Swachh Bharat Abhiyan: Role of Indigenous technologies developed by BARC

Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan was launched by Hon’ble Prime Minister of India on 2^nd October, 2015, which caught attention of everybody not only in India, but also in the world. TheGovernmenthastaken various steps to create awareness among the masses for keeping the area surrounding them neat and clean. Government is also paying special attention for cleaning of rivers, railway stations, tourist destinations and other public places.

To achieve the target of cleanliness, the technologies to treat the waste material should also be developed along with creating awareness.  There are many technologies that are used to treat waste material. They are usually very costly,  very complexto be understood and viable only for large size units. At the same time, indigenous technologies are low cost capital and easy to use and they can also be used by different size units.In India, they are particularly suitable for the small and medium units. In this regard, a National workshop on Indigenous water, Wastewater and Solid Waste Treatment Technologies was organised by the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) in January, 2015 at Gujarat Technological University (GTU) in Ahmadabad. The objective of the workshop was to disseminate indigenous technologies of water, wastewater and solid waste treatment developed by the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) under “Swachh Bharat Abhiyan” and to bridge gap between the research at the research centres and the practical application of the technologies.

The BARC is playing a pivotal role in the development of these technologies.  Some of these technologies are as follows:

Indigenous water purification technologies:

These technologies can improve the drinking water quality of smaller villages  as well as larger cities. It uses the Pressure Driven Membrane Processes. These are suitable for all capacity units e.g. they are adaptable from household level unit or community level unit to large scale unit. Water purification technologies make use of the nuclear energy and solar energy also.

Environment friendly Plasma technologies:

Solid waste dumping sites or landfill sites need more amount of land which is not available in urban areas. Incineration of solid waste pollutes the environment if the incinerators are not designed or operated properly.Thermal Plasma Technology is ideally suited for waste treatment. By plasma technology Hazardous & toxic compounds are broken down to elemental constituents at high temperatures; Inorganic materials are converted to Vitrified Mass; and Organic materials are Pyrolysed or Gasified, Converted to flue gases (H2 & CO) & Lower hydrocarbon gases when operated at low temperature (500 – 600OC).Disposal of carcass is also being thought of using plasma pyrolysis.

Unique Multi Stage Biological Treatment Solution:

Multi Stage Biological Treatment Solution (MSBT)can be implemented on existing STP which are not able to process Sewage to optimum efficiency. MSBT can be implemented as a modular or container on the banks of rivers on Drains/Nalas which discharge waste water to the river. It can also be implanted in small urban societies and housing complex for better water management.Benefits of MSBT are:  No Surplus of Organic Sludge, No Odour problem, Drastic reduction of Electrical Power usage which minimizes operating costs, No need for return sludge pumping (minimizing electromechanical component which ultimately reduces operating cost).

Role of environmental isotope techniques in the water resources development and management:

There are two type of isotopes,stable isotopes and radioactive isotopes. Isotope techniques are used to find out the type of contamination in surface water and ground water, the sources and origin of contamination, pollutant dispersion in surface water bodies, to assess thegroundwater salinity, to assess the changes due to long-term exploitation of groundwater, for hydro-chemical investigation and to carry out geochemical evolution of groundwater.

The BARC UF Membrane Technology for Domestic Water Purifiers:

Water filters manufactured by Sondhka based on membrane based water Purification Technology has been developed by BARC. Benefits of BARC Polysulfone Membrane are high tech 0.02micron or 20nm, simple form factor, rugged (life of more than 1 year) and low maintenance (about Rs. 500 per year). It is very easy to use and very low cost solution for the water contamination.

Deployment of BARC Domestic Water Purifier in Rural Area through AKRUTI Program:

Rural Human & Resource Development Facility is disseminating BARC technologies, namely NisargrunaBiogas, Soil Organic Carbon Testing Kit, Seed Bank, Domestic Water Purifier, Weather Forecasting, LLL, RIA, FSD, VTD; under the AKRUTI( Advance Knowledge of Rural Technology Implementation) Program. Activities carried out under the AKRUTI program aresurveys for safe drinking water, Interaction with the villagers, Entrepreneurship development for domestic water purifier production and Awareness programs for benefits of use purified water. RHRDF has also launched a scheme for safe drinking water for village under CSR.

Radiation Hygienization of Municipal Sewage Sludge:

The Sewage is the waste water generated from domestic premises and consists mainly of human waste. It typically contains 99.9% water and about 0.1% solid. The solid waste in sewage is typically organic in nature and is broken down in the sewage treatment plants resulting in sewage sludge as a byproduct. In Radiation Hygienization process dry sludge generated at STP’s is hygienized using radiation technology using standard Gamma facility at a Dose of 10 kGs. Such radiation plants are operating in India for sterilizing medical products.

Refuse Derived Fuel: An Emerging Processing Technology in MSWM:

Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) is a processed form of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) and it can be a substitute to coal energy. The process of conversion of garbage into fuel pellets involves primarily Drying, Separation of incombustible, Sizereduction and Pelletisation.

Conclusion:    The above mentioned technologies can be of great help in the treatment of water and solid waste management. This shows that solid waste which is normally treated as the cause of concern, if treated properly it can become a sustainable source of energy.

