Diabetes costs nation Rs 2000cr a year - Yahoo! India News
Diabetes costs nation Rs 2000cr a year
Wed, Apr 30 03:13 AM
India, with 3.5 crore diabetics, loses Rs 2,000 crore a year by way of productivity, a figure that is almost one-eighth of its health budget.
According to a recent report supported by Novo Nordisk, the cost of diabetes in India is as high as 2.1% of gross domestic product. While treatment cost adds up to merely 0.2% of GDP, the productivity loss due to diabetes is almost 1.9%. The cost includes cost of treatment and loss of productivity as a result of death.
A recent report published in the UN Chronicle said India's expenditure on treatment of diabetes has touched almost $2 billion, almost three times the expenditure by 47 countries in the African region.
In India, a low-income family with a diabetic adult member could spend as much as 25% of the family income on care, the report said.
Dr A K Das, director of Jawaharlal Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education & Research (Jimper), told FE that the number of patients affected by diabetes is almost 3.5 crore now and is expected to double by 2030, according to the International Diabetes Federation.
Dr Deepak Dalal, trustee of the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, said: "Most of the people are not even aware of the necessary tests like HbA1c, and if they are advised by the healthcare professionals for the test, they won't do that."
People are not only unaware of the methods of better glycemic control, they don't know the importance of new tests like glycosylated haemoglobin or HbA1c. The awareness of HbA1c in India is merely 19% against 92% in developed countries like Sweden.
A study, titled Changing Diabetes Barometer, reveals that almost 51% patients in India have never heard of the HbA1c test, and nearly half were unaware of their target level.
The HbA1c test indicates the average level of glucose in the blood for a period of 8-12 weeks, against the commonly-done blood test's limitation of a day or a moment.
While the HbA1c level is 3.5-5.5% for a normal non-diabetic, 6.5% is considered safe for a diabetic.
The report found that patients in India have only 19 minutes to consult a healthcare professional on diabetes, against 30 minutes in Sweden. Healthcare professionals in India have also reported taking 2-4 measures of HbA1c annually.
"Diabetes demands regular testing and monitoring which push up the cost of the treatment," Dalal said.
According to him, the prevalence of diabetes is 12-15% in urban population and almost one-sixth of the rural population suffer from it. With the increasing reach of technology in even rural areas, the aspiration level has gone up coupled with increased stress level.
According to experts, there is a need to wake up to modern insulin to maintain better HbA1c level. Moreover, budgetary allocation for diabetes should also be increased to take diabetes treatment to the grassroots level by enabling better access through modes like mobile units.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
The Hindu - Indian Newspapers in English Language from eight editions.
The Hindu - Indian Newspapers in English Language from eight editions.
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S. Tripathi
 MEMBERS OF THE Central Government Clerical Staff Association staging a lunch-hour demonstration against the Sixth Pay Commission recommendations at North Block in New Delhi on April 11.
Any political mileage the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government had hoped to gain out of announcing the Sixth Central Pay Commission recommendations as a pre-poll bonanza has been neutralised, at least for the time being. Almost all sections of Central government employees are up in arms against the recommendations, which are apparently skewed in favour of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS). The government has now been forced to constitute a high-level committee to look into them and suggest corrective measures. The committee, led by the Cabinet Secretary, will have as members Secretaries of Home, Defence, Revenue, Expenditure and the Department of Posts, the Secretary (Security), the Deputy Comptroller and Auditor General, the Financial Commissioner and the Member Secretary of the Railway Board. The committee was announced following opposition from non-IAS Central government employees, including defence personnel and Indian Police Service (IPS) officers, to the recommendations. The discontent among the defence personnel was so grave that the Chiefs of the Army, the Navy and the Air Force intervened on behalf of their staff. IPS officers – even chiefs of the police in the States – apparently planned a protest march from Vijay Chowk to North Block, the seat of the Home Ministry, in New Delhi. The discontent is simmering; officers up to the rank of Deputy Inspector-General (DIG) are said to be contemplating surrendering their medals if they do not get justice. The “pro-IAS” stance of the Commission has left over 14 lakh railway employees, nearly five lakh defence personnel and over 12 lakh other Central government employees seething with rage. A joint consultative machinery (JCM) of these employees will meet in New Delhi on April 25 to chalk out a plan of protest action. Significantly, defence personnel were among the first to voice their discontent. Though the Justice Srikrishna Commission has been generous with the three services chiefs – their salaries have been trebled and brought on a par with the topmost civilian salary of Rs.90,000 a month – its recommendations for middle-level officers and jawans have been inadequate. For instance, the increase in the salary for middle-level officers would only be 15-20 per cent as against 40 per cent, which they expected. The special military pay recommended for jawans is Rs.1,000 a month whereas a junior officer would get six times that though both work in similar conditions on the border or in areas affected by terrorism and insurgency. To cite another instance, an Army havildar who draws Rs.11,000 after 15 years of service would get only Rs.13,000 to 14,000 a month after the revision. At a time when joining the defence forces is not a preferred option for youngsters, it is feared that the Pay Commission recommendations will make it more unattractive. The Army is short of nearly 1,200 officers. The Navy and the Air Force, too, are beginning to feel the heat as many officers have applied for premature retirement. The three service chiefs, who met Defence Minister A.K. Antony shortly after the Pay Commission recommendations were announced, told the media that “there are some anomalies that need to be corrected”. Officers of the IPS are demanding parity with IAS officers at all levels in terms of