Diversity hiring is smart : New Delhi

*********************************************************************************

Jewellery maker Gitanjali has dramatically cut its recruitment and training costs by hiring differently-abled people at its Hyderabad facility

*********************************************************************************

In today's economy, employers know they have to get their hiring decisions right. Each hire brings costly and time-consuming tasks of orientation, training and indoctrination. One bad hire can interrupt a smooth-running operation and cost a business in more ways than one. Just the replacement cost can pinch: research shows it costs an average of two and a half times an individual's salary to replace an employee who doesn't work out.

So what does a company involved in a business that requires highly skilled artisans do when it is mulling setting up facilities outside its home market? Not only is the market new, the kind of skill-sets the job requires may not be readily available. What if a seemingly good hire becomes a discontented troublemaker? What if the overall team's performance becomes a casualty of high turnover?

These were some of the questions Mumbai-based Gitanjali Group faced when it was looking to step out of its stronghold in Gujarat and explore a new market in Hyderabad in the mid-2000s. What it did was something it hadn't tried before: it decided to hire a bunch of differently-abled people to be part of the unit. While the company was not sure how things will work out in the beginning of its experiment, its decision of hiring such workers has paid off handsomely - the company has reduced employee turnover by 50 per cent and cut down the staff training costs by about 20 per cent over a three-year period. This at very little extra investment. What's more, the company has come to be regarded in its industry as some sort of a front runner in diversity hiring.

How it all began


In 2006, while setting up its eighth jewellery manufacturing unit in Hyderabad, Gitanjali realised that getting skilled diamond cutters and polishers in that region was not going to be a cakewalk. While this southern Indian city is famous for its mastery over the delicate art of pearl drilling, Gujarat is the hub of diamond processing. As a result, Hyderabad had skilled pearl handlers and few diamond artisans. Left with little choice, for next two years, the company spent a bulk of the investment earmarked for the southern sojourn on training local hands in diamond cutting and polishing and making diamond jewellery.


Two years on, the company's chairman and managing director Mehul Choksi was to lay the foundation of Saksham, a CSR initiative, which would eventually turn out to be its best bet in tackling the rankling HR issues of high attrition and higher training costs.

The Group didn't really have a road map to begin with. As part of the pilot project, eight disabled people were identified with the help of local NGOs to work at its Hyderabad unit. The pilot batch, with three people with hearing impairment, started training around January 2008. The result of this programme made the company wonder if the whole model could be scaled up. Says Madhusudhan Reddy, vice-president, HR, Gitanjali Gems, Hyderabad, "We found out that the output of these people was as good as any able-bodied worker." What's more, "people with disabilities are loyal and resilient," adds Choksi, "and the training and hiring costs pay for themselves quickly as their attrition rate is lower than the other sections."

Not that it was a great surprise; it's just that no one at the company had thought about it seriously before. Jewellery making is an art that requires extreme precision but does not require a lot of moving around. The main responsibility is that of concentrating long and hard on the piece at the work table. The company realised that while vision impairment would be a serious handicap for such work, people with disabilities of lower limbs or other problems would have no trouble getting the work done.


There was no pre-requisite in terms of educational qualifications - the company decided it was going to provide skill training over 90 days to take care of all the needs of the job. The age requirement for the trainees was set between 18 and 30 years. Besides a monthly stipend of Rs 1,500, the company offered them food, accommodation and travel expenses during the training period. The trainees were also taken through sessions on personality development. Says Choksi, "Saksham is about capacity building for a sustainable livelihood. The initiative brings these individuals into the mainstream and helps the company meet its business objectives."


The success of the pilot programme gave the company all the cues on scaling up and broad-basing the programme to include other job profiles. By 2010, 110 disabled people had joined the Hyderabad factory filling vacancies for positions like data entry operators, dispatch clerks, quality controllers and hostel wardens. By then, the training period had also been extended - to six months in some cases.


Standardisation was the next step. A group of 10 students was assigned one trainer. A 'buddy system' was put into place to break the ice between the trainee and existing employees. Special interpreters were hired to facilitate communication with hearing impaired trainees.

Interestingly, there's hardly any difference in the cost of training of an able-bodied worker and a differently-abled worker. While Gitanjali spends around Rs 12,000 over 90 days on a differently-abled candidate, the same comes to Rs 10,000 for an able-bodied candidate. "As attrition came down, we were able to save up to 20 per cent on the training cost," says an executive. After completion of the training period, both sets of workers start with a monthly salary of between Rs 4,500 and Rs 6,000 per month (excluding provident fund). The incentive-based pay structure allows an employee to earn more on meeting a daily target of 18 pieces of jewellery.

How it was scaled up




While the upfront investment was a little higher, the extra investment on differently-abled people has fostered great loyalty. Consider this. The Hyderabad factory alone has 1,050 able-bodied and 250 differently-abled people. While the attrition rate in Gitanjali's manufacturing units is about 15 per cent for able-bodied workers, it is less than 2 per cent for differently-abled workers at the Hyderabad unit. Says Reddy, "Disabled workers tend to be less distracted and more focused on the job."


That apart, while absenteeism is as high as 18 per cent among able-bodied workers, the same is less than 2 per cent for differently-abled workers. Also, the loss of man hours is negligible when it comes to the less-privileged workers. "They spend less time on tea breaks and office gossip sessions," says a company executive.


The spirit of competition is soaring at the Hyderabad facility of Gitanjali. "When differently-abled workers become star performers it creates a positive pressure on every worker in the factory to do better," adds Reddy. Gitanjali plans to increase the number of disabled workers at its various facilities to 1,000 in the next five years. "The biggest benefit of an integrated workplace is that all employees now enjoy a more compassionate workplace," says Choksi.


The business world has understood the benefits of out-of-the-box thinking - be it in managing people or products - for a long time because of its single-minded approach to market competitiveness and survival. At least one company in an industry not really known for cutting-edge thinking has figured that hiring for diversity is not just the right thing to do. It is the smart thing to do.

---

ROOM FOR ALL


The service industry seems to be at the forefront when it comes to employing the differently-abled

• Cafe Coffee Day has been hiring hearing impaired candidates as brewmasters in Bangalore since 2005. Till date, 150 people have been recruited
  
• Costa Coffee employs 100 hearing impaired people across its stores in India. It plans to have at least three such employees in every store in two years
  
• In India, BPO company Aegis has employed 376 people with disabilities- 1.4% of its Indian workforce
  
• Over 6% of the workforce at Lemon Tree Hotels comprises people with disabilities. It plans to increase this figure to 10 per cent (250 people in all) by FY14 end.
  
  
  
  Source : Business Standard , 15th July 2013

Enterpreneur workshop for disabled : Assam

A five day Micro Enterprise Skill Development workshop for Persons with Disabilities was organized by Shishu Sarothi in association with ARUNIM in Bosco Reachout, Guwahati. In the workshop started form 8th July to 12th July, 2013, 30 entrepreneurs with disabilities are participating who are running different kind of businesses i.e. mobile repairing shop, bamboo and cane products business, running game parlour, carpenter, running commercial vehicle, farming etc.