The aim should be to promote research work in these technologies. After the research is done, the gap between research and its implementation at ground level should be bridged. All stakeholderssuch as various departments, urban local bodies, consultants and contractors should be involved so that these technologies can be utilised by small, medium and large units, so that they can contribute to the Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan by making India clean.

Equality, Empowerment of Women, Women’s Full Enjoyment of Human Rights are Basic Ingredients of Development

“When people are discussing as to what man and woman can do, always the same mistake is made. They think they show man at his best because he can fight, for instance, and undergo tremendous physical exertion; and this is pitted against the physical weak- ness and non-combating quality of woman. This is unjust. Woman is as courageous as man. Each is equally good in his of her way. What man can bring up a child with such patience, endurance, and love as the woman can? The one has developed the power of doing; the other, the power of suffering. If woman cannot act, neither can man suffer. The whole universe is one of perfect balance”, said Swami Vivekananda once while deliberating on empowerment of women. What he felt, in those days might have roused much ripple amongst people no doubt but it’s the truth he reflected years back in his thinking about women which is so modern and realistic in approach.

In fact, what was felt by the Indian monk years before took a form of socialist political event and eventually blended into the cultures of different countries years after.

International Women’s Day is a time to reflect on progress made, to call for change and to celebrate acts of courage and determination by ordinary women who have played an extraordinary role in the history of their countries and communities.

This year’s theme, “Empowering Women-Empowering Humanity: Picture It!” envisions a world where each woman and girl can exercise her choices, such as participating in politics, getting an education, having an income, and living in societies free from violence and discrimination. The celebration varies from region to region. Generally, it is celebrated to provide respect to whole women fraternity, appreciate them and to express love for them. It is a day, not only to appreciate, respect and love women but a day to celebrate women's economic, political, and social achievements.

Since its birth in the socialist movement, the day has grown to become a day for recognition of women's issues and celebration of their rights across developed and developing countries alike. This day, hence, is a reminder of vigilance and action required to ensure that they gain and maintain equality in all aspects of life

History of International Women’s Day

International Women's Day first emerged from the activities of labour movements at the turn of the twentieth century in North America and across Europe. In 1909, the first National Woman's Day was observed in the United States on February 28. The Socialist Party of America designated this day in honour of the 1908 garment workers' strike in New York, where women protested against working conditions. In 1910, the Socialist International meeting in Copenhagen established a Women's Day, international in character, to honour the movement for women's rights and to build support for achieving universal suffrage for women. It is to be noted that in 1914, International Women’s Day celebration was held on March 8. From then onwards it is celebratd everywhere on March 8. The 1914 event celebration in the Germany was especially held for the women’s right to vote.

Since those early years, International Women's Day has assumed a new global dimension for women in developed and developing countries alike. The growing international women's movement, which has been strengthened by four global United Nations women's conferences, has helped make the commemoration a rallying point to build support for women's rights and participation in the political and economic arenas. Increasingly, International Women's Day is a time to reflect on progress made, to call for change and to celebrate acts of courage and determination by ordinary women who have played an extraordinary role in the history of their countries and communities.

The Charter of the United Nations, signed in 1945, was the first international agreement to affirm the principle of equality between women and men. Since then, the UN has helped create a historic legacy of internationally-agreed strategies, standards, programmes and goals to advance the status of women worldwide.

Every year International Women’s Day is celebrated using a particular theme. The theme of the International Women’s Day celebration of 2013 was “A Promise is a Promise: Time for Action to End Violence against Women”. The theme of the International Women’s Day celebration of 2014 was “A promise is a promise: Time for action to end violence against women”. The theme of this year’s International Women’s Day is “Empowering Women, Empowering Humanity: Picture it!”

Status of women in India- past & present

International Women’s Day is celebrated with great zeal and passion in India on March 8, every year to increase the awareness about women’s rights. This event celebration plays a great role in distributing the real message about the women’s right and their place in the society. It even promotes for bettering the living condition of the women by solving their social issues.

In the Vedic Period women were educated, enjoyed equal status, used to get married at a mature age and had full rights to choose their husbands.

Indian women now-a-days too is participating in all fields like going to space as astraunaut or shining in  sports, education, science, IT, politics (as Prime Minister) and many other odd fields such as driving trains.

However, there are many issues that need to be tackled too, such as dowry, sexual harassment, crime against women, rape, child marriage, domestic violence, eve-teasing etc.

From time to time many Indian reformers fought for the betterment of women in India such as Ram Mohan Roy, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, Peary Charan Sarkar etc. With their efforts change happened to some extent, laws were made against the odds of the society.

Legal Framework

            The principle of gender equality is enshrined in the Indian Constitution in its Preamble, Fundamental Rights, Fundamental Duties and Directive Principles. The Constitution not only grants equality to women, but also empowers the State to adopt measures of positive discrimination in favour of women.

India has also ratified various international conventions and human rights instruments committing to secure equal rights of women. Key among them is the ratification of the Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) in 1993.The Mexico Plan of Action (1975), the Nairobi Forward Looking Strategies (1985), the Beijing Declaration as well as the Platform for Action (1995) and the Outcome Document adopted by the UNGA Session on Gender Equality and Development & Peace for the 21st century, titled "Further actions and initiatives to implement the Beijing Declaration and the Platform for Action" have been unreservedly endorsed by India for appropriate follow up.