pay, promotion, pension and service conditions; transparency in the implementation of the recommendations; and a Group of Ministers (GoM) to look into their grievances. Their fight is for “rightful respect and dignity” in view of their role in national security and development. At a meeting of the IPS Association in New Delhi recently, where a resolution voicing these demands was adopted unanimously, it was also decided to constitute a media committee, a review committee and a legal committee to follow up the demands. “The legal recourse is open to us if nothing else will work. The report comes at a time when the police forces are already demotivated,” said O.P. Singh, Inspector-General of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and a former secretary of the IPS (Central) Association. According to him, what angers IPS officers most is the short shrift given to State Director Generals of Police (DGPs) and officers of the DIG rank. While chiefs of paramilitary forces such as the CRPF, the Border Security Force (BSF), the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and the Sasashtra Sena Bal (SSB) have been given Rs.80,000 a month (fixed), State DGPs have been put in the pay band of Rs.39,200-Rs.67,000. In a memorandum submitted to Home Minister Shivraj Patil, the IPS Association says the “responsibilities and problems faced by Director-Generals of States are in no way less than those faced by the Central paramilitary forces” and hence the Pay Commission recommendations are “unfair and likely to violate the principle of equity and equitability between the services”. The IPS Association has also taken exception to the fact that its long-standing demand to upgrade the level of the post of DIG has not just been ignored, but the post has actually been downgraded from the previous pay scale of Rs.16,400-20,000 to Rs.15,600-39,100. The association has demanded that the DIGs’ pay band be merged with the Rs.39,200-67,000 pay band. The association also points out anomalies in grade pay allotted to IAS and IPS officers. For instance, the grade pay for senior time-scale for IPS officers has been fixed at Rs.6,100 as against Rs.6,500 for IAS officers, and the grade pay for junior administrative scale has been fixed at Rs.6,600 for IPS officers and Rs.7,500 for IAS officers. The selection grade scale for IPS officers is Rs.7,600; it is Rs.8,300 for IAS officers. The Pay Commission has justified this discrimination in these words: “As the initial postings of IAS officers are generally in small places, they face frequent transfers, and the pulls and pressures they have to stand up to early in their career are much more intense. The slight edge in the initial stages of their career would, to an extent, neutralise these problems.” The IPS Association counters this argument by saying that “if the principle of postings in remote places, frequent transfers and pulls and pressures applies most to any service, it is the IPS. IPS officers need to be given the same grade pay exactly similar to the recommendations made for the IAS.” The IPS association has also demanded a hardship or risk allowance for the entire police force as it is more often engaged in arduous and difficult duties on internal security. It has also demanded a police service pay similar to the military service pay.  NATIONAL DEFENCE ACADEMY graduates at a parade in 2005. At a time when joining the defence forces is not a preferred option for youngsters, it is feared the Pay Commission recommendations will make it more unattractive.
According to a senior police officer, at a time when the police forces are facing newer and harsher challenges on the internal security front, the government cannot afford to ignore them because a demotivated force can hardly “become a partner in development”, as the Prime Minister would want it to be. “A force of 2.2 million, led by 3,200 IPS officers, cannot be sidelined by any government. It can do so at its own peril,” said another officer. Other sections of Central government employees, except defence personnel and railway employees, are also annoyed that two-thirds of them have been given a pittance by the Pay Commission. “Barring the top-level bureaucracy, that is Joint Secretary above, nobody has been given a fair deal,” says K.K.N. Kutty, general secretary of the Confederation of Central Government Employees and Workers. According to him, the Fifth Pay Commission had recommended a better minimum pay in 1997 as it had taken the net national product into consideration, which this Pay Commission has ignored. Kutty says the Sixth Pay Commission has given a 181 per cent hike to Grade A officers and just 28 per cent for the rest. “The disparity between Grade A officers and the rest has gone up tremendously. For example, there is no change in our transport allowance even though we travel in our own vehicles or by bus. But the transport allowance to an IAS officer has been hiked to Rs.7,000 a month, which is even higher than the minimum wage of an employee,” he says. Railway employees are particularly miffed at the lower-level staff being totally ignored by the Pay Commission. According to a spokesperson of the railway employees’ union, the hike in the pay scales for Group D and Group C staff was only Rs.997 and Rs.1,537 respectively, while it is Rs.6,575 for Group B and Rs.6,160 for Group A employees. Officers at the level of Secretary and Cabinet Secretary would get a hike of Rs.31,640 and Rs.32,040 respectively. With the joint consultative machinery planning direct action, the Sixth Pay Commission recommendations are turning out to be the proverbial albatross around the UPA government’s neck. If the government implements them in their present form, it would antagonise a whole section of its employees. A review of the recommendations, on the other hand, will have massive financial implications. The Pay Commission’s liabilities are already estimated at Rs.12,561 crore in 2008-09. The net financial burden for the year would be Rs.7,975 crore after taking into consideration the savings of Rs.4,586 crore that are likely to accrue on account of the various measures suggested in the report. In addition to this will be the Rs.18,060 crore to be paid as arrears. While the government may have worked out ways to meet this expenditure, as the Finance Minister announced in his Budget speech to the thumping of desks, it is doubtful whether it will be able to mobilise the additional resources if the Pay Commission recommendations are revised. No wonder, the high-level committee has been given no time frame to submit its report. •
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The Hindu - Indian Newspapers in English Language from eight editions.
The Hindu - Indian Newspapers in English Language from eight editions.