The objective of training is to develop a clear understanding of concept of enterprise and management of enterprise and to orient with tools and skills for designing program to promote micro enterprise.



The training session included , case study of existing venture- identification, Challenges and opportunities,concept of labour, self employment and entrepreneurs, key elements of a market needs etc.This inputs to for the disables to uplift their work and to encourage them to work as a professional just like other people.



Arman Ali,Director of Shisu Sarathi said “We are organizing this workshop to develop the entrepreneurship quality of the disable people,so that people buy their products for quality and don’t do charity. It is sad that there is not much exposures for these people, both the government and private sector don’t come up for workshops. Most of the time things are limited to distributing of wheelchairs”




This Workshop is an introduction to start any enterprise and gives a basic knowledge before embarking on a business venture and also can be used as tool to assess the present work of Persons with Disabilities at the sheltered workshop.



The ARUMIN, “Association for Rehabilitation under National Thrust Initiative of Marketing” was formed in the year 2008. The key obejective of the organization is to create a marketing Federation and facilitate Entrepreneurs with disabilities to become “Contributors and Job creators”. Mrs. Thilakam Rajendran,Managing Director of ARINUM gave a brief lecture about ARINUM, and how quality products made by disables are marketed to the tone of Lac of money . A small movie on disables making quality handicrafts was screened for encouraging the participants. “You can all do it, you are all warriors and you all will win”. Were the encouraging words from Mrs. Thilakam.



“I hope to learn something so I have joined this workshop, I do handicraft works and have a shop” said a participant from Sonapur. For many this training session was very new.



The workshop programme was funded and supported from Swami Vivekananda National Institute of Rehabilitation,Training and Research,Ministry of social Justice and Empowerment.



The society has advanced too far moving fast, but some discouraging thoughts have found it difficult to get uplifted from the modern society. The approach of the society towards disable people are still pathetic, and thus to break the taboo much awareness is still required. Empathy and not sympathy, should be the attitude of the society towards the disables, one should look for their inner quality and not simply do charity.


Source : Assam Times , 14th July 2013

A five day Micro Enterprise Skill Development workshop for Persons with Disabilities was organized by Shishu Sarothi in association with ARUNIM in Bosco Reachout, Guwahati. In the workshop started form 8th July to 12th July, 2013, 30 entrepreneurs with disabilities are participating who are running different kind of businesses i.e. mobile repairing shop, bamboo and cane products business, running game parlour, carpenter, running commercial vehicle, farming etc.
The objective of training is to develop a clear understanding of concept of enterprise and management of enterprise and to orient with tools and skills for designing program to promote micro enterprise.
The training session included , case study of existing venture- identification, Challenges and opportunities,concept of labour, self employment and entrepreneurs, key elements of a market needs etc.This inputs to for the disables to uplift their work and to encourage them to work as a professional just like other people.
Arman Ali,Director of Shisu Sarathi said “We are organizing this workshop to develop the entrepreneurship quality of the disable people,so that people buy their products for quality and don’t do charity. It is sad that there is not much exposures for these people, both the government and private sector don’t come up for workshops. Most of the time things are limited to distributing of wheelchairs”
This Workshop is an introduction to start any enterprise and gives a basic knowledge before embarking on a business venture and also can be used as tool to assess the present work of Persons with Disabilities at the sheltered workshop.
The ARUMIN, “Association for Rehabilitation under National Thrust Initiative of Marketing” was formed in the year 2008. The key obejective of the organization is to create a marketing Federation and facilitate Entrepreneurs with disabilities to become “Contributors and Job creators”. Mrs. Thilakam Rajendran,Managing Director of ARINUM gave a brief lecture about ARINUM, and how quality products made by disables are marketed to the tone of Lac of money . A small movie on disables making quality handicrafts was screened for encouraging the participants. “You can all do it, you are all warriors and you all will win”. Were the encouraging words from Mrs. Thilakam.
“I hope to learn something so I have joined this workshop, I do handicraft works and have a shop” said a participant from Sonapur. For many this training session was very new.
The workshop programme was funded and supported from Swami Vivekananda National Institute of Rehabilitation,Training and Research,Ministry of social Justice and Empowerment.
The society has advanced too far moving fast, but some discouraging thoughts have found it difficult to get uplifted from the modern society. The approach of the society towards disable people are still pathetic, and thus to break the taboo much awareness is still required. Empathy and not sympathy, should be the attitude of the society towards the disables, one should look for their inner quality and not simply do charity.
- See more at: http://www.assamtimes.org/node/8658#sthash.HveQKVlv.dpuf

A five day Micro Enterprise Skill Development workshop for Persons with Disabilities was organized by Shishu Sarothi in association with ARUNIM in Bosco Reachout, Guwahati. In the workshop started form 8th July to 12th July, 2013, 30 entrepreneurs with disabilities are participating who are running different kind of businesses i.e. mobile repairing shop, bamboo and cane products business, running game parlour, carpenter, running commercial vehicle, farming etc.
The objective of training is to develop a clear understanding of concept of enterprise and management of enterprise and to orient with tools and skills for designing program to promote micro enterprise.
The training session included , case study of existing venture- identification, Challenges and opportunities,concept of labour, self employment and entrepreneurs, key elements of a market needs etc.This inputs to for the disables to uplift their work and to encourage them to work as a professional just like other people.
Arman Ali,Director of Shisu Sarathi said “We are organizing this workshop to develop the entrepreneurship quality of the disable people,so that people buy their products for quality and don’t do charity. It is sad that there is not much exposures for these people, both the government and private sector don’t come up for workshops. Most of the time things are limited to distributing of wheelchairs”
This Workshop is an introduction to start any enterprise and gives a basic knowledge before embarking on a business venture and also can be used as tool to assess the present work of Persons with Disabilities at the sheltered workshop.
The ARUMIN, “Association for Rehabilitation under National Thrust Initiative of Marketing” was formed in the year 2008. The key obejective of the organization is to create a marketing Federation and facilitate Entrepreneurs with disabilities to become “Contributors and Job creators”. Mrs. Thilakam Rajendran,Managing Director of ARINUM gave a brief lecture about ARINUM, and how quality products made by disables are marketed to the tone of Lac of money . A small movie on disables making quality handicrafts was screened for encouraging the participants. “You can all do it, you are all warriors and you all will win”. Were the encouraging words from Mrs. Thilakam.
“I hope to learn something so I have joined this workshop, I do handicraft works and have a shop” said a participant from Sonapur. For many this training session was very new.
The workshop programme was funded and supported from Swami Vivekananda National Institute of Rehabilitation,Training and Research,Ministry of social Justice and Empowerment.
The society has advanced too far moving fast, but some discouraging thoughts have found it difficult to get uplifted from the modern society. The approach of the society towards disable people are still pathetic, and thus to break the taboo much awareness is still required. Empathy and not sympathy, should be the attitude of the society towards the disables, one should look for their inner quality and not simply do charity.
- See more at: http://www.assamtimes.org/node/8658#sthash.HveQKVlv.dpuf

Unsuitable and unfriendly for the disabled

 *********************************************************

Most of the government and private schools are inaccessible for the disabled concern

********************************************************************

“They gave me admission, but not the ramp to walk into my class,” says a disabled student. Disabled have not been treated as a part of our society. They comprise of the neglected section of the society, pitied and sympathized, but not treated with respect.


