We The State - Issue 31 Vol 2

We

he StateAPRIL 28 TO MAY 04, 2014

Vol-02. Issue-31. Bhopal. Monday Page-12 Price-5/-

POSTAL REGD. MP/BHOPAL/4-323/2013-15

Published simultaneously from Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh

Online edition availble at wethestate.com and wethestate.blogspot.in

3

Green tribunalsnotice to Centre,state overuntreatedsewage water

4Participation ofwomen votersincrease inChhattisgarh

5Success of tigerre-introductionat Panna

11Shruti

Haasans sexyavatar in

Yevadu leaked

10

Priyanka connects with

masses, but itstoo late for Cong

9

Have not foundany ego in KP,

says Quintonde Kock

Unprecedented increase was registered inpoll percentage in elections to 16th Lok Sabha inMadhya Pradesh. It was 51.17 percent in year2009, which increased to 61.57 percent this time.As many as 57.32 percent males had voted in 2009which rose to 66.05 percent and females from43.72 percent to 56.52 percent. Thus, recordincrease of 8.73 percent and 12.80 percent wasregistered in male and female voters, respectively.Of the 29 Lok Sabha constituencies, Bhind is theonly one where 45.63 percent polling was regis-tered. Voting percentage increased unprecedent-edly in remaining 28 constituencies. As many as18 Parliamentary constituencies witnessed over 60percent poling including Guna 60.77 percent,Satna 62.68 percent, Shahdol 62.20 percent,Mandla 66.71 percent, Balaghat 68.21 percent,Chhindwara 79.05 percent, Hoshangabad 65.76percent, Vidisha 65.63 percent, Rajgarh 64.00 per-cent, Dewas 70.72 percent, Ujjain 66.56 percent,Mandsaur 71.21 percent, Ratlam 63.52 percent,Dhar 63.96 percent, Indore 62.26 percent,Khargone 67.07 percent, Khandwa 70.93 percentand Betul 66.48 percent. These include all 10 con-stituencies of the third phase.

Women show enthusiasmWomen took part enthusiastically in the

recent Lok Sabha elections in the state. Theirpolling percentage was 56.52. There was differ-ence of only 9.53 percent between male andfemale voters. Polling percentage of women was43.72 in 2009 while it rose to 56.52 percent thistime, which is 12.80 more.

Over 46 thousand postal ballotsdistributed to polling staff

As many as 46 thousand 42 postal ballotswere distributed to polling staff and service votersduring three phases of Lok Sabha elections in 29constituencies in Madhya Pradesh. In all, 19 thou-sand 38 postal ballots were distributed in the firstphase, 15 thousand 431 in the second phase and11 thousand 573 in the third phase.

NEWS max 61.57 percent polling in 29Lok Sabha seats in MP 10.40 % more votes polled than 2009

n the 3 phases, 61.57 percent pollingwas registered in 29 Lok Sabha seatsin Madhya Pradesh, which is 10.40

percent more than elections in 2009 when51.17 percent voters had exercised theirfranchise.

This increase is a little short of 61.74percent polling registered in Lok Sabhaelections the year 1998 even thoughcounting of 46 thousand 42 postal ballotsissued to polling staff and service votersremains to be done. People had partici-pated in electoral process in the thirdphase in Madhya Pradesh on April 24

which resulted in 66.66 percent polling.This is about 12.82 percent more thanLok Sabha elections in 2009. Polling per-centage in the first phase was 63.55 andsecond phase 54.64 percent.

As many as 70.98 percent male and62.08 percent female voters cast theirvotes in 10 Lok Sabha constituencies inthe third phase with maximum 71.35 per-cent in Mandsaur Parliamentary con-stituency and minimum 62.25 percent inIndore. This increase in voting percentwas the result of widespread voter educa-tion campaign in Madhya Pradesh. In thethird phase, 65.63 percent polling was

registered in Vidisha Parliamentary con-stituency, Dewas (SC) 70.72 percent,66.59 in Ujjain (SC), 71.35 percent inMandsaur, 63.52 percent in Ratlam (ST),64.49 percent in Dhar (ST), 62.25 inIndore, 67.07 percent in Khargone (ST),70.99 percent in Khandwa and 65.15 per-cent polling was registered in Betul (ST).Polling percentage of other voters was15.38 in the third phase.

In this way, average of polling in the3 phases of Lok Sabha in 29 constituen-cies was 61.57 percent including 66.05percent males and 56.52 percentfemales.

Maximum polling in Chhindwara12.80 % more females vote

than last Lok Sabha poll

I

How WE look it !

Bhopal

BHOPAL

Giant, illegal hoardings cause accidentsPut up at many intersections and busy roads, giant

and illegal hoardings are becoming major distractionsfor commuters on city roads leading to visual pollu-tion. A large number of huge advertising hoardings putup all over the city pose a threat to com-muters, especially duringhigh velocity galewhen the hoardingsmay crash and injureor even kill commuters.

"The patch on GERoad from Bhagat SinghChowk to AmaparaChowk looks like a jungleof huge, shiny hoardings.

The messages and radiumcolors on those hoardingsworks well to attract people'sattention off the road,"Shailendra Singh Thakur, a com-muter on GE Road said.

Brijesh Bajpai, another passer-by said, "I actually wonder lookingat so many huge hoardings on a busyroad, what do they intend to do.

Majorly, it's the political hoardings that havegrabbed maximum space with their jingles and life-size images of leaders." Apart from their size, people

have also complained about the threat during rains. Atraffic police officer said hoardings surelydistract and increase therisk of acci-

dents par-ticularlywhen erect-ed at intersections andthey should be removed. They get

uprooted during heavy rain andstrong winds leading to deaths, acci-dents and damage to vehicles.

There have been several inci-dents in the past when peoplewere killed after strong windshit the city and uprooted thehoardings. A traffic officialsaid there was no separatedata over accidents due tohoardings, but surely suchincidents take placealmost everyday.

Anil Kumar, a traf-fic analyst said a setdimension of size,weight and numberof hoardings could

help. "Mass hoardings createtraffic congestion and few thathave lights around them affectvision during night, it causes visual

pollution, thus, proper monitoringsystem is must."

Meanwhile, Raipur MunicipalCorporation Commissioner said he will

take action for removal of illegal hoard-ings erected in different parts of city and

will take relevant action against violators.

State Congress president BhupeshBaghel has alleged that the ruling BJPGovernment in Chhattisgarh has greatlyreduced the area of Elephant Corridor inKorba and Surguja region ofChhattisgarh. He said, The Governmenthad reduced significant area of theElephant Corridor falling between Korbaand Surguja region for exploiting coaland minerals from the area, which is awrong decision.

Baghel said Chief Minister RamanSingh extended undue favour to Korba-based Bharat Aluminium Company Ltd(BALCO) while allocating Bauxite minefields in the State. Referring to a recentstatement of the Chief Minister that nat-ural beauty of Jashpur would not be com-promised for taking up Bauxite mining inthe area, Baghel alleged that RamanSingh did not want to allocate Bauxitemines to any other company despite thefact that several applications were

already pending with the Government inthis regard. Baghel said, The StateGovernment had been extending unduefavor to industrialist Anil Agrawal andhis company BALCO with regard toallocation of Bauxite mines in

Chhattisgarh. Baghel also challengedthe BJP to provide an answer over theallegations leveled against the Congressparty over the coal block scam inChhattisgarh. Replying to the BJP allega-tion of corruption in the mining of dia-

monds at Devbhog mines during thetenure of Satyanarayan Sharma asMinister for Mineral Resources duringthe Congress rule in Chhattisgarh,Baghel questioned why the case was notopened all these years?