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THE widespread use of mobile, or cell, phones has been accompanied by controversy over the adverse health effects of the electromagnetic field (EMF) radiation emitted by them. The controversy remains despite years of research. Most of the claimed effects, and the consequent research that these have triggered, have to do with genotoxicity, mutations, cancer and male sterility. But there are also reports about mobile phone radiation, whose frequencies (900–1,800 megahertz, or MHz) are in the microwave region of the EM spectrum (see diagram), causing such non-life-threatening ailments as sleep disorders, headaches and allergic symptoms. A series of studies by a research team led by Dariusz Leszczynski, at STUK, the Finnish Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority, Helsinki, has now demonstrated that the radiation emitted by ordinary mobile phones – which is essentially a low-energy radio-frequency-modulated EMF (RF-EMF) – can cause subtle biological effects in tissues, such as alteration in the protein expression of certain genes active in the exposed tissues and increased phosphorylation (which is the addition of phosphate groups to proteins and is a measure of their biochemical activity). Following earlier in vitro experiments with human cell lines, Leszczynski’s team has now demonstrated for the first time that such molecular level changes occur in human tissues in vivo too. In this experiment, a small area of skin on the forearm of 10 female volunteers was exposed for one hour to a 900 MHz GSM (Global System for Mobile communication) signal of strength similar to a normal mobile phone’s signal. The response of the skin tissue to this RF-EMF was studied by carrying out biopsies for all extractable proteins on exposed and non-exposed areas of skin. This was done with a technique known as two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE). The technique came up with 579 proteins, an analysis of which identified eight proteins, two of which were common to all the volunteers, that were statistically significantly altered. The results of the experiment were published on February 11 in BioMed Central’s open access online journal BMC Genomics. According to the authors, the results were similar to those seen in their earlier in vitro experiments. Since findings in vitro do not necessarily imply that similar responses would be seen in living tissues as well, this in vivo study strengthens their earlier findings. It is generally believed that radiation from mobile phones is unlikely to cause any biological effects. A major reason for this belief is that the energy deposited in a tissue by a mobile phone is far lower than the energy needed to break a chemical bond, which is about one electronvolt (eV). The energy required to knock off electrons from a molecule is an order of magnitude higher, about 10 eV. Electromagnetic energy is carried by photons. The higher the frequency, the higher the energy in each photon (see diagram). The frequency at which the radiation becomes ionising is around the upper end of the ultraviolet (UV) range, a little below the frequency where X-rays begin. 
Thus, the energy carried by a 900 MHz GSM mobile phone (4 × 10-6 eV) or by a 1,800 MHz GSM mobile phone (7 × 10-6 eV) is about a million times less than that required to cause chemical reactions. Nevertheless, at high intensities, all non-ionising radiation – for instance, extreme low frequency (ELF) fields such as those produced by high voltage electrical wires, RF, microwaves, infrared, visible light and low-frequency UV – can cause heating of the material on which the energy is deposited, including tissues. For this reason, safety regulations for RF and microwave devices fix their exposure levels on the basis of their well-understood thermal effects when sufficient energy is deposited to cause a measurable increase in the temperature of the sample. Therefore, many question whether this low energy would be able to induce biological effects at all, and since the physical mechanism remains unknown, the biological effects reported are often dismissed as artefacts of the experiment, Leszczynski points out in a paper. But there are many animal and in vitro studies on mobile phone exposure that suggest the possibility of non-thermal biological effects such as levels of expression and activity of certain proteins, which get activated by external stress even when it is too small to cause a rise in temperature. The well-known British report (2000) by the Independent Expert Group on Mobile Phones of the erstwhile National Radiological Protection Board, headed by Sir William Stewart, and the report of the expert panel of the Royal Society of Canada (1999) took cognisance of such findings and advocated a precautionary approach to the use of wireless devices pending definitive proof of their potential health risks. The Finnish study should, therefore, be viewed as one that has gone a step further through its in vivo findings in humans. In the first of the earlier studies done in 2002, and reported in the journal Differentiation, Leszczynski’s team exposed a human endothelial cell line (a single layer of smooth, flattened cells characteristic of the linings of the heart, blood vessels and lymph vessels) called EA.hy926 to a 900 MHz GSM mobile phone for one hour to see whether the signal activated a stress response much like the higher energy EMFs. The unit that is commonly used to measure the energy deposited in biological systems is the specific absorption rate (SAR), which is defined in watts per kilogram (W/kg) and is the rate of absorption of EM energy in a unit mass of tissue. In the experiment, the GSM-mobile-phone-simulating signal was maintained at a SAR of 2.4 W/kg, which is slightly above the European safety limit of 2.0 W/kg. One of the proteins affected in the study was identified as heat-shock protein-27 (Hsp27). It was found that mobile phone exposure caused a transient increase (two- to sevenfold) in the phosphorylation of Hsp27, which was prevented by a specific inhibitor called SB203580 derived from a protein kinase designated as p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK). (Protein kinases are enzymes that activate phosphorylation and MAPKs are protein kinases that respond to external stimuli and regulate cellular processes.) It was also found that the exposure caused transient changes in the protein expression levels of Hsp27 (twofold) and p38 MAPK. The observed increase in the expression and phosphorylation of Hsp27 in cells led the researchers to suggest that the cells in EA.hy926 had recognised RF-EMF as an external stress factor