Current Scenario

            However, there still exists a wide gap between the goals enunciated in the Constitution, legislation, policies, plans, programmes, and related mechanisms on the one hand and the situational reality of the status of women in India, on the other.

Gender disparity manifests itself in various forms, the most obvious being the trend of continuously declining female ratio in the population in the last few decades. Social stereotyping and violence at the domestic and societal levels are some of the other manifestations. Discrimination against girl children, adolescent girls and women persists in parts of the country. The underlying causes of gender inequality are related to social and economic structure, which is based on informal and formal norms, and practices. Consequently, the access of women particularly those belonging to weaker sections including Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes/ Other backward Classes and minorities, majority of whom are in the rural areas and in the informal, unorganized sector – to education, health and productive resources, among others, is inadequate. Therefore, they remain largely marginalized, poor and socially excluded.

Within the framework of a democratic polity, our laws, development policies, Plans and programmes have aimed at women’s advancement in different spheres. From the Fifth Five Year Plan (1974-78) onwards has seen a marked shift in the approach to women’s issues from welfare to development. In recent years, the empowerment of women has been recognized as the central issue in determining the status of women. The National Commission for Women was set up by an Act of Parliament in 1990 to safeguard the rights and legal entitlements of women. The 73rd and 74th Amendments (1993) to the Constitution of India have provided for reservation of seats in the local bodies of Panchayats and Municipalities for women, laying a strong foundation for their participation in decision making at the local levels.

The present Government has initiated a number of schemes and programmes,policy initiatives aimed at securing the lives of women and girl child as part of Prime Minister’s vision to take every citizen along in the country’s march towards becoming a modern country. To name a few Swacch Bharat Mission, National Digital Literacy Mission, Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) Scheme and the PM’s Jan Dhan Yojana, are expected to  rejuvenate the socio-economic and political mindset and landscape of this country. While the Swacch Bharat Mission can have a multiplier effect of not only usher in a Clean India but can build a robust India which has an educated, healthy, happy population, Pradhan Mantri Dhan-Jan Yojana envisages to empower every person by integrating him/her with the banking network in the country and also make him an active beneficiary of the welfare largesse of the government through a transparent mechanism. Similarly many schemes related to women health, nutrition, etc are restructured with a focus on women and girl children and adolescents. National Digital Literacy Mission intends to transform India into a digitally empowered knowledge society.

Union Minister of Urban Development and Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation Shri M.Venkaiah Naidu has stated that central government is working on mandating 50 per cent reservation for women in all the urban local bodies of the country, to promote their participation in urban policy making for developing ‘engendered cities’. He has stressed on the need for imparting gender perspective to designing urban policies and programmes while inaugurating a two day ‘International Conference on Gender and Urban Poverty’ recently. The Minister further indicated the government’s initiative to focus on the basic toilet needs of women and provide one crore household toilets in urban areas under Swachh Bharat Mission which on a conservative estimate will benefit over two crore women daily and promote ‘engendered cities’ with the objective of welfare of women through their participation.

Finance Minister Shri. Arun Jaitley has doubled the budget of the Nirbhaya fund to Rs.2,000 crore from Rs 1,000 crore this year. "The government is committed to safety and security of women, and another Rs.1,000 crore has been allocated to the Nirbhaya Fund," said Jaitley while presenting the Union budget. Besides, the thought of incorporation of special women force in Railway protection is an indication of Union Government’s constructive approach towards security and maintaining the dignity of women in India.

Besides, the thought of incorporation of special women force in Railway protection is an indication of Union Government’s constructive approach towards security and maintaining the dignity of women in India.

International Women’s Day in India

International Women’s Day is celebrated with great zeal and passion in India on March 8, every year to increase the awareness about women’s rights. This event plays a great role in displaying the real message about the women’s right and their place in the society. It even promotes for bettering the living condition of the women by solving their social issues.

Ministry of Woman and Child Development which is the nodal ministry for Woman issues organizes various events across the country along with state departments,district /panchayat administration to  highlight various issues concerning women.Some of these include presentation of Stree Shakti Puruskars and Nari Shakti Puruskars by the President of India,  Women and Child Development Ministry has instituted two new awards this year namely (i) Rajya Mahila Puruskar & (ii) Zila Mahila Puruskar.  Rajya Mahila Puruskar will be given by the Chief Minister of the respective State and Zila Mahila Puruskar will be given by the District Collector of the respective District.   Anganwadis will organize activities to observe International Women’s Day.

Apart from being a salute to the spirit of womanhood, the day is a diligent reminder of the continued vigilance and action required to ensure that women's equality is gained and maintained in all aspects of life. Besides, women have to move forward in solving their problems on their own and not depending on others. In the words of Swami Vivekananda again, “Our right of interference is limited entirely to giving education. Women must be put in a position to solve their own problems in their own way. No one can or ought to do this for them. And our Indian women are capable of doing it as any in the world.”

Tobacco: The Slow Poison Engulfing India

Tobacco use is a major preventable cause of premature death and disease worldwide. Nearly one million people die in India every year due to tobacco use. Tobacco smoking is a major risk factor for many diseases, including cardiovascular disease (CVD), respiratory disease, and cancers at multiple sites. Tobacco use, including reverse smoking (smoking with the lit end inside the mouth), chewing of betel quid (a mixture of areca nut, slaked lime, and tobacco wrapped in betel leaf), and use of smokeless tobacco increases the risk of cancers of the upper aerodigestive tract. In the past few decades inadequate public awareness of smoking risks, combined with aggressive marketing by tobacco companies, has resulted in a sharp increase in tobacco addiction in India.

