or read about in mainstream broadcast and print news are female. In the first report, in 1995, only 17% of people in the news were women. This went up to 18% in 2000 and 21% in 2005. The report says the pace of progress in gender balance in the news has remained “persistently slow in the last 10 years,” but is more rapid than the rate registered between 1995 and 2000.
* The largest rise in women’s visibility is in stories on ‘science and health’ (from 22% of news subjects in 2005 to 37% in 2010). In reality, this topic receives the lowest media attention (10% of total news stories). In topics that are high priority on the news media front, the increase in women as subjects was much smaller -- from 20% to 21% in stories on the ‘economy’ and from 14% to 18% in stories on ‘politics and government’.
* Further, a significant component of the 3% increase in women in the news can be attributed to the notable increase in women as providers of popular opinion, and much less to women appearing as experts. Men and women are represented in almost equal numbers when it comes to providing popular opinion, but an overwhelming 81% of experts and 82% of spokespersons are male.
* Only 16% of all stories focus specifically on women. Overall, this is an increase from 10% of stories in 2005. There has been an improvement in the ratio of women to men who are central in news stories -- in news on politics/government (from 8% of stories in 2005 to 18% in 2010) and on the economy (from 3% of stories in 2005 to 7% in 2010). Nevertheless, the percentage of stories in which women are not central far outweighs the percentage of stories in which they are.
* Issues of special concern to women contained in the Beijing Platform for Action receive an average of less than 1.5% media attention each.

Of the stories appearing in the news during the monitoring day, 1.3% were on gender-based violence, 0.3% on women’s economic participation, 1.2% on poverty, and 0.9% on peace. ‘Women and political participation’ received the highest coverage, at 3.4%. Print news contained the highest proportion of stories on all five themes, suggesting that newspapers would be the most effective medium for issues of concern to women to find space in the mainstream news agenda.



Delivering the news

* Overall, news stories by female reporters are much fewer than news stories by male reporters. In 2010, the percentage of stories by female reporters on radio was lower than in 2005, a drastic drop from 45% to 27%. Television reporting by women went up from 42% to 44% and newspaper stories by female reporters increased from 29% to 35%.
* News stories by female reporters are almost twice as likely to challenge gender stereotypes than stories by male reporters -- 11% by female reporters compared to 6% by male reporters.
* News stories by female reporters have considerably more female news subjects than stories by male reporters -- 26% of news subjects in stories by female reporters, compared to 19% of news subjects in stories by male reporters.



Journalistic practice

* Almost half (48%) of all news stories reinforce gender stereotypes, while 8% of news stories challenge gender stereotypes. News stories are six times more likely to reinforce gender stereotypes than to challenge them. No conclusions can be drawn on the change over the past five years owing to revisions made to the method of collecting data on stereotyping in news coverage.
* Only 12% of news stories highlight issues of gender equality or inequality. The percentage of news stories that shed light on an aspect of gender equality or inequality in the story has tripled in the last five years. Nevertheless, stories that miss the opportunity to highlight (in)equality issues are by far more numerous.
* Women are five times as likely as men to be portrayed in their roles as wives, mothers, etc. Nineteen per cent of women appearing in the news are identified by their family status as compared to 4% of men in the news.
* Only 9% of news stories mention gender equality policies or human and women’s rights legal instruments. The report says ‘this finding suggests that numerous stories miss the opportunity to create awareness on instruments enacted to protect human rights, women’s rights or gender equality’. It says that this finding also ‘supports an observation by gender and communication groups that human rights, and in particular women’s human rights, are relatively invisible in mainstream media coverage’.

Latin America leads as the region with the highest percentage of stories that challenge stereotypes (14%) as well as the region with the lowest percentage of stories that reinforce stereotypes (24%).

Stories in Asia are almost eight times more likely to reinforce as to challenge stereotypes. In Africa, stories are almost 16 times more likely to reinforce than to challenge stereotypes. In the Middle East, stories are 13 times more likely to reinforce than to challenge stereotypes.



Read the full report: http://www.whomakesthenews.org/



Forget yourself for others, and others will never forget you.

Agartala to become India’s first ‘green city’

Residents of Agartala now have a choice of giving their loved ones an eco-friendly funeral. Instead of using the traditional firewood, they can opt for a cost-effective pyre run on compressed natural gas (CNG). CNG-run pyres are both cheaper and more environment-friendly and are becoming popular among the city’s residents. The Battala crematorium, the largest in Agartala, supports three ovens run on CNG.

The Agartala Municipal Council has in fact adopted a policy of encouraging the CNG-based crematorium over conventional fuelwood and electricity-based ones.

Shankar Das, chairperson of the Agartala Municipal Council, explains that using the CNG pyre costs a family only Rs 150; the conventional pyre costs Rs 350. “There are some sentiments involved but we try to reassure the relatives of the dead that burning CNG costs less and is less polluting,” he says.

Agartala, capital of the northeastern Indian state of Tripura, is located 2 km from the Bangladesh border. The city is maintained by the Agartala Municipal Council (AMC), and is divided into a number of wards, each with an elected ward representative or municipal councillor.

Recently, the Tripura government announced plans to switch all public and private vehicles in the capital to compressed natural gas by 2013, making it ‘India’s first green city’. CNG is a fossil fuel substitute for petrol, diesel and propane. Although its combustion does produce greenhouse gas, it is cleaner than the abovementioned fuels, and safer in the event of a spill (natural gas is lighter than air and disperses quickly when released).