Indian government and the state government have given a two percent quota in government jobs to disabled people, particularly to the physically disabled ones. There are also seats reserved for them in all the college and university courses they can avail of. The government has provided the disabled with a relief of Rs 400 per month.


Even though it is essential for government offices to be disable friendly, but almost all of them are not, sparing a few. How is it possible for a person on crutches or wheel-chair to reach the office he works in if it does not have a ramp? How a student with a wheel-chair is supposed to climb 12 steps to reach his classroom?


While talking to the officials of SSA (Sarv Sikhsha Abhiyan) about the necessary infrastructure and building requirements for schools, it came to light that for every new building it is mandatory to have a ramp and for its construction SSA provides a separate budget of Rs 6000. Only one out of 20 schools has the facility of a ramp. Most of the schools and classes are inaccessible for the disabled, be it government or private schools.


In case of schools that have a ramp facility, they don’t have any other support facility for a disabled person like disable friendly bathroom or classes. Almost all the government schools, especially middle schools, are without disabled friendly benches or chairs to sit on. Same is the case with the private schools, where benches are not suitable for the disabled students.


Every morning, wearing a prosthetic leg, a government teacher of a middle school in Batamalo has to hire an auto-rickshaw to reach her school. The matadors are too high to get into without any support, and the conductors too impolite to help her out. Private vehicle is their only way out to reach their work places.


Even the University of Kashmir is not disabled friendly. Almost all the government offices in Kashmir, sparing a few, don’t have any ramps or any kind of aid for disabled employees (if any) to reach the premises or their place of work.


An employee of ZEO B. K. Pora, suffering from polio and walking on sticks, has to climb on to the first floor to reach his office; his only aides are his colleagues and his stick.  Similarly an employee of Post Office Rangrate has to walk-in to his office without any ramps through a small door that even normal people find hard to enter. “Yes, I do have a good job, but it is very hard to enter my office and sometimes I have to seek the help of others,” says the employee of post office. “But now I am used to it and it is a lot easier with my scooter (tri-wheeled) to travel and live my life normally,” he says.


“Don’t show them pity and sympathy, instead, they need encouragement and empathy,” says Prof SS Bali, Chairman of a special school for disabled. “Most of them are willing and capable of working, but most of us are neither willing nor capable of employing them.” The lack of proper work environment and infrastructure creates a physical barrier for them.  The disabled also have to deal with the narrow-mindedness of people who hesitate to share their workspace or class-room seat with them. This creates a grimmer psychological barrier for them.


According to the 2001 census, J&K state had over 300000 disabled people. Their plight is worse in the rural areas where there are no rehabilitation or care centres for them. The concerned authorities in Kashmir need to keep in mind the requirement of these people so that ours can be a society with equal rights and opportunities for the disabled.  Besides providing opportunities for them, there’s a need to make disabled-friendly buildings, workspaces and schools.


 ( By : Bupinder Singh who  is an Izhar Wani internee in GK)

Source : Greater kashmir , Srinagar ; 15th July 2013 

Rotary adopts T- based edu project for rural kids : Pune

The programme will be beneficial to underprivileged, physically challenged as well as many visually impaired students steer an individualistic approach to mass personalisation and student development, the Rotary International District (RID) 3131 (Pune and Raigad), as part of their flagship project of distance education, have launched a Tablet based approach, providing educational and skill development content on a Tablet platform for underprivileged schools and rural students. 

T3 tablet with inbuilt projector and option of solar charger for rural use

This initiative was launched and announced on June 30 while electing Deepak Shikarpur as district governor of RID 3131, at a city function

Shikarpur said, “We need TGuru’s Tablets to provide educational and skill development content in an affordable Tablet platform to offer different solutions to able, physically challenged as well as visually impaired students.” He said that the Tablets will incorporate latest syllabus of SSC Board.  Shikarpur further said, “They have specially launched 3 models of TGuru’s Tablets- T1 for bright but underprivileged students learning, T2 for visually challenged students and T3 with inbuilt projector and option of solar charger specially designed for rural purpose.”We wish to gift the tablets to underprivileged and rural students in and around Pune, through donations by CSR and Rotarians.

City Rotarians target Select benfficaries for ALP

City Rotarians of RID 3131 are going to target clusters of beneficiaries like Mahila Bachat Gat, parents of school going children, construction site workers, community workers, city garbage collection co-operative (Swach) workers, government health workers, devasthan employees, gram panchayat offices, jail mates etc. for Adult Literacy Programme (ALP).

 A separate committee has been constituted in RID 3131 to achieve the target of 100% literacy by 2017. The project is a part of Rotary International’s Adult Literacy Programme (ALP), which has set a goal of bringing 100% literacy in South Asian region by the year 2017.    Rotarian, Vaishali Bhagwat said, “The adult learning programme will be a technology based teaching using software Akshardhara provided free by Tata Consultancy Services.” she said.



Source : DNA , 15th July 2013

Design and Development of Three Wheeler for Physically Challenged – Billroth Hospitals

Project Category: Education

Sub Category: Industry-Academia Collaboration Initiative

Reference No. eindia2013/awards/420

Details of Programme /Project/Initiative:

Brief Description:


This project is for the orthopedically handicapped – such a person can use the three wheeler (AUTORICKSHAW) to make a living. The idea revolves around the concept of modifying the driver’s cabin of the vehicle to accommodate a wheel chair, which can be held in place providing the comfort and the necessary safety to the driver. The controls are tailor made and are fully operable by hands alone.

Objective:


Intended to make a physically challenged a self reliant (employment).

Target Group: Physically challenged (lost their two legs)

Geographical Reach within India: India

Geographical Reach outside India: SAARC Country

Date From which the Project became Operational: 10-1-2012

Is the Project still operational?: Yes

Five points that make the Product/Programme/Project/Initiative/School innovative:

1. Thinking about physically challenged person’s social life.


2. They can be financial productive for their family.


3. Increasing employment opportunities for others (Fabricating this specified vehicle).


4. Independent life style like anybody else.


5. Self belief and self respect to affected person.

Five key achievements of the Product/Programme/Project/Initiative/School:

1. Smaller and compact customized wheel chair.


2. Easy ingress and egress into Auto.


3. User friendly operations of various switches and control like brake, flip type door etc.


4. Simple automatic mechanism to raise the wheel chair.


5. Easy system adoptability of the physically challenged person.

Five key challenges faced while implementing the Product/Programme/Project/Initiative/School and how they were overcome:

1.  Non availability of diesel autos in major cities for public transport (As per Govt. norms).


2. Very smaller passage of entering the wheel chair inside.


3. Very simplyfied controling mechanism.


4. Fabrication of brake actuator mechanism by hand.


5. Govt. rules about vehicle act for driving.

Five points that make the Product/Programme/Project/Initiative/School replicable:


1. All components dimensions and mechanism of operations are fixed for the particular branded Auto.


2. Dimensions of wheel chair is same.


3. Dimensions of locking mechanism is same.

4. Dimensions of lifting mechanism is same.


5. Dimensions of locking mechanism and swiveling mechanism are same.

Five points to elaborate on the scalability of the Product/Programme/Project/Initiative/School:

1. To convince the Government to amend the Motor Vehicles Act.


2. To increase the awareness about the product.


3. To convince the OEM’s to mass produce the product.


4. To provide continuous training to users.


5. To provide a service support after sales.

*****************************************************

 

*******************************************************

Source : E-India Elets Online

Simple Closures debuts blouses for women with disabilities

Simple Closures puts fashion into functional clothing with a new line of adaptive blouses for women with physical disabilities.