Indian perspective of tobacco use

In terms of tobacco habit, India is unique. In 17 states of India, tobacco use is more than 69 %. The North-Eastern region exhibits highest rates of tobacco use - in Mizoram more than 80 per cent of men use some form of tobacco, followed by Tripura (76 %) and Assam (72%). Arunachal Pradesh is the second largest state after Mizoram whose people chew tobacco products (Gupta 2006). Only 22% of total tobacco is consumed in India in the form of cigarettes, 54% is in the form of bidis and 24% is consumed in the form of chewing tobacco, pan masala, snuf, khaini, gutkha, masheri and tobacco tooth paste. These chewable tobacco products contain purified tobacco, paraffin, areca nut, lime, catechu and 230 permitted additives and flavours including known carcinogens.

Global adult tobacco survey (GATS) of India

 According to GATS 2009-2010 the key features have been enlisted below-

1. The prevalence of tobacco use in India is very high and more than one-third (35%) of adults in India use tobacco in some form or the other.

2. The prevalence of overall tobacco use is 48 % among men and 20 % among women.

3. Among them 21 % adults use only smokeless tobacco, 9 % only smoke and 5 % smoke as well as smokeless tobacco.

4. The estimated number of tobacco users in India is 274.9 million.

5. There is significant variation in prevalence of both smoking and smokeless tobacco use in different regions and states. The prevalence of tobacco use among all the states and Union Territories ranges from the highest of 67 % in Mizoram to the lowest of 9 % in Goa.

6. Prevalence of tobacco use is higher among rural population as compared to urban and prevalence is found to decrease with increase in education level.

Tobacco use prevalence among youth

According to the Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS, 2006), a total of 36.9% children in India initiate smoking before the age of 10. Among students 4.2% smoke cigarettes with rate for boys significantly higher than girls and 11.9% students use other tobacco products. Cigarette smoking among youth is higher in central, southern and north-eastern regions (12%). Exposure to second-hand smoke (SHS) in public places is as high as 40%.

Toxic chemistry of tobacco

Nearly 3000 chemical constituents have been identified in smokeless tobacco, while 4000 are present in tobacco smoke. These include alkaloids such as nicotine, nornicotine, cotinine, anatabin, anabasin; aliphatic hydrocarbons present in the waxy leaf coating and hundreds of isoprenoids that give the aroma to tobacco. Phytosterols such as cholesterol, campesterol, etc. and alcohols, phenolic compounds, chlorogenic acid, rutin, carboxylic acids and several free amino acids are present in tobacco. A wide range of toxic metals including mercury, lead, cadmium, chromium and other trace elements have been found in Indian tobacco. The alkaloids nicotine and nornicotine give rise to carcinogenic N-nitrosonornicotine (NNN), while another potent carcinogen 4-methylnitrosamino- 1-(3pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK) is derived from nicotine. N-nitrosoanatabin (NAT) and N-nitrosoanabasin are other N-nitrosamines derived from the alkaloids anabasin and anatabin, respectively. Both NNN and NNK are present in high concentrations in smokeless tobacco and tobacco smoke.

The tobacco related carcinogens can be metabolically activated to intermediates that react with DNA, forming covalently bound products known as DNA adducts. With persistence of DNA adducts during DNA replication permanent DNA mutation may occur. Mutations in particular regions of crucial genes, like RAS orMYC oncogenes or TP53 or CDKN2A tumor-suppressor genes, may result in loss of normal cellular growth-control regulation and tumor development. Nicotine and carcinogens can also bind directly to some cellular receptors, leading to activation of the serine threonine kinase AKT (protein kinase B), protein kinase A  and other factors. These lead to decreased apoptosis, increased angiogenesis and increased cell transformation. Tobacco products may also activate protein kinase C (PKC), activator protein 1 (AP1) or other factors, thereby enhancing carcinogenesis.

Tobacco and cancer in India

Tobacco addiction is an established risk factor for cancers of the lung, head and neck (oral cavity, pharynx, larynx), nasopharynx, esophagus, stomach, pancreas, liver, kidney, bladder, and cervix, and leukemia (IARC, 2012). Globally approximately 6.7 million smoking-related cancer cases are diagnosed every year of which 4.3 million cases are from developing countries .Even the frequency of newly diagnosed lung, stomach, liver, head and neck, esophagus, cervical, and nasopharyngeal cancers and leukemia cases are more in developing countries than developed countries. Cigarette smoking confers a 15- to 30-fold increase of lung cancer, a 10-fold increase of laryngeal cancer, a 4- to 5- fold increase of both oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancers, a 1.5- to 5-fold increase of esophageal cancer, a 2- to 4-fold increase of pancreatic cancer, and a 1.5 to 2.5-fold increase of nasopharyngeal, stomach, liver, kidney, cervix cancers, and leukemia. In terms of global cancer mortality, tobacco smoking accounts for 42% of oral and oropharyngeal cancer, 42% of esophageal cancer, 13% of stomach cancer, 14% of liver cancer, 22% of pancreatic cancer, 70% of trachea, bronchus, and lung cancers, 2% of cervical cancer, 28% of bladder cancer, 9% of leukemia, 21% of all cancers