CNG is economical and safe to use as an automotive fuel. It is dispensed to vehicles at 200 kg/cm2 pressure. It is used in traditional petrol internal-combustion-engine cars that have been converted to bi-fuel vehicles (petrol/CNG). Natural gas vehicles are increasingly being used in Europe and South America due to rising petrol prices.

Due to the absence of lead or benzene in CNG, the problem of sparkplugs fouling is eliminated. CNG-powered vehicles have lower maintenance costs too, compared with other-fuel-powered vehicles. CNG fuel systems are sealed, preventing spillage and evaporation loss. Another practical advantage is the increased life of lubricating oils, as CNG does not contaminate and dilute the crankcase oil. Being a gaseous fuel, it mixes easily and evenly in air.

According to Das, autorickshaws plying in Agartala city and other parts of the state are already using CNG. “We are trying to encourage its use in other public transport as well. The Tripura Road Transport Corporation will soon be plying buses that run on CNG. An average car can run 22.05 km on 1 kg of CNG, against 25 km on 1 litre of petrol,” he says.

Tripura Natural Gas Co Ltd (TNGCL), a joint venture of the Gas Authority of India Ltd (GAIL) and the Tripura and Assam governments, has undertaken to supply CNG to all private and government vehicles. GAIL is India’s largest natural gas transportation company, integrating all aspects of the natural gas value chain. GAIL was listed by Forbes as one of the world’s 2,000 largest public companies, in 2007. The first CNG station in eastern India was set up at Arundhuti Nagar, Agartala, Tripura, by TNGCL.

“The bottling of gas for cooking purposes is now done here itself though it comes from sources in the neighbouring state of Assam. CNG will also be available to those using electricity, petrol and diesel to run various machines,” says Das.

Housewife Shikha Sutradhar has been using CNG in her kitchen for over five years, and she’s not complaining. “It emits no soot or smoke. It even cooks faster than the normal liquid propane gas (LPG). Moreover, it’s cheaper,” she says. Her family of five used to require two cylinders of LPG every month; one LPG cylinder cost her Rs 350. Now, she spends just Rs 350 for piped gas for the month. Shikha’s entire neighbourhood has converted to CNG.

TNGCL has been supplying piped natural gas (PNG) to almost one-third of the city, covering over 7,500 families and two-thirds of hotels, restaurants and sweet shops in Agartala. Pabitra Kar, chairperson of TNGCL, says: “By 2013, we plan to cover the entire city of Agartala with PNG and turn the city into a ‘green’ city. We are also planning to set up more CNG stations and, in another three years’ time, we will covert more than 70% of autorickshaws and smaller private vehicles to CNG.”

Agartala has become the fourth city in India, after New Delhi, Mumbai and Lucknow, to run CNG vehicles on a large scale. The authorities have also issued circulars to all government departments stating that they should hire only CNG-run vehicles. Kar explains: “We already have abundant natural gas in our region. By replacing fossil fuels like petrol and diesel with CNG we are being both eco-friendly as well as economical.”

The trend has spread to all sectors. The Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital in Agartala now has a CNG connection in its operation theatres, kitchen and bio-medical waste-disposal section. Almost 10 units at the Budjung Nagar industrial area use CNG as fuel in their furnaces; this has the added advantage of no power supply interruptions. Even laboratories at educational institutions are turning to natural gas.

“All the power projects are running on CNG. Two more power projects are coming up in the state which will also be gas-based,” says Kar. TNGCL is going to lay a gas pipeline from Maharajganj Bazaar to the Lichubagan area to cater to the needs of the new capital complex and adjacent areas. This will expand the CNG network to the entire northeast.

Efforts to turn Agartala into a ‘green’ city will also involve a sustained campaign on afforestation in and around the city. Agartala’s population in 2004 was 367,822 (it was 189,327 in the 2001 census). “It was a ‘green’ city and we want it to remain one. Already, 10,000 saplings were planted last year. This year, in the months of May and June, we will have a Briksha Mahotsav, or ‘tree festival’, where we will plant trees and guard them,” says Das.

Also on the cards is solar energy. The Tripura government has decided to make using solar energy mandatory in commercial, government and private buildings. This will help reduce dependence on conventional energy. The project will be undertaken by the Tripura Renewable Energy Development Agency (TREDA), an autonomous body.

In fact, the Union Ministry of Non-conventional and Renewable Energy has pledged to turn 60 cities across India into ‘solar cities’ within the next few years; the initiative includes the state capitals of all the northeastern states. To set an example for other cities, the ministry has decided to develop two cities as model solar cities, where an entire solar energy system will be set up to include street lights, garden lights, traffic lights, hoardings and solar water heaters. Energy-efficient ‘green’ buildings will be promoted on a large scale. The initiative, called ‘Development of Solar Cities’, will be implemented during the Eleventh Five-Year Plan (2007-12), and will be based on a model already being practised in New York, Tokyo and London.


Contact
Agartala Municipal Council
City Centre Complex
Paradise Chowmuhani
Agartala 799001
Tel: (0381)-2325507/2325646/2325149


By Teresa Rehman



Source:
http://infochangeindia.org/201005078288/Environment/Stories-of-change/Agartala-to-become-India-s-first-green-city.html



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