and this is what elicited an Hsp27-dependent defence. All these effects were non-thermal because, as was determined using temperature probes, irradiation intensity was maintained at levels so as to not alter the temperature of the cell culture, which remained throughout the irradiation period at 37 ± 0.3° C. On the basis of this finding, the researchers suggested that mobile phone radiation activated a variety of cellular signal transduction pathways, the stress response pathway involving Hsp27 and p38 MAPK being one of them. Heat-shock proteins are a class of proteins that get expressed as a result of cell response to external stress factors, such as heat and radiation, including intense sunlight. The response is designed to be the cell’s defence mechanism against the external stress. Changes in protein expression and phosphorylation levels can be detected within seconds of exposure, according to Leszczynski. The difference between these detectable cellular responses and RF-EMF-induced stress is that, as noted earlier, the energy deposited by heat (infrared), sunlight (visible light) or UV radiation is far greater than that of microwave or radio frequency radiation. In a paper on “Activation of cellular stress response by RF-EMF and its possible impact on cell physiology”, Leszczynski noted: “Comparison of the extent of RF-EMF-induced stress response (weak stimulus) with the extent of stress response induced by heat (strong stimulus) for the purpose of claims that the RF-EMF-induced stress is negligible is incorrect; it would be like comparing response to ‘tickling with feeder’ with response to ‘hitting with hammer’.” In an e-mail communication, Leszczynski pointed out that such a quantitative comparison was difficult because classical heating and heating with microwaves had different kinetics. The new finding of Leszczynski’s group is that even the weak stimulus of RF-EMF-induced stress is sufficient to elicit a cellular response in Hsp27 and associated biochemical pathways. Shrinking of cells
Investigating further whether these changes had any impact on cellular physiology, the scientists examined the status of stress fibres in the exposed cells because phosphorylation of Hsp27 was known to regulate the stability of certain (F-actin) stress fibres. It was found that the stability of the stress fibres increased after the period of irradiation and did not decline during the subsequent one-hour incubation period. This induction of increased stability of stress fibres, which could be prevented by the inhibitor SB203580, was found to cause cells to visibly shrink. On the basis of this finding, the researchers hypothesised that increased stabilisation of stress fibres and the cell shrinking caused by it, if they occurred in the endothelial lining of brain’s blood vessels, might have an effect on the functioning of the blood-brain barrier. This they observed could explain the increased permeability of the blood-brain barrier in certain animal experiments under RF-EMF exposure.  Exposure of forearm with a dipole antenna at 900 MHz.
They further noted that Hsp27’s overexpression and increased phosphorylation also resulted in inhibition of programmed cell death, or apoptosis, owing to the formation of a new chemical complex with the protein complex apoptosome. This, they hypothesised, could support the survival of cells that transformed spontaneously or were damaged by external factors. The study also found changes in certain proteins of the cytoskeleton (the scaffolding or the skeleton of the cytoplasm in the cells). The cell line showed up as many as 1,300 altered proteins by the 2-DE technique, of which 49 were found to be statistically significantly altered. Among these 49 were certain cytoskeletal proteins known as vimentins. Thus, the upshot of the experiment is that there is a possibility that RF-EMF-induced molecular events could lead to alteration in cell physiology. “Whether any impact on organs or whole body will be exerted by this change remains to be determined by in vivo studies,” the researchers noted. This set the stage for the human volunteer project, and as a first step, human skin cells were exposed to low-energy RF-EMF from mobile phones. To an e-mail query whether exposure to higher energy EM radiation, such as heat or sunlight, would result in similar blood-brain-barrier-related and apoptotic effects, Leszczynski said: “Obviously, sunlight has no effect on the blood-brain barrier, at least directly.” He further emphasised that the effects on stress proteins and stress fibres induced by mobile phone radiation were transient and cells returned to their normal state after a few hours. “Whether repeated exposures could lead to a permanent up-regulation of the stress status of cells, we simply do not know,” he added. Since we know that continuous exposure to higher energy sunlight and heat (particularly in tropical and desert climates) causes no other long-term remarkable physiological changes in general populations (except in the cases of heat strokes, which can be fatal and in cases where UV exposure of non-melanin-rich populations can cause skin cancer in the long term), one could argue a priori that mobile phones are unlikely to cause any long-term health impact. “No,” Leszczynski said in his e-mail response. “It is not correct because mobile phone radiation might induce non-thermal effects. Furthermore, body physiology has mechanisms to adjust to increased temperature caused by slow heating (sunshine). Heating with microwaves is fast and the body has no time to adjust physiology so fast. Therefore, the responses in respect to health might be different. However, this is only a hypothesis, and we do not know whether it is correct. We simply do not have studies that would examine such a possibility.” In another related study, Leszczynski and colleagues carried out the same experiment on two closely related variants of the human endothelial cell line: EA.hy296 and EA.hy296v1. While they found that gene and protein expression were altered in both the cell lines in response to a one-hour radiation exposure at an average SAR of 2.8 W/kg, it was found that the same genes and proteins were affected by the exposure differently. “Therefore,” the researchers observed an important facet of the biological effects seen, “it is likely that different types of cells and from different species might have different sensitivity to this weak stimulus. Our findings might also explain, at least in part, the origin of discrepancies in replication studies between different laboratories.”  The energy carried by mobile phones is about a million times smaller than that required to cause chemical reactions.