Raipur

Raipur

Elephant corridor area reduced: Cong

2 APRIL 28 TO MAY 04, 2014 (MP & CG)CHHATTISGARH EXPLORE

JABALPUR: Taking note ofhigh number of children reportedmissing from the state, MadhyaPradesh high court has directedstate government to stringentlyfollow Supreme Court guidelinesin the matter and present reportof what actions have been takenso far towards its implementa-tion. A PIL filed by activistRajneesh Kapoor had drawncourt's attention to an alarmingspurt in the graph of missing chil-dren - 12,434 over last five years- apprehending that the lot couldhave fallen victims to the illegalracket, including human traffick-ing. During last hearing, divisionbench of Chief Justice AMKhanwilkar and Justice K KLahoti had chastised the stategovernment for its cavalier atti-tude to such a worrisome prob-lem. The bench had also orderedstate authorities to furnish infor-mation if the government had setup a special cell, unit or commit-tee to tackle the issue and soughtinformation detailing specificsteps to strengthen the parapher-nalia any special force raised inthe connection.

Green tribunals notice to Centre,state over untreated sewage water

National Green Tribunal(NGT) has recently servednotices to Union and stategovernment agencies overuntreated sewage water forirrigation of vegetables andfisheries in many parts ofstate.

Central zone bench ofNGT comprising JusticeDalip Singh and expert mem-ber PS Rao pulled up UnionMinistry of Environment andForests, Central PollutionControl Board, state govern-ment, farmer welfare depart-ment, water resource depart-ment, fisheries and urbanadministration department to

explain why there is neitherany sewage water manage-ment policy nor policy meas-ures to encourage reuse oftreated sewage.

Petitioner Subhash CPandey, in his applicationbefore the NGT, gave case

studies of Laharpur Reservoir,Patra Nullah near CoachFactory, Patra river nearBhanpur, Lakha Banjara Lakein Sagar district, municipalsewage pond in Mandsaur andShakya Sagar Lake inShivpuri to highlight how

untreated municipal sewageand waste water of the city iscollected and frequently usedby farmers for irrigation andfishing purpose.

Pandey, in his petition,also mentioned there are only3.6% sewage treatment plants(STPs) in Madhya Pradeshwhich clearly indicates thatabout 94% of untreated wastewater directly flowing intoriver pond or dam is frequent-ly used in farming in the state."The problem is not only thatstate lacks sufficient treatmentcapacity, but also sewagetreatment plants that do notoperate and are not main-tained," he said.

A one-day national workshop will be heldat Bhopal on April 30 on innovations made inMadhya Pradesh to streamline accountingsystem and ensure transparency in system.Joint and Additional Secretaries of UnionPanchayat Raj Ministry, Central AccountantGeneral (CAG), Accountant General MadhyaPradesh (MPAG), fiscal experts of variousstates, New Delhi and Bhopal-based repre-sentatives of National Informatics ScienceCentre (NIC) and senior officers of the stategovernment will participate in the workshop.Nominated representatives of 5 ZilaPanchayats, 5 Janpad Panchayats and 5Gram Panchayats in the state will also takepart in it. Representatives of CRISP and CAfirms appointed for audit of 3-tier Panchayatsin the state will also participate in the work-shop to be held jointly by Panchayat RajDirectorate and Mahatma Gandhi RajyaGrameen Vikas Sansthan, Jabalpur.

Additional Chief Secretary Panchayats,Rural Development and Social Justice Smt.Aruna Sharma informed that electedSarpanchas and Panchayat Secretaries ofGram Panchayats implement about 150schemes and sub-schemes of various gov-ernment departments. For their smoothimplementation, they have to maintain allreports enlisted by Accountant General underDouble Entry Accounting System. They werefacing difficulties in this due to lack of com-puter knowledge. For overcoming this prob-lem, Madhya Pradesh Panchayat RajDepartment has launched innovation ofConcurrent Audit System. The task ofConcurrent Audit in 10 divisions of the statehas been entrusted to suitable institutionsafter inviting global tenders after preparingproposal in consultation with office of theAccountant General and CharteredAccountants Institute of India. For systemis-ing maintenance of accounts at Gram, Zilaand Janpad Panchayats, post-audit ofPanchayats as well as all schemes of RuralDevelopment and Social Justice Departmentwas done for the first time in year 2012-13.Due to first-time initiative for concurrent auditand inspection of accounts at the decentral-ized level, large numbers of inactive accountshave also been detected. This concurrentaudit will lead to forceful implementation ofbasic development activities at the Panchayatlevel.

For simplifying accounting system, soft-ware Panchayat Darpan has been madeavailable on the web portal www.mppanchay-atdarpan.org. The most striking feature of thissoftware is that it automatically prepares allscheme-wise details of audit report when 2entries of account register and work registerare made in it. Panchayat Darpan contains allinformations regarding Panchayat-levelaccounts and transactions.

Besides, information about technical andadministrative sanction for schemes beingimplemented by all 23006 Gram Panchayats,details of material, income and expenditurecan also be obtained from it. The software ishelping chartered accountant firms to main-tain accounts of 3-tier Panchayat institutionssystematically and smoothly.

BHOPAL

Workshop on innovationsmade in MP to streamlineaccounting system

BHOPAL

3 APRIL 28 TO MAY 04, 2014 (MP & CG)

Missing kids: HCasks govt topresent actionreport

BHOPAL

Imagine you have to travel for less thansix hours to reach Delhi from Bhopal. Thisis soon going to be possible as IndianRailways plans to roll out the desi versionof Bullet trains in the next one year. Bullettrains remain a dream for the country dueto high costs involved in putting up theinfrastructure for such high speed trains.

But, now Desi trains running at an aver-age speed of 130 km per hour bring hope.These semi-high-speed trains will run at aspeed, nearly double that clocked byRajdhani and Shatabdi expresses, two ofthe fastest trains in the country at present.Initially, railways plans to run these trainson three routes Delhi-Chandigarh, Delhi-

Lucknow and Delhi-Bhopal by the endof this year or early next year at an estimat-ed economical cost of Rs 2.5 crore per km.This is much lower than the cost of aroundRs 200 crore per km for building high-speed rail networks, according to an esti-mate by RITES, the railways consultingarm.

The second phase of these trains will beintroduced in southern and eastern regions,including Ernakulam-Thiruvananthapuram,Hyderabad-Chennai and Howrah-Haldia.The network of high-speed trains has beenpresent in many parts of the world, includ-ing the Europe and Japan, for long. Inrecent decades, similar networks have beenbuilt in China and Korea.

Bhopal

Desi Bullet train may runon Bhopal-Delhi route

4 APRIL 28 TO MAY 04, 2014 (MP & CG)

The increase in the participation ofwomen voters has been the hallmark ofpolls in Chhattisgarh. As compared to52.33% in 2009 and 45.50% in 2004,68.04% of the 8714762 registeredwomen voters exercised their franchise.Defying the Maoist threat of poll-boy-cott, Chhattisgarh has indeed created arecord of sorts in the just concluded LokSabha polls in the state, registering notonly the highest ever turnout of 69.48%but also witnessing an overwhelmingparticipation of 68.04% women voters.