            The tobacco-related cancers constitute 56.4% and 44.9% of cancers in males and females, respectively. The top five or six cancers in men are all tobacco-related cancers which include lung, oral cavity, larynx, oesophagus and pharynx whereas in women, these are cancers of cervix, oral cavity, oesophagus and lung. Case control studies conducted in India on cancer at various sites have shown that both smoking and smokeless tobacco use (including tobacco with lime and paan with tobacco) cause elevated risks for intra-oral, oropharyngeal, oesophageal and cervical cancers, and cancer of the penis. They have shown that smoking in India causes elevated risks for cancer of the lungs, hypopharynx, larynx and stomach. Associations with smokeless tobacco are suggested for cancers of the oral cavity, esophagus, and the pancreas .The attributable fraction of tobacco-related cancer incidence for smokeless tobacco varies considerably by region and sex.  In India oral cavity cancer cases that are attributed to smokeless tobacco are estimated to be 52.5% in men and 51.6% in women. The tobacco habit varies regionally within India that dictates difference in gestation period and molecular phathophysiological characteristics of oral precancerous and cancerous lesion (website reference on tobacco habits in India). Areca nut, an indispensable component of gutka, causes oral submucous fibrosis and is a precursor to oral cancer. Unlike smoking with gutka use, oral submucous fibrosis develops within a very short period of time

National tobacco control program

There is no doubt that from view of public health point, this highly toxic industrial product needs strict control measures. The Government of India enacted ‘Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 2003 (COTPA) to prohibit the consumption of cigarettes and other tobacco products, which are injurious to health. To strengthen the implementation of the tobacco control provisions under COTPA and policies of tobacco control mandated under the WHO FCTC, the Government of the India piloted National Tobacco Control Programme (NTCP) in 2007–2008.

The main components of the NTCP were:

National level

i. Public awareness/mass media campaigns against tobacco; ii. Establishment of tobacco product testing laboratories iii. Mainstreaming the program components as part of the health care delivery mechanism under the National Rural Health Mission framework; iv. Mainstream Research and Training on alternate crops and livelihoods in collaboration with other nodal Ministries; v. Monitoring and Evaluation including surveillance e.g. GATS India

State level

i. Tobacco control cells with dedicated manpower for effective implementation and monitoring of anti tobacco laws and initiatives

District level

i. Training of health and social workers, SHGs, NGOs, school teachers etc; ii. Local IEC activities;  iii. Setting up tobacco cessation facilities; iv. School Programme; v. Monitoring tobacco control laws

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India under the proposed National Tobacco Control Programme currently has 19 Tobacco Cessation Centres (TCCs) in diverse settings across India. These centres function under the District Tobacco Control Cell and comprise cancer treatment centres, psychiatric centres, medical colleges and NGOs .

Other tobacco control strategies initiated by the government:

The other prime initiatives that have been taken by Government of India for tobacco control include –(i)A national level inter-ministerial task force has been set up with stakeholder ministries and representatives from other states and civil society; (ii) A Steering Committee has been formed under the chairmanship of Secretary (Health) to look into specific instances of violation of Section 5 at national level. Monitoring Committees have also been formed at state level; (iii) In 2008, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare initiated a pilot project for developing alternative cropping systems to replace bidi and chewing tobacco with Central Tobacco Research Institute (CTRI), Rajamundhry; (iv) The Ministry of Labour has launched a pilot programme for skillbased vocational training of bidi workers especially women and minors; (v) Tobacco control initiatives are being integrated with other national health programs.e.g National Mental Helath Program(NMHP), National Cancer Control Program(NCCP) etc .

Recommendations for tobacco control in future

The National Action Plan and Monitoring Framework for Prevention and Control of Non Communicable Diseases in India developed by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare aims to achieve a 20% reduction in current tobacco use by 2020 and 30% by 2025. A comprehensive study on the economic burden of tobacco related diseases was supported by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India, WHO Country Office for India and was developed by the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) in 2014. According to the report the total economic costs attributable to tobacco use from all diseases in India in the year 2011 amounted to Rs. 1,04,500 crores. The massive direct medical costs of tobacco attributable diseases amounted to Rs.16,800 crore and associated indirect morbidity cost was of Rs. 14,700 crore. The cost from premature mortality is Rs. 73,000 crores, indicating a substantial productive loss to the nation. Therefore in order to reduce the tremendous economic burden and the concurrent losses of the nation the following tobacco control efforts has been recommended by the report-

(i)                 Comprehensive tobacco control policy; (ii) Tobacco taxation policy; (iii) Treatment for tobacco dependence; (iv) Prohibition of sale and manufacture of all forms of smokeless tobacco products/chewing tobacco; (v) Enhancing public awareness; (vi) Implementation of the WHO framework convention on tobacco control and tobacco control laws.

Conclusion

The tobacco problem in India is complex due to the varied nature of tobacco use. Cessation in Indian settings needs a multi disciplinary approach which should include preventive, curative and rehabilitative care. Mass awareness activities in India should address adult and youth smokers as well as chewers. Educational interventions are very necessary in schools and colleges due to the large number of tobacco addicted children and teenagers. Effective tobacco control in India is dependent on balanced implementation of demand and supply reduction strategies by the Government and stakeholder departments as well as on synergism of government policies and tobacco control initiatives by non government organisations.