Based in San Francisco, Simple Closures designs adaptive apparel specifically with the wearer and caregiver in mind. The new line of adaptive blouses puts a focus back onto providing women with comfortable and feminine style.


Many people who could benefit from wearing adaptive clothing are unaware such products are available or have been discouraged from looking for them as many of the available options are geared more toward providing something to wear without thought to fashion, fit or style.


As a consequence, rather than seeking out clothing with adaptive features, many customers look at ready-made clothing with an eye to altering them to meet their needs.


This takes time and money and rarely results in a satisfactory garment. Simple Closures offer several options for customers. For example, if one has difficulty with manipulating buttons, but is independent in dressing, she might find Simple Closures’ fashions with Velcro closures helpful.


A woman with limited mobility who needs assistance with dressing would do well with fashions that fasten down the back. Although Simple Closures cannot custom make individual items, they are always available for consultation by phone or email to help in the decision making for what would work best for customers or their loved ones.


About the company:


Simple Closures is owned and operated by two registered nurses, Lynn and Melissa, who share a passion to help women overcome their difficulty with dressing. Simple Closures offers a fashionable line of disabled clothing, adaptive clothing, elderly clothing or any type of fashionable clothing for the physically challenged.


Simple Closures promotes comfort, quality and thoughtfully placed adaptive features to fit the special needs of their customers to make them feel special in their creative, tasteful styles and patterns. The Simple Closures difference is comfort, quality and thoughtfully placed adaptive features.



Source : Fibre2Fashion , 13th July 2013 

United Nations awards two Indians among 7 girls on Malala Day

Two Indians were among the seven young girls honoured with the UN Special Envoy for Global Education's Youth Courage Award for Education as part of 'Malala Day' celebrations at the world body.

Special awards were given to seven young girls from around the world for their courage and achievement to promote the cause of girl's education and dignity of women.

Among them were two Indians, 21-year-old Ashwini from south Indian city Bangalore and 15-year-old Razia from north Indian city Uttar Pradesh who were awarded with UN Special Envoy for Global Education's Youth Courage Award for Education.

Malala's Pakistani friend Shazia, who was hurt when Taliban shot Malala last year, was also awarded along with girls from Bangladesh, Nepal, Morocco and Sierra Leone.

Ashwini was awarded for fighting against odds to study, then using that education to campaign for other children with disabilities and to enable them to achieve the education they deserve.

She was born with a visual impairment. Ashwini was brought up in a poor rural community in south Indian state Karnataka and fought circumstances to complete her Bachelors degree.

She overcame the odds, achieved great grades and got an excellent job with an IT firm, but gave it up to campaign for other children with disabilities.

Ashwini now works for Leonard Cheshire Disability, a NGO based in Bangalore and she was accompanied to the function by Sherly Abraham, national coordinator of the Leonard Cheshire Disability to the Youth Assembly.

Razia was feted for her contribution to education of children. She is a former child labourer who stitched footballs, struggled and succeeded to pull herself from exploitation to education.

She passed her 11th grade against all odds and now works in her community to help withdraw children from work, and enrol them in schools.

Razia helped 48 children in her community last year to get out of work and join a school.

Over 500 youngsters, mostly young girl leaders from around the world, convened at the UN to support Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's 'Global Education First Initiative' and its goals to ensure that all children, especially girls, are in school and learning by 2015.

Young delegates from around the world cheered Malala, who celebrated her 16th birthday and is now the face of child's right to education.

The Secretary General named Malala's 16th birthday, 'Malala Day', in honour of her heroic stand to ensure education for all.

A series of events were organised to mark 'Malala Day' that included youth assembly, beginning of a youth movement to advocate global education and demanding world leaders to make universal, education for every child.

Urmila, 22, of Nepal was awarded for her struggle in the field of girls' education.

She was sold as a kamalari (child servant) when she was six after her parents traded her to pay off their debts.

She remained trapped for 12 years before she was finally allowed to visit her family when she learnt that the kamalari system was illegal.

Urmila never went back and instead she set up Kamalari Girls' Freedom Forum and a group that have rescued thousands of girls and allowed them to go back to school.

The others who got the award included Shazia, 15, of Pakistan who was the best friend of Malala and was seated next to her in the school bus that was attacked last October.

The escalating violence has meant it was no longer safe for her to be in Pakistan and she has recently moved to the UK to complete her schooling.

Raouia, 12, from Morocco was given the award for her fight for right to education and her struggle to achieve her goals.

She was bold enough to tell the Moroccan Education Minister, "mind your business" when he visited a Marrakech school and told Raouia she would be better off leaving school and becoming a child bride.

"You, your time would be better spent looking for a man," he had told her.

But Raouia stood up to him and stayed in school completing her studies.

Her family also protested to the government about how the education minister had betrayed his obligation to promote education.

Keshob, 18, from Bangladesh won the award for her fight against child marriage.

She is the chairman of 'Wedding Busters' a youth-led organisation that runs child marriage free zones in Bangladesh.

Aminata, 20, from Sierra Leone received the honour for tirelessly campaigning to ensure that children in her country affected by conflict are able to get education.

Source : India Today , 13th July 2013 

Read more at: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/united-nations-awards-ashwini-and-razia-sultan-on-malala-day/1/291186.html

Vidya Balan cheers for differently-abled children : Kolkata

 Vidya Balan cheers for differently-abled children

******************************************************

Actress Vidya Balan left spellbound to see a dance-performance by children suffering from cerebral palsy during a charity event here.

"Please forget everything else about us. Today we are before you only as dancers," said a kid from Indian Institute of Cerebral Palsy (IICP) before starting the performance.

As the children started swinging their hands to the tune of the inspirational song Aashayein, the entire audience including Balan were left mesmerised.

"It really touched my heart," said the Kahaani star, who was here for a fund-raiser organised by the Bengal Chamber of Commerce to help children with disabilities.

A congenital disorder, cerebral palsy causes physical disability in human development in various areas of body movement.

Vidya Balan, 35, who had donned the role of a brave mother in Paa- a film based on a rare genetic condition progeria, said she does not think of herself as a social activist after putting her weight behind various women and children issues.