While increased voter awareness,thanks to the massive campaigns under-taken by the EC, is being considered themain reason for the high voting trends,the hype surrounding the high pitchedpolls has also contributed to the turnout.The BJP, which is hoping to come topower at the centre with Narendra Modiat the helm, had been virtually in the

poll mode for the last one year and did-n't lose steam even after winning theassembly elections.

Some even attribute the advent ofAAP on the state's political scene for theincrease turnout. The BJP has a lot atstake and thus a lot to lose in these elec-tions. It had won 10 of the 11 seats in

the last two Lok Sabha polls andobservers feel that it might not be thateasy for it to repeat the same perform-ance. With punters betting on 9 seats forthe BJP, the gain of even one seat for theCongress would mean a 100% increasefor them. Nearly 70% of the1,76,23,818 electorate exercised their

franchise in these elections as comparedto a turnout of 55.29% in 2009 andabout 52.09% in 2004,. Even the so-called red areas, where Maoists hadgiven called for a poll boycott, votersremained undeterred, with Bastar andKanker regions recording a turnout of59.4% and 70.29% respectively, anotherfirst in the state. Even in the Maoistinfested areas of Bastar and Kanker,women participation was high at49.85% and 49.27% respectively. Infact the near 50% participation ofwomen in Bastar has been the highest inthe state. The second phase of polling inRajnandgaon, Mahasamund and Kankerwitnessed the highest turnout of73.04%. This was followed by 69.60%in the third phase, which concluded onThursday. Poling in the first phase inBastar was the lowest in the state at59.40%. However, this turnout wasmuch larger than the 43.33% in 2004and 47.33% in 2009.

RAIPUR

RAIPUR: Raipur civicauthorities have launchedcleanliness drive in the cityfollowing outbreak of jaundicein many areas and the death ofa student at DD Nagar arearecently. The government hasasked the health departmentteams to visit the affectedareas.

A student of NationalInstitute of Technology died ofjaundice at D D Nagar areahere recently. The 22-year-oldyouth Rohit Gupta was under-going treatment for the last 10days and succumbed to illness.Rohit was admitted to a pri-vate hospital seven days agoand was shifted to another onerecently where he breathed hislast. Rohit was a student of

bio-technology at NIT. Rohit'sbrother said that there weremore than 100 patients ofjaundice at DD Nagar areawhile Raipur MunicipalCorporation (RMC) officialshad also admitted in the pastthat city's densely populationand congested areas werestruck with jaundice. RMChealth officer Dr Shiv Sharmaadmitted that there were maxi-mum patients of jaundicefound in DD Nagar and manymore in other different areasand that efforts were on to curbthe problem.

Pathology labs and hospi-tals are flooded with patientsand administration claims thatunder chief minister's urbanhealth programme patientswere being assisted in treat-ment and taking them to hospi-

tals in ambulance. Other resi-dential areas affected withjaundice are Baijnathpara,Nehru Nagar, Purani Basti,Kushalpur, Kankalipara,Ramsagarpara etc. AlthoughRMC conducts health campsin these areas and diagnosepatients and begin the treat-ment but residents insist onreplacing the leaking pipelinesand cleaning of water tanks.

Residents said that identi-fying affected regions is thesolution as people who are suf-fering from jaundice continuedrinking dirty and infectedwater which is supposed to bemonitored by RMC. Residentscomplained that the drains arenot clean and jammed whichenter their homes with oneshower of rain which brings indiseases.

Raipur

Jaundice outbreak in Raipur: Healthdept teams visiting affected areas

RAIPUR TRAIL

Participation of women votersincrease in Chhattisgarh

Inaugurating the two-daynational conference organised byBhabha Engineering ResearchInstitute here recently, GovernorRam Naresh Yadav said that com-puter and digital communicationis a large sector and importantfor making jobs available to stu-dents. The Governor said thatresources need to be provided tostudents for moving ahead.MANITs Director Shri AppuKuttan, RKDF UniversitysChancellor Dr. Sadhna Kapoor,Satya Sai Universitys ChancellorShri Siddharth Kapoor and Vice-Chancellor of RKDF Group ShriHarmohan Singh were present onthe occasion. Governor ShriYadav also released a souvenir onthe occasion.

Governor Yadav said thatinformation technology revolutionbrought about by former PrimeMinister late Shri Rajiv Gandhihas proved to a boon for youthsand students. If students work inthis field then not only they willbrighten their future but also con-tribute to states development.Shri Yadav urged youths to takemaximum advantage of this andtry to move forward by sharingplatform with talented persons.He exhorted students to servethe country for sometime aftercompleting education.

MANITs Director Appu Kuttansaid that use of cloud computingand digital communicationincreased rapidly after World WarII. It is very useful in business,banking, management and othersectors. He said that governmentof India has made efforts to pro-vide resources to students tomake headway in this sector. Dr.Appu Kuttan threw light in detailon cloud computing and digitalcommunication. RKDFUniversitys Chancellor Dr.Sadhna Kapoor and Vice-Chancellor Shri Harmohan Singhdelivered the welcome address.Governor Shri Yadav inauguratedthe conference by lighting alamp. On the occasion, theGovernor was felicitated withshawl, coconut and memento.

BRIEF Success of tiger re-introduction at Panna

Panna Tiger Reserve (PTR) inMadhya Pradesh has added another feath-er to its cap. In a major boost to efforts torevive tiger population at the reserve, T5- the hand-bred tigresses- has recentlygiven birth to two cubs in its first litter.This marks the successful completion ofthe first phase of tiger reintroduction pro-gramme in PTR. Feline population inPanna had disappeared completely a fewyears ago. From zero in early 2009, thenumber of tigers at PTR has hit 30 withthese new arrivals.

Tigresses T4 and T5 were born atKanha National Park (KNP) in May 2006and were orphaned after birth. These twotigresses were semi-wild ones and hadspent time in KNP inside an enclosure.

They were shifted to PTR in 2011respectively. Both settled well. InNovember 2011, T4 had become theworld's first hand-bred feline shifted tothe wild, to spawn two cubs. "It had aban-doned its cubs born from the second litterin April this year," PTR director R SMurthy told. T4 and T5 were then reared

in an enclosure and fed by KNP. Thesemi-wild tigress was carted out to Pannaand released into the wild in March 2011.

"There were apprehensions about itssurvival in the wild, but she picked upsoon, going for kills in the deep forest,where it met a lone translocated tiger, andmated," said PTR officials.

Earlier, two translocated tigresses hadgiven birth to eight cubs at PTR, of whichsix had survived. "But both were wildtigresses, unlike hand-reared and shifted

like T4," said the officer. Another tigressT2, shifted from KNP in 2009, had givenbirth to three cubs in 2013. This was itsthird litter. In February it had eaten thecub, born nine months ago. In early 2009,PTR had lost all its tigers and the big catswere subsequently reintroduced to revivetheir population. When the relocationprogramme began in 2009, wildlifeexperts across the world doubted its suc-cess. Now the project is being seen as themost successful try-out ever.

Bhopal: Conduct of urbanbody elections through EVMs isa major challenge. This was stat-ed by State ElectionCommissioner R. Parasuramwhile inaugurating a 5-daytraining in EVM functioningand operation to master trainersfrom all districts at the office ofState Election Commission heretoday.