2015-16 Budget and Rural Development

            Notwithstanding growing urbanization in the last decade or two, India still live in Six lakh villages and rightly the 2015-16 general budget, the first full year budget of Prime Minister Narendra Modi rightly gives the due attention to Rural Development coupled with increased allocation to the farm sector. Several new initiatives have been launched by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in the budget, which has gone unnoticed. The overall plan expenditure may look lower but one should not forget that with the implementation of 14^th finance commission recommendations, the states get clear 10 per cent more share of central pool of taxes at 42 per cent giving substantial hike in resources that are untied thereby helping states to design and provide more resources in those rural programmes that require more money. Jaitley has also provided significant resources for rural development. Apart from specific allocation of Rs 79,526 crore for rural development, several initiatives and allocations for infrastructure, railways and social schemes for poor will benefit rural folks as these investments are going to be for 60 per cent of 1.2 billion populations living in rural areas.

            As Jaitley himself said in his budget speech in Parliament on February 28 that with the economy turning around “dramatically” in the nine months of Modi government coupled with restoration of macro-economic stability, conditions have been created for stepping on the pedals for sustainable poverty elimination, job creation and durable double-digit economic growth, which meant more rural prosperity in the country.

            The first and foremost achievement of this government is success of Jan Dhan Yojana in a short period of 100 days. Through this financial inclusion programme 12.5 crore unbanked families, mostly in rural areas have been brought into the financial mainstream, thereby providing much needed launching pad for carrying out successfully various social programmes particularly for rural poor. This has led to launch of game changing JAM Trinity programme – Jan Dhan, Aadhar and Mobile—to implement direct transfer of benefits mostly to rural poor in a leakage-proof, well targeted and cashless manner. This is a significant development. In fact the leakage in social schemes has been so much that they have not had the desired result in the 6-7 decades of economic development since independence. As late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi himself said only 16 paise reached the beneficiary from every rupee spent. Rajiv Gandhi made this observation 25 years ago and it has not become any better, perhaps marginally better as leakage and corruption is widespread even today. JAM will ensure that the rural schemes are more effective, efficient and better targeted. The budget also puts in place a roadmap that aims at double-digit economic growth that is “feasible very soon”. greatly benefitting rural India through inclusive growth.  In this regard, financial inclusion is going to be a major tool and Jan Dhan Yojana is going to facilitate in a great measure.

            “In respect of social and economic indicators, for seven decades now, we have worked in terms of percentages and numbers of beneficiaries covered, it is quite obvious that incremental change is not going to take anywhere. We have to think in terms of a quantum jump,” Jaitley observed and announced several out-of-box ideas to transform rural India.

He unveiled a 13-point agenda that is to be implemented by 2022, the 75^th year of independence with a sizeable rural component. This comprise a roof for each family in India—that is six crore houses to be built of which 4 crore houses in rural areas with 24-hour power, clean drinking water, a toilet and road connectivity. Electrification of all the remaining 20,000 villages in the country by 2020. Connecting each of 1,78,000 unconnected habitations by all weather roads. This meant completing one lakh km of rorad currently under construction and building of additional one lakh km of road. Increasing farm productivity through irrigation and other measures. To bring on par North Eastern and Easter regions, which are at present lagging behind particularly in economic development.

Jaitley said in spite of the large increase in the devolution to states due to the recommendations of 14^th finance commission, adequate provision is being made for the schemes for the poor with allocation of Rs 68,968 crore to the education sector including mid-day meals, Rs 33,152 crore to the health sector and Rs 79,526 crore for Rural development activities including Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee programme, Rs 22,407 crore for housing, Rs 10,351 crore for women and child development, Rs 4,173 crore for Water Resources and Namami Ganga (cleaning of the river). A Substantial amount under these heads will go for the development of villages.

Apart from ensuring that farm credit is raised to Rs 8.5 lakh crore next fiscal year from Rs 8 lakh crore this financial year, the government committed to Rs 34, 699 crore for MGNREGA, which would be further stepped up  if needed to ensure that no one, who is poor in rural India is left without employment. MGNREGA will also help in benchmarking rural wages at a higher level and promote rural consumption that will help kick-starting economy to achieve 8-8.5  per cent growth in 2015-16 and then move on to double-digit growth.

            While the farmer is no longer in the clutches of the local trader and to increase kisan’s income, government proposed to create a unified national agriculture market. The problem at present is that India has thousands of mandis at present and as a result the prices of farm produce goes up by 15-20 per cent benefitting several middlemen thereby benefitting neitherthe poor farmer or consumer. To fund the unfunded, Jaitley proposed to create a Micro Units Development Refinance Agency (Mudra) Bank. This is a major attempt to generate employment in rural areas particularly in weaker sections of the society. There are 5.77 crore small business units, mostly individual proprietorship, which run small manufacturing, trading or service businesses. Sixty-two per cent are owned by scheduled castes, scheduled tribes or other backward communities. Mudra bank will have a corpuse of Rs 20,000 crore and credit guarantee corpus of Rs 3,000 crore. Mudra bank will refinance micro finance institutions through a Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana. Jaitley said these measures will greatly increase the confidence of young, educated or skilled workers, who would now be able to aspire to become first generation entrepreneurs; existing small businesses, too, will be ale to expand their activieties. “Just as we are banking theun-banked, we are also funding theun-funded,” he said.