"I don't think I see myself as an activist at all. I am an actor first and the more I focus on my acting the more I can leverage attention on issues," she said.

Source : Indian Express , 14th July 2013

Physically challenged 15-year-old raped in Alur : Hassan ( karnataka )

A 15-year-old physically challenged girl was allegedly raped by a youth in a village in Alur taluk on Wednesday. The girl has been admitted to the Hassan Institute of Medical Sciences, in Hassan for treatment and further medical examination.

The girl, who has no strength in her legs, was alone at her residence when Nagaraj, aged around 25, barged inside and raped her at around 11 am on Wednesday. The accused is also a resident of the same village. He fled the place when her father returned home. Both her parents are daily wage workers in nearby plantations.

The parents filed a complaint with the Alur police station on Wednesday evening. Jayalakshmi Sadashiva, Alur Police Inspector, told The Hindu that a search for the accused was in progress.



Source : The Hindu , Hassan ; 11th July 2013

Daily orders now available on HC website : Chandigarh

In a move to provide access to court orders at one's doorstep, the Punjab and Haryana high court has started posting daily orders of cases on its website (highcourtchd.gov.in) for the information of advocates, litigants and the public.

Chief justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul has also ordered that cases relating to persons with disabilities falling under the Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1955, will be heard on priority. Also, in order to decide long-pending cases in the high court at the earliest, the chief justice has issued orders to HC judges not to give dates of ordinary motion cases on Thursdays so that most of the cases with long pendency could be taken up that day.

The practice of putting up daily case orders is already in progress in the Supreme Court and the Delhi high court. Earlier, one could only see final judgments of cases on the Punjab and Haryana high court's website. A few months ago, it had been decided to provide daily/interim orders on some computers in the high court bar association as well as the advocate general offices of Punjab and Haryana.

Now, the daily orders of cases would remain on the website for 15 days, unlike final judgments, which can be seen any time. Litigants would no longer have to run after their counsel's assistant (munshi) for the daily orders by paying him the desired amount.

However, in case of disabled persons, directions have been issued to their counsels that they would mention on the right side of the index of the petition "case relating to person with disability". The counsel/petitioner would also have to add proof of the disability as provided under the Act. The judges would come to know from the daily cause list of the cases listed before them about the cases related to disabled persons so that they could be heard on priority.

Earlier, in April, looking at the urgency in cases related to the protection of runaway couples, tax and company-related matters, the high court had set up two counters for accepting digitally signed petitions filed through soft copies via pen drives, digital video disc (DVD) and compact disc (CD), along with the hard copy, so that these cases could be listed for hearing the very next day.



Source : Hindustan Times , 11th July 2013

Disabled medical aspirants get 2nd chance : Chennai

Giving a second chance to five disabled MBBS aspirants, who were rejected by a medical team during admission counselling last month, the Madras high court has formed a four-member special team of doctors to re-assess their eligibility.

Justice K K Sasidharan, passing interim orders on the petitions of the five students on Thursday, asked the doctors to submit their report by July 23. He then adjourned the case to July 24 for further hearing.

The students said they suffered certain percentage of orthopaedic disability and competent medical boards in the respective districts had assessed their disability and issued permanent disability certificate as well.

Tamil Nadu, which has 3% reservation for disabled candidates in MBBS admissions, has 54 seats for them. This year, 131 applications were received and only 81 were referred to a medical board constituted by the director of medical education. Of them, only 45 were declared eligible for admission under the physically disabled category.

As per rules, candidates with disability of lower limbs between 50% and 70% are considered for admission under the quota. If candidates are not available in that category, then others with disability of lower limbs between 40% and 50% would be considered.

In effect, those with more than 70% disability or less than 40% disability would not be considered for admission under the disabled category. These five students were rejected by the medical team at the time of counselling, saying they had disabilities either exceeding 70% or below 40%.

They moved the high court saying they were subjected to a second medical examination though they possessed valid disability certificates issued by medical boards and claimed that the medical team at the counselling centre did not assess their disabilities properly. All 81 candidates were examined on a single day, they said. The expert team saw only photographs to reject their cadidature.

The government advocate, however, denied the allegation and said it took two days for the doctors to assess the disabled MBBS aspirants.

Justice Sasidharan, making it clear that seats reserved for physically disabled should not be diverted to general pool, said, "The court has got a solemn duty to protect the interests of the physically disabled persons, who want to come up in life."

He then named four doctors - Dr Rajasekaran, head of the department of orthopaedics, Madras Medical College (MMC); Dr K Banu, professor of neurology, MMC; Dr Ramesh, director in-chage, Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine; and Dr Nalli Yuvaraj, spine specialist, MMC - to re-assess the disability and submit a report.

Source : TOI , Chennai ; 12th July 2013

बसों में सख्ती से लागू होगा विकलांग आरक्षण MuzaffarPur ( Bihar )

बसों में अब विकलांगों के आरक्षण को सख्ती से लागू किया जाएगा। इस संबंध में परिवहन विभाग के प्रधान सचिव ने सभी डीटीओ को आवश्यक निर्देश दिए है। बताया जाता है कि सरकारी व निजी बसों में विकलांगों के लिए दो सीटें आरक्षित हैं। इन सीटों पर 'विकलांगों के लिए' लिखना अनिवार्य है। मगर कई निजी बस संचालक इसका पालन नहीं कर रहे थे। शिकायत प्रधान सचिव तक पहुंची। उन्होंने इसे गंभीरता से लेते हुए सभी डीटीओ को इसे लागू कराने का आदेश दिया है। डीटीओ मनन राम ने कहा कि इसे सख्ती से लागू कराया जाएगा। पकड़े जाने पर दोषी पर कार्रवाई होगी। इधर, बिहार मोटर ट्रांसपोर्ट फेडरेशन के जिलाध्यक्ष मुकेश शर्मा ने कहा कि निजी बसों में दो सीटें विकलांगों के लिए आरक्षित है।

Source : Jagran , Bihar ; 9th July 2013

Children with special needs deprived of expert mentors : Madurai

******************************************************************

Graduates in rehabilitation science not allowed to pursue Bachelor of Education course

******************************************************************

S. Raja Gayathri, a visually-challenged graduate, interacting with J.P. Gabriel, Director of C.S.I. College of Education, in Madurai

*******************************************************

Twenty-one-year-old S.Raja Gayathri of Aruppukottai in Virudhunagar district had been suffering from poor vision since birth. Yet, the third child of stone quarry workers A.Subbiah and S.Pandithai has struggled her way up to complete her schooling, followed by a Bachelor’s degree in Tamil a year ago and a Bachelor’s degree in education very recently.

Ms.Gayathri’s two elder siblings S.Mohana Priya and S.Vignesh Anand also suffer from similar congenital vision problems which even the best of the ophthalmic hospitals here could not cure. While her sister was given in marriage immediately after completing Class XII, her brother is pursuing doctoral studies at Delhi after his Post Graduation in Tamil from American College here.