Parasuram said that localbody elections will be conduct-ed through EVMs for the firsttime. Role of officers andemployees is very important inthis. In this training programme,

they will beintroduced toEVMs devel-oped byE l e c t r o n i c sCorporation ofIndia. They willalso get opportunity to acquiredetailed theoretical and practicalknowledge about functioningand operation of electronic vot-ing machines.

The State ElectionCommissioner said that EVMsto be used in urban body and 3-tier Panchayat elections are ultramodern. Through the machineshaving a number of features,votes for 8 different posts can be

cast. Apart fromballot units andcontrol unit,detachable memo-ry unit (DMU) isalso an importantpart of these

EVMs. He said that last urbanbody elections were held 20years ago in 1994 as per the thensystem in the state and ensuingelections through EVMs willbring about a fundamentalchange. Hoping for participationof large number of voters inensuing local body elections, hesaid that these elections will beconducted easily and smoothlythrough the new system.

Secretary Shri G.P. Shrivastavainformed about objectives of thetraining. ICILs officer Shri S.B.Purohit apprised the traineesabout EVMs functioning andoperation. A film and presenta-tion on EVMs prepared by thecommission for district electionofficers (local elections) wasalso made.

Elections will be held for268 posts of urban bodyChairperson and 5,059 corpora-tors. Similarly, elections willalso be held for 843 members ofZila Panchayats, 6,816 membersof Janpad Panchayats, 22 thou-sand 795 sarpanchas and 3 lakh63 thousand 337 panchas.

BHOPAL

BHOPAL

BHOPAL

Urban body elections throughEVMs a major challenge

5 APRIL 28 TO MAY 04, 2014 (MP & CG)MADHYA PRADESH

Resources needsto be provided tostudents for moving ahead

30-04-2014- Wednesday - VaishakhMah Shuklapaksh-EkamPositive directions -South and EastBad time - 12:24 pm to 2:01 pmGood time - 5:56 am to 9:10 am and10:47 am to 12:23 pm and 3:38 pm to6:5 pm

01-05-2014-Thursday- Vaishakh MahShuklapaksh- DwitiyaPositive directions-South and EastBad time - 2:01 pm to 3:38 pmGood time - 5:55 am to 7:33 am and10:47 am to 2:00 pm and 5:15 pm to6:52 pm

02-05-2014- Friday -Vaishakh MahShuklapaksh- TritiyaPositive directions -SouthBad time - 10:47 am to 12:24 pm

Good time - 5:55 am to 10:46 am and12:25 pm to 2:01 pm and 5:16 pm to6:53 pm

03-05-2014- Saturday -Vaishakh MahShuklapaksh-CharturthiPositive directions-South and WestBad time - 9:09 am to 10:46amGood time - 7:32 am to 9:08 am and12:24 pm to 5:16 pm

04-05-2014- Sunday - Vaishakh MahShuklapaksh- PanchmiPositive directions - South and WestBad time - 5:16 pm to 6:54 pm Good time - 7:31 am to 12:24 pm and2:01 pm to 3:39 pm

05-05-2014- Monday -Vaishakh MahShuklapaksh- ShashthiPositive directions- North and WestBad time - 7:31 am to 9:08 am

Good time - 5:53 am to 7:30 am and9:09 am to 10:46 am and 2:01 pm to

6:54 pm

06-05-2014-Tuesday-Vaishakh MahShuklapaksh-SaptamiPositive directions-North and WestBad time - 3:39 pm to 5:17 pmGood time - 9:08 am to 2:01 pm

By AACHARYA SARVESHE-Mail: [email protected]

Mobile: 9826609192

Vastu tips for bathroom/toilet

Bathtub can beplaced on theSouthwest corneras it is heavy (earthcorner). Showering, sinkand mirror shouldbe along North/East wall. The floor levelshould be one ortwo feet higher thanthe ground level. Marble or granitetiles should not beused for flooring inthe Bathroom.

Do people with disabilitiesfully participate in

electoral process?he people are in the process ofcasting their votes in what is

being widely hailed as the largest elec-tion in human history. By sheer size, the16th Lok Sabha elections signal a tri-umph not only for India, but for demo-cratic exercises around the world.

However, more important than elec-tions themselves are the principles ofcivil rights, equality, freedom of speech,and inclusivity that underpin any truedemocratic activity.

When an electoral system discrimi-nates against particular categories ofpeople, such as persons with disabilities,it is tantamount to a failure of democra-cy as a whole.

While the Census of India reported2.2 crore persons with disabilities in2001, more recent estimates by theWorld Health Organization (WHO) andothers put Indias disabled population atmore than 8 crore persons. Numeroushurdles prevent voters with disabilities

from full participation in the electoralprocess. Barriers range from the obvi-ous, such as lack of access ramps andunavailability of voting mechanism forthe hearing or sight impaired; to themore obscure, such as lack of accessiblecampaign material which results in adifficulty in making an informed deci-sion.

Lack of voting rights for personswith intellectual and psycho-social dis-abilities represents a particularly insidi-ous barrier to electoral participation.The overarching framework, comprisingqualifications and disqualifications forbeing a voter in the general and assem-bly elections, is outlined in Article 326of the Constitution.

It enshrines the value of universaladult suffrage and states that every per-son who is a citizen of India and of legalage has the right to vote, with a fewexceptions. One such exception isunsoundness of mind. Additionally,

the Representation of Peoples Act, 1951(RP Act) provides the proceduralframework for elections in India andsimilarly disqualifies a person frombeing registered to vote if he or she is ofunsound mind, and is found to be soby a competent court.

But what exactly is an unsoundmind? The term is vague and unde-fined, and there is no objective criterionlaid down to guide the competentcourt in determining what constitutesunsoundness of mind. Even if a personsdisability in no way interferes with hisability to understand the positions ofcandidates and to make a choice, he canbe deprived of the right to vote underthis legal framework. Voting is a politi-cal act of free expression, and as suchshould be done independently and insecrecy. The over-reliance on the com-panionship model to provide access forpersons with disabilities is an infringe-ment of this right.

T

ASTROLOGY

6 APRIL 28 TO MAY 04, 2014 (MP & CG)EDITORIAL

nderstandably, the high turnout in thecurrent Lok Sabha poll has sparkedthe predictable speculation that it

indicates a desire for change. It perhaps does,and the reasons for it are well-known and donot bear repetition. What needs to be noted isthe wide dispersal of a high level of politicalconsciousness among disparate social seg-ments and geographical areas in India theheavy polling indicates. This phenomenonneeds to be analysed for a full understandingof the link between social developments andpolitical action in a country whose back-wardness is the staple fare of a large sectionof Anglo-American journalism.

One reason for the high turnout has, ofcourse, been the increase in the percentage ofliteracy, from the 18.33 per cent recorded inthe first Census in 1951 to 74.04 per cent inthe 2011 Census. This has vastly expandedthe readership of the print media particu-larly the Indian languages media, which haveemerged as very powerful shapers of publicopinion and have played a key role in the

heightening and spread of political con-sciousness. It is not merely that the numberof people buying newspapers and magazineshas increased, but that in many parts of thecountry inhabited by the less privileged, oneoften sees pages of local newspapers pastedon makeshift boards for people to standaround and read. A slightly less commonsight is people reading various pages of thesame paper and exchanging them after fin-ishing. And, of course, television is increas-ingly ubiquitous even in urban slums and hasa growing presence in villages. All this indi-cates increased prosperity leading to higherpurchasing power, enabling people to buytelevision sets. It also shows the growth ofthe consumer goods sector of the electronicindustry, the emergence of television chan-

nels as important providers of entertainmentand instruments of influencing discourse,and the rise of a sufficiently large number ofpeople with funds to invest in these, knowingfull well that the returns are unlikely to beadequate and they may have to write off theirinvestments.