            Working capital requirement of micro, small and medium enterprises, located substantially in rural areas will also get a boost with the establishment of Electronic Trade Receivables Discounting system soon. This will be help in financing of trade receivables of MSMEs, from corporate and other buyers, through multiple financiers. This should improve the liquidity in the MSME sector significantly. To increase access to the formal financial system government proposed to utilize the vast postal network with nearly 1,54,000 points of presence spread across villages of the country. “I hope that the Postal Department will make its proposed payments bank venture successful so that if contributes further to the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana.

            The budget also steps up allocation for rural health and social security. To promote jan Suraksha, Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojna will be launched soon to cover accidental risk of Rs 2 lakh for a premium of just Rs 12 per year. Similarly Atal pension yojana, which will provide defined pension, depending on the contribution and its period. Government will contribute 50 per cent of the benefciaries’ premium limited to Rs 1000 each year for five years in the new accounts to be opened in the next nine months. Government also proposed to create senior citizen welfare fund utilizing unclaimed deposits of about Rs 9,000 crore in Public Provident Fund and Employees Provident Fund.  The corpus will be utilized to subsidize the premium of vulnerable groups such as old age pensioners, BPL card-holders, small and marginal farmers and others. Details of the scheme will be announced later this month. This social security schemes will largely benefit rural population. Of the 10.5 crore senior citizens in the country, seventy per cent live in rural areas and a large number are in rural areas.

            The Budget also allocates Rs one lakh crore allocation to National Bank for Agricultgure and Rural development will have positive impact on the rural infrastructure. The long-term credit fund has been provided 15,000 crore in the next financial from Rs 5000 crore in the current financial year. This will help in pushing agro-based rural industries. Rural roads get Rs 25,000 crore allocation.

            The Modi government has quietly stepped rural development and agriculture in the budget under various heads, which has apparently gone unnoticed giving credence to the opposition criticism that this year’s budget is mainly for corporate and the middle class. In fact there are several initiatives and one has to read the fine print of the budget as the initiatives are spread across various departments and if they are implemented in right earnest, it will transform the rural India into a vibrant economy.

#ROTAVAC-Desi Rotaviral Vaccine with Global Reach

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, launched the first indigenously developed and manufactured Rotavirus vaccine: 'Rotavac’, yesterday. This indigenously developed vaccine will boost efforts to combat infant mortality due to diarrhoea. 

Each year, diarrhoea caused by rotavirus results up to 10 lakh hospitalizations and kills nearly 80 thousand children under the age of 5 years. Besides causing emotional stress to the affected families, it also pushes many Indian families below the poverty line and also imposes significant economic burden on the country.

        What is Rotavirus infection?

Rotavirus is the most common cause of severe diarrheal (gastro enteritis) disease in infants and young children globally. Children under five years of age, especially those between 6 months and two years are most vulnerable to this disease. Rotaviruses are estimated to be responsible for approximately 5, 27,000 deaths each year, with more than 85% of these deaths occurring in low-income countries in Africa and Asia, and over two million are hospitalized each year with pronounced dehydration.

Among 43 countries participating in the Global Surveillance Network for rotavirus in 2009, 36% of hospitalizations for diarrhea among children aged below 5 years were caused by rotavirus infection. Rotavirus affects populations in all socio-economic groups and is equally prevalent in industrialized and developing countries. So differences in sanitation practices or water supply are not likely to affect the incidence of the infection.

Rotavirus

 The name Rotavirus comes from the characteristic wheel-like appearance of the virus when viewed by electron microscope (the name rotavirus is derived from the Latin word Rota, meaning "wheel”). Rota viral diarrhea is an infection of the stomach and bowel. It spreads when infected children do not maintain proper personal hygiene. Virus spreads by contact or airborne route. Most cases of gastroenteritis in children are mild and usually pass within 3-5 days without the need for treatment. However, young children, particularly those under two years of age, are at risk of dehydration. So it is very important that they drink plenty of fluids. In severe cases of gastroenteritis, where there has been significant fluid loss, hospital treatment may be required so that fluid can be replaced through drips.

   The first rotavirus infection tends to be the most severe because the body builds up immunity (resistance) to the virus afterwards. This is why these types of infections are extremely rare in adults. It is estimated that every child will have at least one rotavirus infection before the age of five. Most infections occur among children aged between three months and three years old.

Indian Scenario

In India, nationally representative data on the incidence of severe rota virus disease is lacking. However, studies have revealed that on an average 34% of all diarrheal hospitalizations are due to rota virus infection and the proportion of severe rota viral infection has not decreased in the last few years, similar to the global trend indicating that improved sanitation and use of anti-biotics have not been effective on rota virus. The prevalence of Rota virus in new born is high in India to the extent of 73%, but these infections are normally a- symptomatic and the likelihood of acquiring infection increases with the length of stay in the hospital.

While some studies in India have found no association between rotavirus infection and time of year, most have observed an increase in rotavirus-associated diarrhea during the winter months, October to February, throughout the country. The observed proportion of rotavirus cases occurring in the cooler season has ranged from 59% to 72%.