“I was lucky to have had good teachers in educational institutions such as CSI Higher Secondary School in Aruppukottai, EMG Yadava Women’s College and CSI College of Education. I studied in these institutions along with regular students. But not many like me get such opportunities. Hence, it is necessary to enlist the services of professionals who could understand better the needs of the physically and mentally-challenged,” she says.

J.P.Gabriel, Director of CSI College of Education, concurs with her, but points out that the ground situation was otherwise as professionals trained in rehabilitation science were only discouraged from serving the children with special needs.

“People are forced to live with many absurdities. One of them is denying the opportunity to academically-certified experts in rehabilitation of the mentally and physically-challenged to undergo Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) courses and become teachers in special schools,” he says.

Institute of Rehabilitation Science and Special Education at Holy Cross College, Tiruchi, offers Bachelor of Rehabilitation Science (B.R.Sc.), a three-year training programme aimed at creating professionals who could understand the requirements of people with special needs and help them get into the mainstream.

The B.R.Sc., course is recognised by Rehabilitation Council of India, a statutory body under the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. However, ironically, the course had not been included in a list of undergraduate degrees that were recognised by Tamil Nadu Teachers Education University (TNTEU) for admission into the one-year B.Ed. (Special Education) course.

“As per norms stipulated by the TNTEU, those seeking admission into B.Ed. course must have undergone their graduation in subjects such as Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, and so on. The idea behind the norm is that B.Ed. candidates must have a strong background in anyone of the subjects taught at school level. But no one is giving attention to the fact that it works against the interest of students with special needs.

“A B.R.Sc., graduate would be the most suitable person to teach at special schools because he or she will be more sensitive to the children with special needs than any other graduate. When such graduates are denied B.Ed. admissions, it leads to a situation of denying good mentors for mentally and physically-challenged children. It is high time the authorities concerned looked into the issue,” he adds.

When contacted, G.Visvanathan, Vice-Chancellor, TNTEU, said the issue was not brought to his notice. “I am always open to help people in need. Once I receive a formal request from B.R.Sc. graduates, I shall write to the government and obtain necessary clearance,” he said.

Source : The Hindu , 10th July 2013

Reflection of divine in mental plane : Chennai

Upon entry into the mental plane each individual soul shuts itself up in its own shell of mental matter.  During the initial stages of its life on the mental plane, the soul does not actively participate in the life of the mental plane at all. It does not move about freely and interact with other entities as one does on the astral plane.

  The final separation of the mental body from the astral does not involve any pain or suffering; one simply feels one to be sinking gently into a delightful repose.  There is however a period of blank unconsciousness, similar to that which usually follows physical death. This period may vary within wide limits and from it one awakens gradually.  It appears that this period of unconsciousness corresponding to the pre-natal physical life is necessary for the building up of the devachan ego for the life on the mental plane.  Part of it appears to be occupied in the recording and absorption of all events, characteristics developed and activities carried out on the astral plane. They are recorded into the memory banks, which are required to be carried forward to the future. Also part of this period of unconsciousness is involved in vivifying the matter of the mental body for its coming separate life.


During one’s purgatorial life on the astral plane the lower part of one’s nature burns itself away. Now only the higher and more refined thoughts, the noble and unselfish aspirations which one entertained during one’s life on the physical plane remain.  On the astral plane one may have a comparatively pleasant life though distinctly limited as compared to the mental plane. However on the mental plane one reaps the result only of such thoughts and feelings which have been entirely unselfish; hence the life on the mental plane is blissful.


 As a spiritual master described the mental plane - ‘It is the land where there are no tears, no sighs, where there is neither marrying nor giving in marriage, and where the just realise their full perfection.’  The thoughts which cluster around the soul make a sort of shell through the medium of which it is able to respond to certain types of vibrations in this refined matter.  These thoughts are the power by which it draws on the infinite wealth of the mental plane.  They serve as windows through which the soul can look out upon the glory and beauty of the mental plane. Every human must have had some touch of pure unselfish feelings, even if they were only once in one’s life time and these will now serve as a window for the soul on the mental plane. It will be an error to regard the shell of thought which surrounds the soul upon entry into the mental plane as a limitation.   Its function is not to shut the individual life force from the vibrations of the plane, but rather to enable it to respond to such influences. The mental plane is a reflection of the divine mind from which the person enjoying it is able to draw in accordance to the power of one’s own thoughts and aspirations generated during one’s physical and astral life.


Each individual is able to draw upon the mental plane and to cognize only so much of it as one has by previous effort prepared oneself to take.  As the Eastern saying goes, everyone brings a cup; some of the cups are large while some are small. Whether large or small, every cup is filled to its utmost capacity; the sea of bliss is far more than enough for all.


This article has been taken from the book Life Beyond Death by Anil Sharma.



Source : The New Indian Express , 6th July 2013 

India battles misconceptions on mental illness

************************************************** 
Many Indian villagers blame evil spirits, and stigma still runs deep. As suicides soar, officials focus on training community-based mental health workers.

*******************************************************

In rural areas of India, many villagers still believe mental illness is caused by evil spirits angry that the sick person had killed a cow during a past life. So-called therapy, conducted by witch doctors or family members, can include chaining up the mentally ill, chanting spells, poking them with pins, or beating them "to force the spirits out."




A mentally ill woman is chained to a cement post outside a Darga Muslim Tomb… (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles…)

**********************************************************************************

"There's little awareness that it's a real illness," said Dr. Indira Sharma, Varanasi-based president of the Indian Psychiatric Society. "Most people think it's all a figment of your imagination. There's still a very deep stigma."


With a population of 1.2 billion people, India has 4,000 psychiatrists, compared with 50,000 in the U.S., about 4,500 in California alone. But in recent years, the Indian government has increased budgets for psychiatric education and mental health awareness, seeking to curb a sharply rising suicide rate as millions move into cities where they lack the social support they had in rural villages.


A bill awaiting parliamentary action would make mental health treatment a right, reduce doctors' power to commit patients to psychiatric treatment centers without their consent and forbid electro-shock therapy without anesthesia. It would also decriminalize suicide, provide for patient confidentiality and obligate the government to create shelters and halfway houses for the mentally ill.


With its low number of psychiatrists and limited funding, India plans to emphasize training community-based health workers.


"It's like training a midwife; she doesn't need to know all about anatomy," said Dr. Vikram Patel, joint director of London's Center for Global Mental Health and a member of an Indian Health Ministry advisory panel. "There's a big myth that everything psychiatrists do is so sophisticated, complicated. It scares a lot of people off. Demystifying mental health is my agenda."


Though laws can change quickly, shifts in the culture could take more time.


"There's a gradual increase in awareness that mental illness is a health problem, not a social or personal problem, but it's very gradual," Patel said.


The Vedas, ancient Indian religious texts from around 1500 BC, condemn suicide for reasons of selfishness but laud it as self-sacrificing. Traditional medicine has generally placed more emphasis on preventing mental illness than treating it — with herb-based nerve tonics, nasal therapy, vomiting, purging and enemas.