These are positive developments whichalso have negative aspects. Despite growingprosperity, absolute deprivation persists anda feeling of relative deprivation, born ofunfulfilled rising aspirations, is widespread.Political debates in public spaces a boonof the country's democratic order pro-vides inputs to judgement-making, andhones one's skill in it. Political awareness,however, has bred frustration with the failureof political parties and politicians to deliver.

Former state election commissioner,Sushil Trivedi, attributed the high turnout tothe EC's SVEEP campaign and the advent ofAAP in the political arena. "AAP party hasled to intensive participation of people, par-ticularly the youth", he said.

High turnout shows voters want changeRising political awareness in the country,which has come with increased literacy,

has bred frustration with the failure ofpolitical parties to deliver

U

7 APRIL 28 TO MAY 04, 2014 (MP & CG)

In an unforeseen situation, around 40 per cent of thesummer onion produce in Maharashtra was destroyeddue to the recent hailstorm, according to the latest sur-vey of Maharashtra State Agriculture Department.

It is feared that the shortage of the production willnow lead to another high price rise. The nation dealtwith a substantial crisis of price rise last year and as aresult there had been an increase in the onion producingareas, which is learnt to be up by 1 lakh hectares.According to a report, a senior official said that earlierthe average area under summer onion used to be 3 lakhhectares, but this has increased to 4 lakh hectares thisyear. The prospect of getting a good price had embold-ened the farmers to go for onion in a big way.

The hailstorm in March alone destroyed 40 per centof the crop, which means that even if the area of the pro-duction has increased, the prices may touch the sky. Inmany cases, the crop had already been harvested andkept in the fields waiting to be transported to the stor-age units. As a result, the entire lot was destroyed com-pletely, said the official.

MUMBAI

Onion pricesmay go up again

BHOPAL: The central zonebench of National Green Tribunal(NGT) recently served notices onCentral and state government agen-cies following a petition filed by aBhopal-based activist, alleging pollu-tion in the Mandideep Industrial Area(MIA). The petitioner Subhash CPandey also said the industrial area isflouting environmental norms, con-taminating Betwa River and posing a threat to archaeolog-ical monuments like Bhimbetka and Bhojpur.

The green panel served notices on the ministry of envi-ronment and forests (MoEF), ministry of culture, CentralPollution Control Board (CPCB), state urban administra-tion and development department (UADD) and AudyogikKendra Vikas Nigam (AKVN) among others. Judicialmember Justice Dalip Singh and expert member P S Raoalso served notices on Mandideep Municipal Council,Raisen, State Environment Impact Assessment Authority,(SEIAA) and MP Housing and Infrastructure DevelopmentBoard. Petitioner Pandey said, "Heavy industries are not

complying with MoEF guidelines.Bhimbetka and Bhojpur temples areunder threat as they are less than 25km away from the industrial unit."Besides, the Mandideep town is con-gested and situated on a 4 km periph-ery. The national highway and railwaystation are both within 500 metres.This is against rules, the petitionersaid.

Of 267 industries of the industrial area listed on PCBwebsite, 19 are plastic industries, 13 are pharma-based and24 are chemical industries. MIA covers 61% of the totalarea of Mandideep town. "Untreated poisonous waste fromthe industries is flowing directly on NH-12. The effluentsare mixing with Betwa River, damaging the crops irrigatedby it and also slow-poisoning animals drinking from theriver," Pandey said. He said of a population of 79,000, only45,000 are employees while the rest are residents. Besides,there is no designated dumping or landfill site and allunsegregated industrial and household waste is beingdumped in the middle of the town.

Pollution by Mandideep industries:

NGT serves noticesHigh quality innovative researchhelps farm sector stay afloat

COMMERCE

eeding the teeming millions in the faceof stagnating agricultural productivity,decreasing cultivable land, and increas-

ing degradation of natural resources is a challengethe country can hardly afford to overlook. Thecountry has an uphill task at hand because of theincreasing threats to agricultural practices due toclimate change.

In recent years what has enabled the Indianagricultural sector to stay afloat and relevant ishigh quality basic and strategic research and inno-vation to enhance profitability and competitive-ness. And triggering this shift is the NationalAgricultural Innovation Project (NAIP) of theICAR. A World Bank aided NAIP launched in2007 to actualise the vast untapped growth poten-tial of agriculture will help the country.

The highlight of the NAIP has been on innova-tive research to improve the quality and effective-ness of agricultural knowledge, science and tech-nology for reducing hunger and poverty as well asin improvement of nutrition, health, and farm-based livelihoods.

The project has helped to increase agriculturalyield and productivity by producing tolerant cropvarieties and effective biopesticides. Besidesprocessed foods like instant dry idly mix and mil-let dhokla have been developed. Research hasimproved pest management and technology ishelping farmers to share information in a betterway and quickly.

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8 APRIL 28 TO MAY 04, 2014 (MP & CG)

ocial media platforms and tech companies havecaught on the poll fever with many coming outand urging youth to cast their vote in the coun-

try's biggest battle for the ballot. Be it Google's 'pledgeto vote' campaign, Facebook's online political debates,Vebbler's 'the Ungli campaign' or telecom operatorMTS' election tracker, firms are trying to woo voters.More than 81.4 crore voters, including over 2.3 crore inthe age group of 18-19 years, are exercising their fran-chise India has the third largest Internet users base glob-ally of more than 23.8 crore users with a majority com-prising of youth. This includes well over a 10 croreactive on various social media platforms like Facebookand Twitter.

No wonder, social media platforms, technologyfirms, e-commerce portals and telecom operators areusing this opportunity to connect with users. Tech giantGoogle has revamped its election hub to include fea-

tures like Pledge to Vote campaign, a 'Google score' toolfor politicians, search trends infographics, YouTubeelection playlists and Hangout details for users.

Likewise, social networking giant Facebook hasalso launched an election tracker and has started aFacebook Talks series, which saw political leaders likeAam Aadmi Party founder Arvind Kejriwal and RJD

chief Laly Parsad Yadav answering questions ofFacebook users. India's homegrown personalised socialmedia platform Vebbler has started 'the UngliCampaign' aimed at engaging youth on conversationsrelated to various topics surrounding the upcomingelection and encouraging them to vote.

According to a study by IRIS KnowledgeFoundation and Internet and Mobile Association ofIndia (IAMAI), there are 160 high impact constituen-cies in India out of the total 543, which are likely to beinfluenced by social media during the general elections.Another IT products start-up firm FakeOff, which offersan app to identify fake profiles on Facebook, haslaunched a service to help users identify fake likes. Thesoftware by the Israel-based firm assumes importanceas the Election Commission of India has directed majorsocial networking sites to ensure that contents displayedby them during the electoral process are not unlawful ormalicious or violative of the model code of conduct.

iran Rawat lives with her hus-band and 3 sons in a small vil-lage in Sagar district of Madhya

Pradesh. With her home surrounded onall sides by fields of ripening crops, anda shiny new motorbike propped against awall, Kiran seems comfortably off.

