The Dengue menace

The State constituent assemblies have long been associated with various shoes hurling issues and fighting like kids over and not discussing issues holding relevance properly but here comes an issue where opposition brought Delhi Constituent Assembly to a near standstill asking the government’s take on the rapid spread of DENGUE.

Dengue, a small virus has the power to shake the foundation of our Constituent Assemblies no wonder it is also called BONE BREAKING FEVER.

STRANGE!!!! ISN’T IT??IS IT JUST A TINY VIRUS?

Dengue fever actually is not just another disease that prevails in our country in the atmosphere of open drains and a ditch, under constructions pipelines, poorly managed construction sites but is a disease which is declared as an endemic in over 100 countries around the world with about 50 million infections around the world.

Coming back to Delhi the state, the responsibility of curbing the BONE BREAKING disease is been thrown like a volleyball in various territories and that’s where the article I base this post on comes into picture.

The articles in Express Newsline reported how “Mayor, MCD team got roughed up while inspecting Jamia Nagar” and the blame ball was passed by the opposition towards the government who conveniently put it in MCD’s court.

Many cases were reported in the Jamia Nagar owing to which Mayor along with MCD leader of the house made a visit to the area where they faced enraged residents who are tired of the lack of sanitation and our asking for a special dengue ward at dispensaries. While the Health officials claim that “only 3 deaths and 28 cases” have been reported in the Jamia Nagar area, the authorities distanced themselves from the issue citing unavailability of funds.

Meanwhile the area still remains breeding ground of mosquitoes and exhibits open drains and under construction pipelines and two more areas, Karol Bagh and Paharganj have been declared as the dengue Hot spots.

AND ....Our ministry is happy playing volleyball of blaming each other.

My questions-
Is the virus or the disease new? We have been these issues for a few years now and still refuse to seek solution? Are funds always inadequate? Is living in a healthy neighbourhood too much to ask for?
Comments awaited.

If I was the Prime Minister Of India

If I was the PM of India, how would I celebrate the Independence Day?

The degrees of importance Independence Day held in my life since many years and holds now and might hold in future register clear differences within my grey cells.

As a child, had I been the PM I would have instructed my Principal not hold the school parade if it was too hot. After I grew up a little I would just relish the day for it being a holiday and have a clause that said Prime Minister is supposed to rest at her place on the Independence Day as part of her duty.

And then....

A transition happened I grew up to realise how important the post is and what power I might hold if I become the Prime Minister of a country like India. Then the agenda set in. The agenda has 3 parts- things I long to do, things that I would maintain as they are and things I would like to change a bit.

Starting with the ones I would long to do.

I would shift the venue of celebration to each of the metropolitan city every year i.e. include Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai also other than New Delhi. The flag would be hoisted by a respectable defence officer who has done commendable work in any area or a common man who has done something extraordinary. Make an announcement that sale of pan masala and cigarettes like alcohol be banned on this day.

The ones I would maintain as they are.

The parade of all the three forces is a moment of pride for all those Indians who are watching the telecast or listening to the radio. Various awards that are distributed on this day are a way of appreciating people’s efforts and should be continued. Announcing policies for the upcoming year on this day is good.

Things I hold disagreement with.

The long speeches mess up the interest to a great deal. I would obviously announce just the policies in 10 minutes and then rather let the ordinary man narrate his experience than the other Chief Guest.

Comments sought !!!! what would you do?

Agricultural Development or Human deterioration?

Read an article on the website of Times Of India, “The new shifting agriculture…..” The term, when heard initially, brings to us the definition taught to us in seventh grade as an Agricultural system in which plots of land are cultivated temporarily, then abandoned, an age old method of cultivation adopted by farmers.
But, here this article goes a step ahead. The shift today crosses national frontiers, or rather takes a leap across our continent. The news piece, “The new shifting agriculture: Shopping for fields overseas”, acquaints us how a few developed and developing countries, tired of the FOOD CRISIS prevailing in their countries, have found a new stress free solution to it.
DON’T HAVE SPACE IN OUR COUNTRY??? LET US GO SHOPPING IN OTHER COUNTRIES!!!!!
India in this scenario, for a change is not a seller but a prospective buyer. The idea in India is the brainchild of the Hooda Committee (comprising of B S Hooda, with CMs of West Bengal, Punjab and Bihar) who suggested that like many other countries who have "shopped for land abroad for growing crops to meet consumption needs", Indian companies could also be encouraged to buy lands in other countries for producing pulses and edible oils. The countries listed included Argentina, Myanmar and ASEAN countries where the government could possibly facilitate land acquisitions.
The committee is seen to be following a global trend legitimized in UN lingo as "large scale land acquisitions", which an NGO quotes is being simply and perhaps, more appropriately, called "land-grabbing".
The list of the buyer countries is topped by our large sized neighbour, China, acquiring to 3 million hectares of land in the Democratic Republic of Congo alone for palm oil cultivation, followed by Saudis who have already acquired 700,000 hectares of land in desperately poor countries like Senegal and Mali. Investors from UAE acquired close to 800,000 hectares of farmland in Pakistan and South Korea has acquired 465,000 hectares in Madagascar.
The writer then informs that these land acquisitions further impoverishes poor farmers in countries where these lands are being acquired even as dictatorial regimes there are willing to sell their most valuable assets for a song to private capital. Most of the land acquisitions are happening in countries that have some of the highest rates of child malnutrition and are hunger hotspots. It is also a myopic solution, fraught with many risks, including displacing local labour and destabilizing local governments.
As taught by every dictionary isn’t Development synonymous to betterment, growth, progress and promotion?
If a country is big enough to carry out development in its own boundaries stamping the agricultural areas with huge buildings or in case of our country Special Economic Zones (SEZs) then does that give us the right to go in other people’s land who anyway our living in distraught conditions?
I say no, this measure adopted is going to be problematic in future even if it looks like a rosy solution now. Money if used wisely in buying those crops from the poor farmers in these countries might be looked at as an alternative...