"A common belief in rural areas is that the spirit can't get out because there's no exit," said Dr. Sanjay Chugh, a Delhi-based psychiatrist. "So they'll get sticks and puncture the eardrums on both sides."


Suicide is now the second-highest cause of death in India among those between the ages of 15 and 29, according to a recent study in the medical journal Lancet. (The most frequent cause of death for males in that age category is road accidents, and for females, child bearing.) The national suicide rate was about 16 per 100,000 people in 2010, the study found, compared with 12.4 per 100,000 in the United States, according to the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.


Among the most common methods of committing suicide are hanging, drinking pesticide, self-immolation and drowning.

The number of hangings prompted cardiologist Ravi Shankar Sharma to devise a "suicide-proof fan" after a friend's son, who had done poorly on college entrance exams, killed himself in May using a ceiling fan that had been installed to make his studying easier. The method is a staple of Bollywood movies. Sharma's $8 device employs interlocking tubes and springs that prevent the fan from supporting a weight of more than 55 pounds.

"His mother cursed the day she replaced the table fan with the ceiling fan and said that if she hadn't bought it, her son would still be alive," said Sharma. "The ceiling fan breaks off when you're hanging and the assembly goes down, so the person lands safely on the ground."


Ragini, 35, a New Delhi native who declined to give her family name, applauds Sharma's retrofitted fan idea, and believes it could have a place in psychiatric hospitals, boarding school hostels and other high-risk areas.

However, she said that judging from her own experience, other methods could easily be found. "I wouldn't think it addresses the real issue," she said.


Ragini, a teacher, became depressed a year and a half ago. After a history of bad relationships, she had gotten engaged, only to have her fiance break it off. She developed problems sleeping, stopped eating, avoided friends, quit her job and cried incessantly. Her family and friends were supportive, but she pushed them away, feeling increasingly guilty for troubling them.


"I didn't see a way out," she said. "It all snowballed into one big self-bashing."


Eventually she bought a rope, borrowed a stepladder and, one day while her parents were out and her brother downstairs, she hanged herself from the ceiling fan. Her brother heard the noise, however, and came running and rescued her. After trying two psychiatrists, she started therapy with Dr. Chugh.


"There's an impression that only crazy people go to psychiatrists," Ragini said. "If only people know depression was a disease, not their fault, and that it's all right to reach out and get help.

"People need to know more about treatment that can help them."

mark.magnier@latimes.com


Tanvi Sharma in The Times' New Delhi bureau contributed to this report.

Source : Los Angeles Times , 5th July 2013

Stone-blind bike mechanic wows Trichy

We have heard about several visually-challenged people excelling in their spheres of activity, despite the handicap. Likewise, a 28-year-old fully blind man in Trichy stuns everyone by his extraordinary talent in repairing any branded motorbikes perfectly.

S Kannappan, a bachelor, is an inspiration for the people at Pandamangalam in Trichy city. They admire him for his passion to obtain knowledge and technical skills needed for his profession. Kannappan is not blind by birth. He lost his eyesight after a brain fever that afflicted him when he was four years. Nevertheless, he never lost his hope to find his own way to succeed in life and became a two-wheeler mechanic.

Born in a poor family, Kannappan now runs a small workshop at Pandamangalam road in Woraiyur in partnership with his childhood friend S Ramesh. "I can repair any branded bike. I sense the parts with my fingers and mend the problems. As I lost my eyesight at an early age, I can only visualise the bikes in my mind," says Kannappan who became a mechanic in 2000. He was initially trained by two mechanics Srini and Moorthy in the locality. Earlier, he honed his skills by repairing bicycles at home. That experience pushed him to become a two-wheeler mechanic. "I want to dedicate my life in this field. My father, brother and my sister-in-law always encourage me. I have no personal wishes in my life other than achieving success in my profession. I should provide good service to my customers," Kannappan proudly says.

His work is highly appreciated by his customers and the reputation earns him a lot of customers. A Durairaj, a sub-inspector of police, knows well Kannappan's talent. "I have been servicing my bike for the past seven years here. I never found fault in his work. Even normal people too commit mistakes sometimes. But Kannappan is extraordinary," he says.

Kannappan has his own ways to identify a mechanical problem. "He identifies the problem by hearing the sound of the bike. He is perfect at his work. If he is committed to complete a task, he fully involves himself in the work until he succeeds. By appreciating his talent, a leading motorcycle manufacturer dealer appointed him as a mechanic in Ramanathapuram. But he resigned and started his own workshop," his friend S Kesavan says.

Kannappan an ardent fan of cinema actor Rajnikanth wants to meet his idol once in his lifetime. "I never saw Rajni. But I became his fan by hearing his voice. If I have a chance to meet him, I would be elated," Kannappan says.

His friends want the government to help him financially so that he can grow in his career.



Source : TOI , Madurai ; Trichy : 7th July 2013

Blind photography: Promoting a non-retinal art culture ; New Delhi

Rahul Gorad, 21, touches the old-styled wooden door and a chair next to it in the right corner of a room. He takes five steps back and feels the warmth of the sun rays filtering through the glass window. Then he takes out his camera, and confidently aims at his subject, presses the trigger and captures the image. Nothing unusual about this? What is extraordinary is that Gorad is a blind photographer.

For many, it is surprising and intriguing to see a blind man flawlessly handle a camera and capture a beautiful image, trashing perceptions that only those with sight can be part of the world of photography.

Unknown to many, Gorad is among the growing number of visually impaired in India who are fascinated by a camera and the magic it can create and capture.

The concept of blind photography is known worldwide, but in India it was introduced by Mumbai-based Partho Bhowmick, who, under his 'Blind With Camera' project, has so far trained 500 blind people.

"It is also known as sensory photography where one does not use the sight but other senses to take a picture," Bhowmick told IANS over phone.

"These people can create a mental description of everything they are familiar with. Recognising different sounds and capturing them, feeling the warmth of the sun or source of light and photographing accordingly. They have strong senses and they build up on that," he added.

Bhowmick came about blind photography in 2004 when he read about a Paris-based blind photographer, Evgen Bavcar. Intrigued by the concept, he contacted him and used an online language translator to communicate with him.

"He only understood French," Bhowmick recollected.

After extensive research for two years, during which he met over 50 blind photographers from all over the world, Bhowmick introduced the concept in India in 2006 by organising free workshops for the visually impaired.

These workshops generally start with the people getting acquainted with their point-and-shoot cameras. Once the students can identify various buttons with their touch (a glass or lens will be cold and smooth whereas a metal will be rough), they are asked to take any picture of their choice.

After that, Bhowmick sits with them and describes the picture they have taken. He also asks them why they captured that particular image.

It is through these descriptions that he is able to identify the strengths and weaknesses of his students.

He said the methodology of feel, touch and sound is becoming a part of the global "non-retinal" art culture.

"There has to be a synergy between the description and what is there in the picture," Bhowmick said.

"Either there will be a synergy between the two, which means that the photographer has the capability of creating a mental picture in his mind, or there will be a complete disconnect. A training module is decided after these results," he added.