But until recently, she was missing avery valuable resource: knowledge ofsafe childbirth techniques. This allchanged when she came into contactwith a UK aid-supported scheme thatprovides health advice and safe deliver-ies to mothers. The jewel in the crown ofthe scheme is the Janani Express - a fleetof specially equipped vehicles that takepregnant women to hospital round theclock and for no cost. The Janani Expressplayed a decisive role in the birth ofKirans 10-month-old son Keshav.Keshav suffered birth asphyxia - one ofthe three principal causes of neo-nataldeaths - and, were it not for the Expressgetting him swiftly to hospital, it isunlikely he would have survived.

Seeing the benefitsThroughout the ordeal, health worker

Rekha Rawat was on hand to providesupport to Kiran. Rekha has worked for

the scheme for 4 years, going from vil-lage to village to raise awareness of theJanani Express and other services beingprovided, such as free immunisation.

It can be hard to mobilise women touse these services, says Rekha. Theydont have a lot of time, and money isalways tight. It makes me particularlysatisfied when I can persuade them (totake up services) and they see the bene-fits for themselves.

Rekha often forms close bonds withthe women she helps - as she has withKiran - and she also has the trust andrespect of the local men. She is changingattitudes across the area towards hospitaldeliveries, and as Kiran can testify, help-ing to save lives.

Success breeds successSafe delivery and newborn care

means that 13 more infants per 1,000now survive in the region. In a statewhere 37 percent of the population livesin poverty, it was almost unheard of forwomen from the poor rural communitiesto give birth in hospital. Now the use ofemergency and ambulance transport forpregnant mothers has increased from lessthan one percent of deliveries in 2006-07to 40% today. The Janani Express has

now expanded, to capitalise on its earlysuccess. Dedicated 46 call centres havebeen established in each district in thestate. They ensure the women in remotetribal areas get to the nearest health facil-ity, who they also alert in advance. TheJanani Express and related maternity

services are part of the Madhya PradeshHealth Sector Reform Programme.

In Madhya Pradesh, safe institutionalbirths in health facilities have increasedfrom half a million in 2005-06 to over1.2 million in 2013/14.

NEW DELHI

BHOPAL

A safe arrival for newborns inMadhya Pradesh

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Social media platforms abuzz withpoll awareness campaigns

MUST READ

9 APRIL 28 TO MAY 04, 2014 (MP & CG)

Poonia, Om Prakash to train in US for CWG tune-uptar Indian throwers Krishna Poonia andOm Prakash will be leaving for the USthis Saturday for a training-cum-competi-

tion programme in preparation for the 2014Commonwealth Games to be held in Glasgow.Krishna, the first Indian woman athlete to win agold medal in CWG - Delhi 2010, will be trainingat Olympic Training Centre in Chula Vista,California. The 31-year-old Arjuna Awardee willalso be participating in competitions in the count-down to the Glasgow Games. Meanwhile, 2006CWG silver medallist in women`s discus throw,Seema Punia (previously Seema Antil) will alsoaccompany the three-member team to train at theOlympic Throwing Centre, New Port Beach,California. National record holder in men`s shotput and Asian Indoor Champion Om Prakash willbe training at Aphelion Athletics Club,Pennsylvania (USA). The throwers will be based

at their respective training centres in addition totravelling for various competitions up to theCommonwealth Games.

Commenting on the development, AthleticsFederation of India president and formerOlympian Adille J Sumariwalla said, "The throwevent has always beena priority for AFI and ourathletes have brought rich laurels for the countryin the past.

S

India`s dismal performance in the internation-al season gone by pushed them down the ladder inthe ICC Test rankings with the team finishingfifth in the annual updated list issued onThursday. Australia have gone top in both the for-mats for the first time since December 2008.Australia last held the number-one Test ranking inAugust 2009, when they were displaced after los-ing 2-1 to England.

India, who were thrashed during trips to SouthAfrica and New Zealand in their most recent Testassignments, have slipped from third to fifth inthe table after dropping 10 ratings points. In theODIs list, Mahendra Singh Dhoni`s men held onto the second spot.

India`s 2010-2011 victories against Australia,New Zealand and West Indies (away), as well asa drawn series against South Africa, no longercount to the rankings. Similarly, India`s 2011-2012 victory against the West Indies, and 2012-2013 victories against New Zealand and Australiaare now weighted at 50 per cent. There has beenlittle change to the ODIs rankings, despite the topthree sides Australia, India and Sri Lanka seeing

their rating drop. Australia have now edged aheadof South Africa, a team which had held the num-ber-one position since August 2012. In the latesttable, Australia have gained eight ratings points tomove up from 115 to 123, while South Africa hasdropped from 127 to be level on 123, withAustralia ahead of South Africa by a fraction of apoint, the ICC said in a statement. The resultsfrom 2010-11 have now been dropped from therankings calculation, while the results from 2012-2013 are now reduced to a weighting of 50 percent. In 2010-2011, Australia had lost to India (2-0) and England (3-1), while they suffered a 4-0defeat in India in 2012-2013. Australia captainMichael Clarke was delighted with the news thathis side was now on top of both the Test and ODItables.

Looking back at the past season, which hasturned out to be the cornerstone of Australia`s riseto the number-one ranking in Tests, Clarke said:"We had a fantastic home summer againstEngland and a great series win away againstSouth Africa earlier this year, but the challengenow is to continue that form.

outh African wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kockis enjoying his stint with

the Delhi Daredevils underKevin Pietersen and wouldvouch that he is finding theEngland stalwart to be com-pletely different from what hisimage is made out to be."Frankly speaking, I didn`tmeet or interact with KP beforethis IPL. But people had said alot of stuff about his ego and soon. But I have not seen that partof him. So I don`t know whatpeople mean when they speakabout that part of him," DeKock said during a media inter-action on the sidelines ofDaredevils` practice session."KP looks a lot fired in the fieldbecause a captain has to keephis players in their place (refer-ring to dropped catches)," the21-year-old said.

De Kock on his own admis-sion is finding it more comfort-able adjusting to the Daredevilsset-up having been in theSunrisers Hyderabad dug-outin the previous season."Obviously, it helps beingaround with familiar faces. Ifeel a lot more comfortablewith Gary (Kirsten) and Rob(assistant coach Rob Walters)around. Lucky to be aroundpeople whom I know. "InSunrisers, there were a lot of

Australians in their supportstaff. Having said that, I am notsaying, I was uncomfortable inHyderabad," he said. Asked ifhe would like keeping wickets,De Kock said that he doesn`tmind if the team managementwants him to do so.

"I really don`t mind keep-ing wickets whenever theywant me to do so. If they thinkthat I am a fine outfielder, Idon`t really mind." De Kockfeels that the Daredevils havemade a strong comeback afterbeing humiliated by ChennaiSuper Kings and RoyalChallengers Bangalore in twoof the first three matches.Asked to sum up Daredevils`UAE leg, De Kock said,"It wasnot bad. In the first few games,we struggled but we have comeback strongly and are playingvery good cricket at themoment." "After the first game,we needed someone to step upand JP Duminy was the guywho did it for us. The other day,we nearly chased down 190(versus Sunrisers). Anythingcould have happened. A mis-field or a dropped catch couldhave changed the game," hesaid. De Kock`s first season ininternational cricket has beengreat with a hat-trick of ODIcenturies against India, lastDecember.