In all these studies, Leszczynski and associates made a paradigm shift in the technique used for such analyses. Conventional methods are not suited for detecting the small changes in protein expression or phosphorylation that could occur because of “weak stimuli”, such as RF-EMF-induced stress, and which might be insufficient to cause any physiological changes or potential health effects, as against effects due to “strong stimuli”. The researchers employed the new approach of high throughput screening techniques (HTST) that have come into use with the increasing automation in biological laboratory methods. This allows a researcher to carry out thousands of biochemical, pharmacological or genetic tests rapidly on samples at hand. Using this technique, one can quickly identify active compounds, antibodies or genes that are involved in a particular biomolecular pathway. This technique has come particularly into vogue in the fields of proteomics (the study of all protein expressions in a given population of cells) and transcriptomics (the study of the expression of all the genes at a time), which have emerged as the natural next steps to derive maximum knowledge out of genomics (the deciphering of complete genomes of organisms). In an editorial in Proteomics in 2006, before the latest in vivo experiment, Leszczynski pointed out that finding and validating any potential health hazard using the normal epidemiological approach might not be possible because of the “low sensitivity” of the methodology, which would be insufficient to reliably detect the weak biological effects of low-energy EMF. Further, he pointed out that most epidemiological studies are focussed on the induction of cancer. “Therefore, independent of their outcome, these studies will provide information only about cancer,” he wrote. “The research executed so far,” he said in the editorial, “has not produced convincing or robust evidence about the possibility of induction of biological effects by mobile phone radiation….The use of HTST…might be a useful approach to determine possible molecular targets of EMF on the sub-cellular level. The HTST approach seems to be particularly well suited for studying biological effects of EMF because it might reveal effects that are not possible to predict based on the presently available knowledge…. [I]t is necessary to remember that HTST can pick up small changes in protein or gene expression which might be of insufficient magnitude to alter cell physiology…. [T]he use of the HTST approach will likely lead to the identification of cellular signalling pathways that respond to EMF exposure. This will allow the formulation of much better, knowledge-based hypotheses aimed at determining whether there might be any health hazard associated with the EMF exposures.” Thus, the method of using genome-wide and proteome-wide screening techniques was aimed at quickly identifying all the genes and proteins that respond to low-energy RF-EMF rather than detecting any possible health effects. The human volunteer project has demonstrated that living human skin does respond to mobile phone radiation. “The human volunteer studies conducted so far,” the authors point out in the paper, “have focussed on cognitive responses to RF-EMF and there is no information available about the proteome, as well as the transcriptome, response to mobile phone radiation in humans.” Their findings imply that the response of human skin to RF-EMF results in the alteration of protein expression. However, as they emphasise, this does not necessarily mean that these observed biochemical changes would have any effect on health or cell physiology. This, they point out, requires a further, larger study. Accordingly, a more extensive study with 50-100 volunteers is now planned at STUK. Depending upon the availability of funding, they plan to launch the study in 2009. The present study was funded by Tekes (the Finnish Funding Agency for Technology and Innovation) and STUK, and it was a part of the Finnish research programme on Health Risk Assessment of Mobile Communications (HERMO).•
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Monday, April 21, 2008
The Times of India - Indian Newspapers in English Language from six editions.
The Times of India - Indian Newspapers in English Language from six editions.
Din in RS after MP calls Rahul 'yuvraj'
22 Apr 2008, 0302 hrs IST
,TNN
22 Apr 2008, 0302 hrs IST
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NEW DELHI: Calling Rahul Gandhi "yuvraj", future "king" and even "Gautam Buddha" by a Congress MP led to sharp exchanges between treasury and Opposition benches in Rajya Sabha on Monday with the Left siding with the Opposition, calling such description unacceptable in a democracy.
During a special debate on rural development, Congress member E M S Natchiappan suddenly turned emotional and said Rahul's storming the Bundelkhand divisional commissioner's office showed that he was the "yuvraj of the people and of the party (Congress)".
The Tamil Nadu politician said Rahul's mingling with the poor in the area and elsewhere also showed that he was cut out in the Gautam Buddha mould and would surely be the "king" of India.
"He can be a minister any day, even the rural development minister, but Raghuvanshji (rural development minister) is doing a good job," Natchiappan said, taking the Opposition benches by total surprise.
Taking time to recover, BJP member Balbir Punj, who spoke after Natchiappan, said, "If there is a yuvraj, there must be a rajmata and a maharaja. It is a joke and I totally condemn it. It is hard to believe that for some people, the salvation of the country still depends on one family."
Although only a few in number, Congress members stood at their places and used their lung power to the maximum to shout Punj down. But the chair allowed CPM member Brinda Karat to speak. "Referring to someone as yuvraj is not acceptable in a democracy," she said.
During a special debate on rural development, Congress member E M S Natchiappan suddenly turned emotional and said Rahul's storming the Bundelkhand divisional commissioner's office showed that he was the "yuvraj of the people and of the party (Congress)".
The Tamil Nadu politician said Rahul's mingling with the poor in the area and elsewhere also showed that he was cut out in the Gautam Buddha mould and would surely be the "king" of India.
"He can be a minister any day, even the rural development minister, but Raghuvanshji (rural development minister) is doing a good job," Natchiappan said, taking the Opposition benches by total surprise.
Taking time to recover, BJP member Balbir Punj, who spoke after Natchiappan, said, "If there is a yuvraj, there must be a rajmata and a maharaja. It is a joke and I totally condemn it. It is hard to believe that for some people, the salvation of the country still depends on one family."
Although only a few in number, Congress members stood at their places and used their lung power to the maximum to shout Punj down. But the chair allowed CPM member Brinda Karat to speak. "Referring to someone as yuvraj is not acceptable in a democracy," she said.
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Cop 'rapes' woman for 4 days-Hyderabad-Cities-The Times of India
Cop 'rapes' woman for 4 days-Hyderabad-Cities-The Times of India
Cop 'rapes' woman for 4 days
20 Apr 2008, 0215 hrs IST,TNN
20 Apr 2008, 0215 hrs IST
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KURNOOL: Police had to resort to a lathicharge after hundreds of villagers laid seige to the Kodumuru police station in the district alleging that a woman has been illegally confined there for four days during which she was repeatedly raped by a constable. Late on Saturday night, Kurnool range DIG K R M Kishore Kumar suspended the constable and sub-inspector M Arohana Rao. He also ordered registration of rape charges against the constable and an inquiry as to how a woman was illegally detained in the police station for four days. The 31-year-old woman, a resident of Bethapalli village, was allegedly picked up by the police last Monday on theft charges.