Treatment & Prevention

No specific treatment exists for rotavirus gastroenteritis, and repeat infections are common in children. Since 2006, vaccines are available for rotavirus infection. Prior to the availability of a vaccine, almost all children became infected with rotavirus by their third birthday. Repeat infections with different viral strains were possible. After several infections with different strains of the virus, children acquire immunity to rotavirus. Adults sometimes get infected, but the resulting illness is usually mild.

Vaccination

Use of vaccine should be part of a comprehensive diarrhoeal disease control strategy including, among other interventions, improvements of hygiene and sanitation, administration of oral rehydration solution and overall improved case management.

The new vaccine ROTAVAC has been developed under an innovative public-private partnership model. It involved partnership between the Ministry of Science and Technology, the institutions of the US Government, various government institutions and NGOs in India, supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Funding by Government of India supported basic research in educational and scientific institutions in India. This was also supplemented by the support of U.S. Government institutions like the National Institute of Health. The Gates Foundation and Bharat Biotech India Limited contributed towards product development and testing. The successful launch of the first indigenously developed and produced vaccine today was the result of an extraordinary effort spread over the last 25 years. .

The Bharat Biotech India Limited that was involved in the development and production of the vaccine was selected in 1997-1998 by the India-U.S. Vaccine Action Programme and the standard government procedures. The company has given undertaking to keep the cost of the vaccine at US$ 1 per dose. This is the third such vaccine available globally against Rotavirus and, at the current prices, the cheapest and cost effective in terms of disability adjusted life year that satisfy the WHO/ UNICEF criteria for a cost- effective  intervention.

 ROTAVAC is an oral vaccine and is administered to infants in a three-dose course at the ages of 6, 10, and 14 weeks. It is given alongside routine immunizations in the UIP vaccines recommended at these ages.. Improving the overall performance of the immunization system is critical to the success of any vaccine introduction.

ROTAVAC represents the successful research and development of a novel vaccine from the developing world with global standards. The Prime Minister lauded this initiative as an example of India's capabilities for high-end research and development; manufacture of sophisticated pharmaceutical products in India; and, effective Public-Private-Partnership model for finding affordable solutions to societal challenges.

He hoped that the development of the rotavirus vaccine would inspire higher levels of research, development and manufacturing activities in India, not just in medical science, but also in other advanced areas of science and technology. On the launch occasion Prime Minister felt that solutions found in India would have great relevance to the rest of the world, especially the developing world.

India stands seventh in number of reactors in operation and fourteenth in terms of net installed capacity among countries with nuclear power

At present India stands seventh in number of reactors in operation and fourteenth in terms of net installed capacity among countries with nuclear power. It is third in number of reactors under construction and sixth in terms of net capacity under construction. India has developed comprehensive capabilities in all aspects of nuclear power including siting, design, construction, commissioning, operation & maintenance, renovation &modernisation and life extension of nuclear power plants. Its safety record over 45 years of operation has been impeccable with no accident or instance of release of radioactivity in the public domain beyond stipulated limits. Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL)’s reactors have been operated consistently at high Availability Factors and demonstrated operation at high Plant Load Factors. In terms of continuous operation, NPCIL reactors have operated for more than a year seventeen times with one reactor, Rajasthan Atomic Power Station Unit 5 (RAPS-5) setting a record of 765 days of continuous operation, second largest in the world. The nuclear power programme will continue to be pursued to add more capacity in future.

Report on Roadmap for Reduction in Import Dependency in the Hydrocarbon Sector released

The central government had constituted aCommittee (Chair: Mr. Vijay Kelkar) to prepare aroadmap for enhancing domestic oil and gasproduction and for sustainable reduction in import
dependency by 2030. The Committee submittedits final report in September 2014.17

Key recommendations of the Committee include:

 Expediting appraisal of Indian basins shouldbe done through: (i) the creation of a National
Data Repository, (ii) the introduction of anOpen Acreage Licensing Policy at the
earliest, (iii) providing operators withflexibility in completion of Minimum Work
Programme, and (iv) giving companies theRight of First Refusal (ROFR) as an incentive
for conducting basin appraisal. ROFR is thecontractual right of a company to enter into a
business transaction before anyone else can,and if they refuse, bidding for the asset can be
opened up to other interested parties.
 Enhancing domestic production of oil and gasby: (i) developing a Production Sharing
Contract model instead of the revenue sharingcontract model and subsequently bringing in
administrative reforms and contract stability,(ii) removing subsidy burden on exploitation
of mature oil fields, and (iv) encouraging coalgasification, which can provide an important
non-conventional source of oil and gas.
 Bringing in institutional reforms by: (i)constituting an empowered cabinet committee
on energy for policy formulation,  (ii)transforming and empowering the Directorate
General of Hydrocarbons to become anindependent regulator, and (iii) undertaking
fiscal reforms such as including oil and gasunder the recently proposed Goods and
Services Tax framework.
 Creating a roadmap for transition to marketdetermined
gas pricing by 2017 or the nextpricing period, by: (i) undertaking both
demand and supply side measures, such asproviding transparent and targeted subsidies,
and encouraging trading of contracts for gason the commodity exchanges in the country,
and (ii) abolishing the gas allocation policy