SPORTS

Have not found anyego in KP, saysQuinton de Kock

New Delhi

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India slip to fifth, Australiaretain ICC Test rankings

Dubai

10 APRIL 28 TO MAY 04, 2014 (MP & CG)

riyanka Gandhi is charismatic,energetic, an extrovert and some-body who can connect with the

masses effortlessly. If you compare her with Rahul

Gandhi, even the Congress party sup-porters know Priyanka decimates herbrother with ease. Now, she has taken onNarendra Modi and trying to questionBJP's prime ministerial candidate onmany fronts--snoopgate, attack on herhusband, secularism and power in thehand on one man. Media is talking abouther, people are listening to her and thereis enthusiasm as far as Congress sup-porters are concerned. She is really'Brahmastra' for the Congress party, butnow the question is: Is it too late to makea real impact?

Surely, Priyanka reminds of hergrandmother Indira Gandhi and shelooks confident whenever she talks. Herpolitical acumen has not been reallychallenged even by her adversaries.Priyanka is better orator than RahulGandhi and she strikes immediate con-nection with women and children.

But, despite her qualities and strongcapability to deliver, she doesn't havetime on her side. Priyanka jumped intothe election arena when we are half-way-

through the polling process. Now, if shedesires to make an impact, she needstime for the message to reach out to themasses.

At best, she can manage to raisesome doubt in voters mind as far asModi's image in concerned, but in orderto decimate her opponents, she needstime which is not at her disposal rightnow. Priyankas advantage is that she iseverything that Rahul isnt. Priyankaseems to have many traits required tosucceed. But again, Congress party hasgiven her the campaign responsibilityvery late. If she would have entered thepoll campaign some months back, shewould have given the Congress workersa reason to get involved in the election.She would have been a biggest crowdpuller.

Earlier, there were reports in themedia that Priyanka would be givenmore responsibility during the pollprocess. But, somehow Congress partycould not muster strength to putPriyanka in the driving seat. Surely,Congress feared possible vicious attackson her husband. But, that has not stoppedand now Priyanka is dealing with theallegations head on. This could havebeen done earlier.

Priyanka connects with masses,but its too late for Cong

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Under fire for his alleged anti-Muslims speech, VHPPresident Pravin Togadia termed the media reportsfalse, malafide and mischievous and said he was send-ing legal notices to media houses.

Pravin Togadia, has denied saying the sentencesattributed to him in a section of press and sent a legalnotice to media houses. Togadia has clearly said thatreport published in media is fabricated and written withmalicious intention to malign his and organisations

name. Earlier BJP and RSS had defended the VHP chiefover his hate speech. Leader Ram Madhav had alsotweeted: Pravinbhai had not said anything that wasattributed to him. It was a fabricated news. NoSwayamsevak thinks on those lines.

The report said Pravin Togadia told a group ofHindus in Gujarat that Muslims should be stopped frombuying properties in Hindu-majority areas and theyshould forcibly occupy those houses already bought bythe members of the minority community. The notice byTogadia said, The report about a misinformed incidentin Gujarat is false, malafide and mischievous. Thelegal notice was issued on his behalf by his lawyer.

Togadia did meet a group of people, it said but he didnot offer them any advice which was socially or legal-ly wrong. We wish to state here emphatically thatthere was nothing socially or legally wrong in the aboveadvice given by my client to the said group as men-tioned. The notice further stated that the reports give acompletely false story intended to malign my clientsocially. Togadia told reporters that legal notice has beensent by my advocate on my behalf.

Togadia denies anti-Muslim remarks,sends notices to media houses

New Delhi

POLITICS

New Delhi

Embarrassment to Mulayam

Kin arrested fordouble murderLUCKNOW: In a major embarrassment to

Samajwadi Party (SP) supremo Mulayam SinghYadav, whose fate was sealed in electronic votingmachines, a close relative of his has reportedlysparked a bloodbath in Etah, leading to the murder oftwo persons. The incident happened on April 22night, according to the police.

While the fate of the Samajwadi Party is at stakein Etah, Etawah, Firozabad, Mainpuri and Kannauj,the alleged criminal act of Saurabh Yadav has left theYadav family red-faced. Saurabh is the son-in-law ofLakhan Singh Yadav, the maternal uncle of ChiefMinister Akhilesh.

The incident took place at Nagaria-Gulabpur,where Saurabh was reportedly trying to grab about 15bigha of land belonging to Sultan Singh Yadav, a BJPsupporter. Sultan and his cousin Dinesh Yadav werekilled in the fall-out.

"It is my land and we have been doing agricultur-al activities here for decades. But Saurabh used hisinfluence and fraudulently got the land registered inthe names of his family members. Some revenuedepartment officers have helped him in this fraud. Sowe moved the court, where the case was pending.

11 APRIL 28 TO MAY 04, 2014 (MP & CG)GLAMOUR

he Race Gurram actor is in the news for all the wrongreasons lately and that is what has gotten herpissed. Read on

Earlier this month, Shruti Haasans Telugu filmRace Gurram hit the theatres. However, just beforethe films release, some of Shrutis explicit imageswent viral over the internet. What more, there werespeculations that the actor did this intentionallyto garner eyeballs towards her film RaceGurram. So, what really happened?Shruti had shot for the popular track

Pimple Dimple for her film Yevadu.And while filming the song, someshots were taken from some not-so-great angles. However, thoseimages werent supposed to bereleased, we hear. Hear it fromthe horses mouth. Shruti told apopular daily, Im furious! What really both-ers me is that these stills were not preapprovedby the production house or me. Those picswere shot on location while I was shooting fora song. And like it happens with most picturesthat are shot when you are dancing, some ofthese were taken from unflattering angles. They

were never meant to be released and should havebeen deleted right away. She added, People

have been asking me why I would pose in such anunflattering manner for publicity. I didnt know how

to react! Truth is, I have never believed in this kindof cheap publicity. Theres no way you can control

such things and this could happen to anyone.Whatnext, you ask? We hear that she is going to file anFIR. Shruti said, I am filing an FIR in Hyderabad. Iwant to get to the bottom of this issue and I want toknow who uploaded the pictures. Someone has totake responsibility. I dont know a world beyond cin-

ema. This is where I have grown up and I trust peo-ple here like I would trust my own family.

Shruti Haasans sexyavatar in Yevadu leaked

nil Kapoors betiis desperatelylooking forwardto attending theCannes Films

Festival but why? Read onto knowSonam Kapoor hasbeen busy shootingback-to-back films andthe actresses says she isdesperate to get awayfrom work and soak upthe festivities at CannesFilm Festival. The 67thannual Cannes FilmFestival is scheduled to

take place from May 14 to 25. The 28-year-old actress,who is currently shooting Dolly Ki Doli and Khoobsuratremake, will be making her fourth appearance at the fes-tival and is gearing up to get all dolled up for the event.I am very busy shooting. I just completed KhoobsuratI am shooting Dolly Ki Doli and in 4 days I will beginPrem Ratan Dhan Payo. I only got a 3-4 days windowfrom my producer.I am just looking forward to getting out of Mumbai. Ihave been shooting constantly in this heat. I needed abreak and Cannes is the perfect getaway for me. It willbe a refreshing change from all this work, Sonam toldin an interview. The fashionista, who is the brandambassador of LOreal Paris, will attend the carnival onMay 18 and 19. I was asked to attend the first two daysbut I could not get an off. So I will attend the event onMay 18 and 19, will be back on the May 20 and resumeshooting from May 21. Last time it was very easy as Ihad finished Ranjhanaa and Bhaag Milkha Bhaag. So, Icould give them the dates they wanted, she said.