When her relatives met her in the police station on Saturday morning, she told them that constable Nagaraju has been raping her for the last four days during the nights and that SI M Arohana Rao has been beating her up during the day under the guise of interrogation. Hundreds of villagers immediately surrounded the police station and pelted stones at it. A passing bus too was stoned. Even as the constable in question ran away from the premises, police rushed in additional forces and the situation was brought under control by caning the protesters. The entire drama took place for about 45 minutes.
The woman is still said to be in the police station even as senior officials were unavailable for comment. According to the rule book, no woman can be kept in a police station during the night time when there are no woman police personnel in the station. The book also say that no person can be kept in custody for more than 24 hours.
When her relatives met her in the police station on Saturday morning, she told them that constable Nagaraju has been raping her for the last four days during the nights and that SI M Arohana Rao has been beating her up during the day under the guise of interrogation. Hundreds of villagers immediately surrounded the police station and pelted stones at it. A passing bus too was stoned. Even as the constable in question ran away from the premises, police rushed in additional forces and the situation was brought under control by caning the protesters. The entire drama took place for about 45 minutes.
The woman is still said to be in the police station even as senior officials were unavailable for comment. According to the rule book, no woman can be kept in a police station during the night time when there are no woman police personnel in the station. The book also say that no person can be kept in custody for more than 24 hours.
Cyberbrethren: A Lutheran Blog: Luther Before the Diet of Worms
Luther Before the Diet of Worms
| The World’s Famous Orations. Continental Europe (380–1906). 1906. | |
| Before the Diet of Worms | |
| Martin Luther (1483–1546) | |
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| MOST 1 SERENE EMPEROR, AND YOU ILLUSTRIOUS PRINCES AND GRACIOUS LORDS:—I this day appear before you in all humility, according to your command, and I implore your majesty and your august highnesses, by the mercies of God, to listen with favor to the defense of a cause which I am well assured is just and right. I ask pardon, if by reason of my ignorance, I am wanting in the manners that befit a court; for I have not been brought up in king’s palaces, but in the seclusion of a cloister. | 1 |
| Two questions were yesterday put to me by his imperial majesty; the first, whether I was the author of the books whose titles were read; the second, whether I wished to revoke or defend the doctrine I have taught. I answered the first, and I adhere to that answer. | 2 |
| As to the second, I have composed writings on very different subjects. In some I have discussed Faith and Good Works, in a spirit at once so pure, clear, and Christian, that even my adversaries themselves, far from finding anything to censure, confess that these writings are profitable, and deserve to be perused by devout persons. The pope’s bull, violent as it is, acknowledges this. What, then, should I be doing if I were now to retract these writings? Wretched man! I alone, of all men living, should be abandoning truths approved by the unanimous voice of friends and enemies, and opposing doctrines that the whole world glories in confessing! | 3 |
| I have composed, secondly, certain works against popery, wherein I have attacked such as by false doctrines, irregular lives, and scandalous examples, afflict the Christian world, and ruin the bodies and souls of men. And is not this confirmed by the grief of all who fear God? Is it not manifest that the laws and human doctrines of the popes entangle, vex, and distress the consciences of the faithful, while the crying and endless extortions of Rome engulf the property and wealth of Christendom, and more particularly of this illustrious nation? | 4 |
| If I were to revoke what I have written on that subject, what should I do…. but strengthen this tyranny, and open a wider door to so many and flagrant impieties? Bearing down all resistance with fresh fury, we should behold these proud men swell, foam, and rage more than ever! And not merely would the yoke which now weighs down Christians be made more grinding by my retractation—it would thereby become, so to speak, lawful,—for, by my retractation, it would receive confirmation from your most serene majesty, and all the States of the Empire. Great God! I should thus be like to an infamous cloak, used to hid and cover over every kind of malice and tyranny. | 5 |
| In the third and last place, I have written some books against private individuals, who had undertaken to defend the tyranny of Rome by destroying the faith. I freely confess that I may have attacked such persons with more violence than was consistent with my profession as an ecclesiastic: I do not think of myself as a saint; but neither can I retract these books. because I should, by so doing, sanction the impieties of my opponents, and they would thence take occasion to crush God’s people with still more cruelty. | 6 |
| Yet, as I am a mere man, and not God, I will defend myself after the example of Jesus Christ, who said: “If I have spoken evil, bear witness against me” (John xviii:23). How much more should I, who am but dust and ashes, and so prone to error, desire that every one should bring forward what he can against my doctrine. | 7 |
| Therefore, most serene emperor, and you illustrious princes, and all, whether high or low, who hear me, I implore you by the mercies of God to prove to me by the writings of the prophets and apostles that I am in error. As soon as I shall be convinced, I will instantly retract all my errors, and will myself be the first to seize my writings, and commit them to the flames. | 8 |
| What I have just said I think will clearly show that I have well considered and weighed the dangers to which I am exposing myself; but far from being dismayed by them, I rejoice exceedingly to see the Gospel this day, as of old, a cause of disturbance and disagreement. It is the character and destiny of God’s word. “I came not to send peace unto the earth, but a sword,” said Jesus Christ. God is wonderful and awful in His counsels. Let us have a care, lest in our endeavors to arrest discords, we be bound to fight against the holy word of God and bring down upon our heads a frightful deluge of inextricable dangers, present disaster, and everlasting desolations…. Let us have a care lest the reign of the young and noble prince, the Emperor Charles, on whom, next to God, we build so many hopes, should not only commence, but continue and terminate its course under the most fatal auspices. I might cite examples drawn from the oracles of God. I might speak of Pharaohs, of kings of Babylon, or of Israel, who were never more contributing to their own ruin than when, by measures in appearances most prudent, they thought to establish their authority! “God removeth the mountains and they know not” (Job ix:5). | 9 |