Bhowmick also pointed out that people who have turned blind at a later stage have one advantage over others: they can perceive better because they are familiar with colours and the environment and have faded memories, unlike those who have never seen anything.

His honest efforts have been recognised.

After their first exhibition in 2007, his students have exhibited internationally as well.

This, however, has not stopped this self-taught teacher from finding more avenues for his students, including generating income for them through his Beyond Sight Foundation that was formed in 2009.

And the answer came to him one day.

Now, his students teach sighted people the technicallities of handling a camera.

"We have started blindfolded workshops for students and people. They are the trainers(blind people) and they will teach you. It is fun to be in their shoes. Then we go through the same exercise of describing a picture," said Bhowmick, who has a full-time job at a corporate house.

He is also planning to give some of his best students a shot at working with some of his professional photographer friends.

"This will give them mainstream exposure," he added.

One desire that Bhowmick has harboured over the years is to see blind photography taught as a vocational subject in blind schools.

"When we talk about an alternative culture, it has to come from bottom. So let's see when this happens," he concluded.

(Shilpa Raina can be contacted at shilpa.r @ ians.in)


Source : Business Standard , 10th July 2013

Chennai Corporation blind to pedestrian needs

A road with no footpaths: The photo of West Gandhi Nagar Street in Avadi contributed by Lajish Subramnian shows the ground reality.


*******************************************************

Reclaiming our city's footpaths for pedestrians by empowering residents and goading local officials to act

*******************************************************

Is there not enough money, or is political will lacking? A combination of both appears to be depriving Chennai pedestrians of their right to walk.

The expenditure pattern of the Chennai Corporation on pedestrian facilities in comparison to black-topped and concrete roads as well as massive city development plans, confirms what is true for most Indian cities – walkers have little influence and get meagre support.

For many years, the civic body has been pursuing, with a lot of encouragement from the traffic police, the policy of ‘road widening.’ This is shorthand for removal of pedestrian space and its handover to an ever-increasing population of private vehicles.

That this logic flies in the face of accepted planning principles, and the National Urban Transport Policy (NUTP), as well as the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission, seems to matter little. The NUTP is in place to guide urban development endeavours of States, if they wish to tap into the Centre’s expertise and crucially, funding. Advocating a pedestrian-empowering model, the policy says, “At present, road space gets allocated to whichever vehicle occupies it first. The focus is, therefore, the vehicle and not people. The result is that a bus carrying 40 people is allocated only two and a half times the road space that is allocated to a car carrying only one or two persons.”

In Chennai, when it comes to capital expenditure, the Corporation budget includes special grants available under the non-lapsable Tamil Nadu Urban Road Infrastructure Fund. In 2012-13, that stood at Rs. 55 crore and the estimate for 2013-14 is Rs. 70 crore. The fund provides for ‘improvement, renovation, relaying of roads in the Urban Local Bodies including related infrastructure such as roads, pedestrian footpaths, storm water drains, signage, provision for ducting, street furniture, productive structures and cross drainage structures.’

This is besides multiple expenditure heads for roads. There is also a massive fund of Rs. 535 crore earmarked as a State government grant under the Chennai Mega City Development Mission for the current year, up from Rs. 200 crore for last year.

How much of all this money will go towards the creation and repair of pedestrian facilities, and to expand Chennai’s stagnating public transport, which depends heavily on walking access?

Since The Hindu’s ‘Right to Walk’ campaign began, the Chennai Corporation has announced the opposite of road widening – promising to reduce vehicular carriageway and extend footpaths. This prospect may appear alarming to some, since there are no concomitant moves, such as introduction of escalating parking fees, expansion of bus and train systems and encouragement given to cycling to reduce vehicle dependence. What is more relevant, however, is that even available road space is poorly utilised.

On many roads in Chennai, at least six feet of margin space is virtually ‘dead’ as it cannot be used by pedestrians or vehicles. Rains increase the amount of inaccessible space. Moreover, permanent commercial encroachments or politically influential individuals have usurped these margins on several roads.

The way forward, therefore, would be to earmark a standardised walking area, create good low-cost walking surfaces, and fence footpaths with guard rails. This will automatically lead to wider pavements. Also, such a determined effort will be crucial, as the city prepares for increased use of public transport – with a combination of Metro, suburban rail, MRTS, buses and feeder vehicles.

It may be necessary to have marginally wider roads along some bottleneck points, as the Chennai Corporation council has been advocating, along with transfer of development rights to property owners who part with roadside land. But the mainstream policy cannot be one of marginalised pedestrians being forced to give up their right to walk, subsidising those who assume the privilege of unrestricted use of private vehicles.

A compromise would be to charge car and other private vehicle users, special fees both for access and for fuel, with the funds going only towards better footpaths and more buses and trains. Bangalore adopted such a policy for its Metro Phase I funding. Far from doing that, the latest Chennai Corporation budget indicates that the revenue from parking fees, a meagre Rs. 1 crore last year, is estimated to not increase at all during the present year, in spite of the rising vehicle population.

Talk Back

We invite readers to participate in this campaign. You can email pictures of bad pavements (size not more than 1.5 MB) to myright@thehindu.co.in

Please send a picture of yourself.

In the email, please give your name, contact information, location of the pavement, description of the issue and action required.

Your pictures will be posted on www.facebook.com/chennaicentral and will also be considered for publication in the newspaper.

Website: http://thne.ws/mychennai



Source : The Hindu , Chennai ; 9th July 2013

Blind pregnant woman thrown into well : Kolar

 *******************************************************

Rescued by public after 15-hour ordeal

*****************************************

A blind woman, who was pushed into a well, in what appears to be a premeditated murderous attempt, survived after shepherds heard her cries for help and rescued her after more than 15 hours, in Bagepalli village of Chickballapur district.

The police have now launched a manhunt to nab the assailant, Adappa (47) of a nearby village.

The woman, who is pregnant, has been shifted to a government hospital in Chickballapur and her condition is stated to be progressing, though she was complaining of stomach ache.

The police said the assailant Adappa lured the woman into a relationship with a promise to marry her some seven months ago. After she became pregnant, there was some pressure on him to marry her.

On Saturday night, the police said, he asked her to accompany him promising to marry. He took her to the outskirts where she pushed her into an unused agricultural well. Believing that she died, he fled from the scene.

However, the gritty woman began shouting for help but none could hear her. Only on Sunday morning, some 15 hours later, some shepherds who were passing by heard her cries and rushed to her help.

Though the woman was rescued on Sunday afternoon, the matter was reported to the police only on Tuesday morning. It was said that the family members of Aadappa approached the woman’s father seeking a ‘settlement’ of the issue, but the woman’s family declined the overtures.

Meanwhile, the Chickballapur District Association for People with Disabilities demanded that the police nab the culprit and prosecute him. “There is no question of a compromise. The accused person must be brought to book”, the association president Raghunatha Reddy said. The association, he said, would lend assistance to the family in the legal battle that lies ahead. The Bagepally police have registered a case and investigation is on.


Source : The Hindu , Karnataka ;  10th July 2013