Sonam Kapoor: I needed abreak and Cannes is theperfect getaway for me!

A

eteran actor Jeetendra, singerSunidhi Chauhan, televisionactors Gautam Rode and Hina

Khan were also conferred with the cov-eted award.

Actor-filmmaker Farhan Akhtar andJuhi Chawla were honoured by theDadasaheb Phalke Academy at anawards ceremony. At the 145th editionof the awards, held at Bhaidas Hall inJuhu, Farhan and Juhi were honouredfor their outstanding performances intheir respective films Bhaag MilkhaBhaag and Gulaab Gang. They werehappy. Sharing his excitement, Farhansaid: I am feeling very happy that thisfilm and my work has been appreciated

here at Dadasaheb Phalke (Academy)Awards. It feels very nice to get such aprestigious award in the name ofDadasaheb Phalke, who was the fatherof Indian cinema. Juhi, who got thebest actress honour, said: I am veryhappy to receive the award.

I feel very honoured as it is in thename of Dadasaheb Phalke. I feelvery privileged, she added. SingerSunidhi Chauhan also received theDadasaheb Phalke Academy Award forone of her popular songs Kamli fromthe film Dhoom:3.

She feels lucky to have been chosenfor the prestigious award this year andthanked her fans.

Farhan , Juhi and Kapil receive Dadasaheb Phalke awardV

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In Bihar, one of the poorest states inIndia, voters in this years elections had theeconomy foremost on their minds, but in astate where the most socially disadvantagedsections of society make up a majority of vot-ers, even economic issues are tied up withcaste politics.Sachidanand Sharma, whoheads the political science department atPatna University, said development hadbecome a central issue and a buzzword forevery political party in Bihar during the cam-paign. For the first time, in this election peo-ple in Bihar talked of voting on the basis ofpolitical parties and issues, and not solely onthe basis of caste and religion as was thenorm in previous elections in the state, Dr.

Sharma said. Voters were also mindfulof how politics operate in the stategovernment. Even the issue ofdevelopment in Bihar is to someextent tied up with caste in thesense that people look into whobenefited from government policiesand who did not. It is not that peopleonly look at the caste of a candidateand vote, but its the fact that castepolitics seems to determine a lot ofthe decisions that governmentsmake and the way that politics func-tions in the state.

In the six phases of voting inBihar, which will send 40 MPs to theLok Sabha, three groups are bat-tling it out: the Janata Dal (United);the Bharatiya Janata Party inalliance with the Lok JanshaktiParty; and a coalition of theRashtriya Janata Dal, the IndianNational Congress and theNationalist Congress Party.

Nitish Kumar of the Janata Dal(United), who has been chief minister

of Bihar since 2005, has campaignedon the platform of bringing development,

good governance, and law and order toBihar. However, Kumar has also worked to

gain support among those classified as mem-bers of the lowest strata of society, the MahaDalits and the extremely backward castes,who make up 44 percent of the states 6.2crore voters. Having severed a 17-yearalliance with the BJP, Kumar is also vyingfor the vote of the Muslim community byemphasizing his secular politics.

The Lok Janshakti Party chief, RamVilas Paswan, also says he repre-sents the aspirations of all backward

castes, who make up 22.5 percentof the vote in the state, while theBJP has support among the upper-caste Hindu voters, political ana-lysts say.

Meanwhile, the RashtriyaJanata Dals leader, Lalu Prasad

Yadav, has traditionally relied on the supportof Muslims and Yadavs. However, for the peo-ple of the state the economy and the quality oflife came was the most important electionissue. The common man in Bihar is distraughtbecause of the rising costs, poverty and cor-ruption. People want change in this election.Many said that although politicians spoke ofdevelopment, the poor in the state did notbenefit from economic growth. Rising priceshave made life terrible for poor people in thestate; all these governments work for the rich,said Manju Devi, 30, who washes dishes inpeoples homes. There needs to be progressthat includes the poor people of the state.

However, people said, caste and commu-nity allegiances still guided voters decisions.Even today, there is a lot of prejudice on thegrounds of caste in Bihar, said MohommadHasan, 37, who works as a tailor. DeepakKumar, 34, who owns a small business inPatna, said caste consciousness is inherent inBihar peoples thinking.

BRIEF

Uproar over clinical trialsas 254 women die

12 APRIL 28 TO MAY 04, 2014 (MP & CG)

Owned Printed and Puplished byM.M. Baig. Printed at lucky, 267, Pragati Nagar, Shahanshah garden, Bhopal (MP) and published from H.No. 101, A Sector Indrapuri BHEL, Ward No. 63, Dist. Bhopal- 462021, M.P.

Tele/FAX 0755-4292545, Mob. 9425029901 [email protected] RNI No. MPENG/2012/46415 Editor: M.M. BAIG- Responsible for selection of News & Articles under PRB Act, Subject to Bhopal jurisdiction

In Bihar, economicconcerns were tiedup in caste politics

PATNA

NATION

he death of 254 Indian womenfrom modest backgrounds in thecourse of a 15-year US-funded

clinical trial has triggered a raging debateabout its ethicality. The trial was for acervical cancer screening method and thewomen who died were part of a controlgroup kept without screening to studydeath rates in unscreened populations.

It is a well-established fact that anykind of cervical screening reduces theincidence of the cancer. Yet, almost140,000 women in the control arm of thetrial were not screened. After a complaintmade to it, the United States Office forHuman Research Protections (OHRP)determined that the women were notgiven adequate information to giveinformed consent. Those arguing that thetrial was unethical also say it violated the

international ethical guidelines on med-ical research as well as Indian Council ofMedical Research (ICMR) guidelines.

Clearly these trials violated bothinternational and national guidelines,said Sandhya Srinivasan of the IndianJournal of Medical Ethics (IJME). Shepointed out that these studies would nothave been permitted in the country of thefunding organizations. An article in thelatest issue of the IJME by Dr Eric Suba,a San Francisco-based pathologist, whohad filed a complaint in the US in May2011 against the trial, has demandedcompensation for the families of thewomen who died and immediate screen-ing and treatment, where necessary, of thewomen in the unscreened group. Thethree-cluster randomized controlled trialslooked for a cheap screening treatment

for cervical cancer for introduction intothe public health programme. The trialswere conducted among Indian women ofthe lowest socio-economic status inMumbai slums, villages in Osmanabad inMaharashtra and in Dindigul in TamilNadu. These studies compared the cervi-cal cancer death rate among 2,24,929women who were offered the differenttypes of cervical screening to that among1,38,624 women who were offered noscreening at all. In the IJME article, DrSuba asked what purpose was to beserved by keeping 1,40,000 women with-out screening when the effectiveness ofcervical screening is well accepted.people should not be used to demon-strate exactly how much death resultsfrom lack of medical care, stated DrSuba.

TNew Delhi