| In speaking thus, I do not suppose that such noble princes have need of my poor judgment; but I wish to acquit myself of a duty that Germany has a right to expect from her children. And so commending myself to your august majesty, and your most serene highnesses, I beseech you in all humility, not to permit the hatred of my enemies to rain upon me an indignation I have not deserved. 2 | 10 |
| Since your most serene majesty and your high mightinesses require of me a simple, clear and direct answer, I will give one, and it is this: I can not submit my faith either to the pope or to the council, because it is as clear as noonday that they have fallen into error and even into glaring inconsistency with themselves. If, then, I am not convinced by proof from Holy Scripture, or by cogent reasons, if I am not satisfied by the very text I have cited, and if my judgment is not in this way brought into subjection to God’s word, I neither can nor will retract anything; for it can not be right for a Christian to speak against his country. I stand here and can say no more. God help me. Amen. 3 | 11 |
| Note 1. From the version given in D’Aubigny’s “History of the Reformation”—the American edition of 1845. This speech was delivered at Worms on April 18, 1520, in response to a summons from the emperor, Charles V., who had assured Luther of a safe conduct to and from Worms. When the chancellor had demanded of Luther, “Are you prepared to defend all that your writings contain, or do you wish to retract any part of them?” it is stated in the “Acts of Worms,” that Luther “made answer in a low and humble voice, without any vehemence or violence, but with gentleness and mildness and in a manner full of respect and diffidence, yet with much joy and Christian firmness.” D’Aubigny says he took this speech, word for word, from an authentic document. [back] |
| Note 2. D’Aubigny says that after Luther had pronounced these words in German, “with modesty, yet with much earnestness and resolution he was desired to repeat them in Latin,” the emperor being not fond of German. The splendid assembly which surrounded Luther, its noise and excitement, had exhausted him. (“I was bathed in sweat,” said he, “and standing in the center of the princes.”) But having taken a moment’s breathing time. Luther began again “and repeated his address in Latin, with undiminished power.” The chancellor spokesman of the Diet, then said, “You have not given any answer to the inquiry put to you. You are not to question the decisions of the councils—you are required to return a clear and distinct answer. Will you or will you not retract?” Luther then proceeded with the answer given in the final paragraph. [back] |
| Note 3. A detailed report of this memorable scene describes how, at this point, Luther, after going out of the room, was again summoned, and asked whether he actually meant to say that councils had erred, to which he answered, they had erred many times, mentioning the Council of Constance. Luther was then told if he did not retract, the emperor and the States of the Empire would proceed “to consider how to deal with an obstinate heretic,” to which he answered, “May God be my helper, but I can retract nothing.” Pressed once more, and reminded that he had not spoken “with that humility which befitted his condition,” he said, “I have no other answer to give than that I have already given.” The emperor then made a sign to end the matter, rose from his seat, and the whole assembly followed his example. [back] |
Friday, April 18, 2008
Over 50 girls in Senegal succumb to 'hysteria'-Rest of World-World-The Times of India
Over 50 girls in Senegal succumb to 'hysteria'-Rest of World-World-The Times of India
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India's N-deal lobbyist Blackwill says he's quitting-India-The Times of India
India's N-deal lobbyist Blackwill says he's quitting-India-The Times of India
India's N-deal lobbyist Blackwill says he's quitting
19 Apr 2008, 0046 hrs IST,Indrani Bagchi,TNN
19 Apr 2008, 0046 hrs IST
,Indrani Bagchi,TNN
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NEW DELHI: With the nuclear deal in a state of deep freeze, the Indian government's chief lobbyist in Washington, Robert Blackwill, will be leaving his job.
In August, Blackwill, a former US ambassador to India, will quit as president of Barbour Griffiths Rogers International to join one of US's premier think tanks, Rand Corporation.
Talking to TOI, Blackwill said, “I will be leaving BGR to join Rand Corporation in California, as senior fellow... I now feel the compelling need for sustained time to reflect and write about America’s role in the world in this difficult and dangerous period.”
While Blackwill’s position is not being filled, another India hand and one of the architects of the new India policy in the Bush administration, Philip Zelikow, is likely to have a greater role with India.
Blackwill is the head of the company’s international practice and was primarily responsible for getting the India account. The account was recently renewed by the Indian government, when it seemed it might be possible to complete the nuclear deal within the lifespan of the UPA and Bush governments.
But that seems a remote possibility now, though theoretically it is still possible to take the next steps. But politically, the prospects are remote to negligible.
India would have needed the extra helping hand of a lobbying firm in Washington if the deal was going to Congress for a final ratification anytime soon. That now looks more and more remote.
In August, Blackwill, a former US ambassador to India, will quit as president of Barbour Griffiths Rogers International to join one of US's premier think tanks, Rand Corporation.
Talking to TOI, Blackwill said, “I will be leaving BGR to join Rand Corporation in California, as senior fellow... I now feel the compelling need for sustained time to reflect and write about America’s role in the world in this difficult and dangerous period.”
While Blackwill’s position is not being filled, another India hand and one of the architects of the new India policy in the Bush administration, Philip Zelikow, is likely to have a greater role with India.
Blackwill is the head of the company’s international practice and was primarily responsible for getting the India account. The account was recently renewed by the Indian government, when it seemed it might be possible to complete the nuclear deal within the lifespan of the UPA and Bush governments.
But that seems a remote possibility now, though theoretically it is still possible to take the next steps. But politically, the prospects are remote to negligible.
India would have needed the extra helping hand of a lobbying firm in Washington if the deal was going to Congress for a final ratification anytime soon. That now looks more and more remote.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Couple told to reunite after 17-year separation-India-The Times of India
Couple told to reunite after 17-year separation-India-The Times of India
Couple told to reunite after 17-year separation
18 Apr 2008, 0046 hrs IST,Dhananjay Mahapatra,TNN
18 Apr 2008, 0046 hrs IST
,Dhananjay Mahapatra,TNN
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NEW DELHI: An Army man has learnt the hard way that marriages are made in heaven and marital ties are difficult to sever, with the Supreme Court asking him to resume married life despite an estrangement of 17 years, 14 of them spent in litigation.
The roller coaster ride has put Jatinderbir Singh in a piquant situation. Citing desertion and cruelty by wife Sukhwinder Kaur, he had moved a trial court in 1994 and a got a divorce decree in 1999. He had claimed that his wife had deserted him in May, 1991.
When Sukhwinder appealed against the divorce decree, the Punjab and Haryana HC initiated reconciliation process.
While she agreed to live with him, Jatinderbir flatly refused. The HC ruled in favour of Sukhwinder and asked him to take her back.
Now, after 17 years of estrangement, the apex court anulled the divorce, refusing to apply its own ruling that when a marriage breaks down irretrievably, divorce should be granted. It asked Jatinderbir to start married life afresh with Sukhwinder.
At the time of his marriage in 1990, Jatinderbir was a BA final year student and Sukhwinder was working as a pharmacist.
Three years later, he got commissioned in the Army and soon thereafter brought a divorce petition against his wife on the ground that she had deserted him. The trial court granted divorce in 1999.
The wife protested before the Punjab and Haryana HC, which tried but failed to resolve the differences. Sukhwinder pointed out that the differences between them were normal in married life and expressed willingness to live with her husband. In 2006, the HC reversed the trial court decision and anulled the divorce decree.
Not wanting to live with her, Jatinderbir moved the Supreme Court and cited its 2006 judgment which had ruled that if a marriage has broked down irretrievably, then divorce should be granted. He pleaded that the marriage had broken down without any chance of reconciliation and hence, be granted divorce.
Not convinced by his arguments about desertion and cruelty alleged against the wife, an apex court Bench comprising Justices B N Agrawal and G S Singhvi dismissed his appeal.
This means, the husband has no option but to pick up the threads of his married life from where he left it 17 years ago.
Jatinderbir had claimed before an Amritsar court that Sukhwinder had deserted him since May 1991 and that their differences were beyond reconciliation.
Sukhwinder, who gave birth to a daughter in November 1991, alleged that she was thrown out of the matrimonial home but expressed desire to live with her husband and opposed grant of divorce.
When the trial court granted divorce, she appealed before the HC which agreed with her that it was common in India to send the wife to her parents house for the first delivery and negated the husband's claim that she had deserted him.
After the HC reversed the trial court order, Jatinderbir moved the SC. The bench comprising Justices Agrawal and Singhvi, after hearing the appeal for two years, dismissed it on April 15.
The roller coaster ride has put Jatinderbir Singh in a piquant situation. Citing desertion and cruelty by wife Sukhwinder Kaur, he had moved a trial court in 1994 and a got a divorce decree in 1999. He had claimed that his wife had deserted him in May, 1991.
When Sukhwinder appealed against the divorce decree, the Punjab and Haryana HC initiated reconciliation process.
While she agreed to live with him, Jatinderbir flatly refused. The HC ruled in favour of Sukhwinder and asked him to take her back.
Now, after 17 years of estrangement, the apex court anulled the divorce, refusing to apply its own ruling that when a marriage breaks down irretrievably, divorce should be granted. It asked Jatinderbir to start married life afresh with Sukhwinder.
At the time of his marriage in 1990, Jatinderbir was a BA final year student and Sukhwinder was working as a pharmacist.
Three years later, he got commissioned in the Army and soon thereafter brought a divorce petition against his wife on the ground that she had deserted him. The trial court granted divorce in 1999.
The wife protested before the Punjab and Haryana HC, which tried but failed to resolve the differences. Sukhwinder pointed out that the differences between them were normal in married life and expressed willingness to live with her husband. In 2006, the HC reversed the trial court decision and anulled the divorce decree.
Not wanting to live with her, Jatinderbir moved the Supreme Court and cited its 2006 judgment which had ruled that if a marriage has broked down irretrievably, then divorce should be granted. He pleaded that the marriage had broken down without any chance of reconciliation and hence, be granted divorce.
Not convinced by his arguments about desertion and cruelty alleged against the wife, an apex court Bench comprising Justices B N Agrawal and G S Singhvi dismissed his appeal.
This means, the husband has no option but to pick up the threads of his married life from where he left it 17 years ago.
Jatinderbir had claimed before an Amritsar court that Sukhwinder had deserted him since May 1991 and that their differences were beyond reconciliation.
Sukhwinder, who gave birth to a daughter in November 1991, alleged that she was thrown out of the matrimonial home but expressed desire to live with her husband and opposed grant of divorce.
When the trial court granted divorce, she appealed before the HC which agreed with her that it was common in India to send the wife to her parents house for the first delivery and negated the husband's claim that she had deserted him.
After the HC reversed the trial court order, Jatinderbir moved the SC. The bench comprising Justices Agrawal and Singhvi, after hearing the appeal for two years, dismissed it on April 15.
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