New Delhi : Sixty-five members of the Lok Sabha and 29 of the Rajya Sabha are yet to declare their assets and liabilities, a reply to a query under the RTI Act has revealed.
Out of the MPs belonging to the lower house, 61 have not furnished their details since 2014, while four recently came to the house through by-elections, the Lok Sabha secretariat said in a reply to activist Rachna Kalra, who had put a query under the Right to Information Act.
“As on August 14, 61 Members of 16th Lok Sabha have not yet furnished declarations of their ‘Assets and Liabilities as per the Members of Lok Sabha (Declaration of Assets and Liabilities) Rules, 2004’.
“Further, four new Member of Lok Sabha who had recently been elected to Lok Sabha in bye-elections are also to furnish the declarations of Assets and Liabilities. They have 90 days time to furnish the same from the date of their taking oath/Affirmation,” the reply reads.
Among those who have not filed their details in the Lower House of the Parliament are nine members from Indian National Congress (INC) and seven from Telugu Desam Party (TDP).
Four members each from All India Trinamool Congress (AITC), Biju Janata Dal (BJD), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Samajwadi Party (SP), Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) and Lok Jan Shakti Party (LJSP) are also yet to declare their assets.
The list also includes three members from Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and two members each from Shiv Sena, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), Janata Dal (United) and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM).
All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), YSR Congress Party, Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), National People’s Party (NPP), Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP), Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party (JKPDP), All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), All India NR Congress (AINRC) and the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) account for one member each who have not given the details of their assets and liabilities.
In the Upper House, under the Members of Rajya Sabha (Declaration of Assets and Liabilities) Rules, 2004, “current elected members are required to furnish the details of assets and liabilities, within 90 days from the date of taking oath or making affirmation in the Council of States”.
As on August 9, “the requisite declaration of Assets and Liabilities is awaited from 29 members of Rajya Sabha”, another RTI query revealed.
Six members each from BJP and INC were among the members who are yet to declare the assets.
Three members each from RJD, AITC and TRS are also on the list along with two members each from BJD and JD(U).

New Delhi : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday launched India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) aimed at strengthening financial inclusion by taking banking services to the unbanked rural areas across the country.

The payments bank would initially provide current and savings account facility at 650 post offices and 3,250 access points.

“The India Post Payments Bank will further the process of financial inclusion which started with the launch of Jan Dhan Yojana launched in 2014,” said the Prime Minister speaking at the launch.

By 2018-end, the number of access points would increase to 1.55 lakh, of which 1.30 lakh branches would be in rural areas, according to the Communications Ministry.

“The Indian Postal Department has 1.5 lakh post offices and more than 3 lakh postmen. We have taken the onerous task of linking such an extensive system with technology to build the most powerful system. Now the postman is equipped with a smartphone and has a digital device in his bag,” Modi said.

Farmers and daily wage earners under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Beema Yojana and Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme would be among the key beneficiaries as they can receive their claims through the payments bank, he said.

According to the Communications Minister Manoj Sinha, people can open their accounts in the bank in less than a minute through Aadhaar cards and transactions can be done through Quick Response (QR) card provided by the bank without the need to remember account numbers and passwords.

Account holders of the Post Office Savings Bank would also be able to avail of IPPB services by linking their accounts, he added.

Although payment banks are not mandated by the Reserve Bank of India to provide loans and insurance, IPPB has tied up with the Punjab National Bank and would work as an agent of the bank to provide loans to the account holders. Interest on loans would be the rate PNB charges and IPPB would not charge any commission for its service.

The bank would provide services such as current account, savings account, remittances, money transfer, direct benefit transfer, enterprise and merchant payment, the minister said, adding that the services would be available through multiple channels, including counter services, micro ATM, mobile banking applications, SMS and IVR (Interactive Voice Response).

Book: Aryabhata Clan; Author: Sudipto Das; Publisher: Niyogi Books; Price: Rs 595; Pages: 476

Spread across four parts, the narrative of Sudipto Das’ second book, “Aryabhata Clan”, starts like a typical crime thriller with the kidnapping of the protagonist, Kubha.

The book provides evidence that tackling sensitive and complicated topic like “Islamic terrorism” has its inherent risks. It is universally accepted that terrorism has no religion and yet the adrenaline triggered recourse to religion by Shamsur Ali, the terror mastermind of the book, would have us believe that the thick line between religion and terrorism does not exist.

Had the author, an alumnus of IIT-Kharagpur, not amplified the canvas of his narrative to encompass “Islamic terrorism”, we surely would have a plot for another James Bond blockbuster, what with all the international intrigues, and the beach volley played between India’s RAW and Pakistan’s ISI,

The oft repeated, misplaced references to the history of Islam by the terrorists can, however, act like a double edged sword in the book at hand.

“Rape can work like a dope for depraved young people wishing to exert their manhood, that too in a way approved by Islam,” asserts Shamsur Ali to Kubha, the hostage picked up by the terrorists from JNU, showing the levels of perversion to which a sick mind can stoop.

Kubha, however, wonders at the irony that the place where she is raped again and again is called the “Eight Heavens” by her abductors. Invoking the holy Battle of Badr led by the Prophet of Islam, the indoctrination of the terror recruits is done by reference to Islamic history.

Proving beyond doubt that his terror mastermind is no humble follower of any religion, the author’s “iconic Bangladeshi professor of death and destruction” does not hide his hatred for other religions as well.

“Jesus had spent a good amount of his growing years in Kashmir studying Buddhism. Many of the teachings of Jesus had surreptitious similarities with that of the Buddhism. If we want to eliminate all traces of Hinduism and Buddhism from the earth, we can’t spare Christianity.”

Gory, frightening and lunatic, the terror protagonist of the author will make you tremble at the sheer thought of waging a brutal war against the world in the name of fighting for peace.

It is precisely because of this realisation that an army general in Mardan tells Parush, the Aryabhata Clan’s superhero against terrorism: “Not the time for beach volley between the RAW and the ISI. You can give a press release blaming the murder on RAW and we can blame the ISI. But, do you realise that someone is fooling both the RAW and the ISI?”

The author takes the reader on a roller coaster ride to Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan and to the motifs of Khushawari rugs. Finally, Shamsur Ali is hunted down by Parush and Rahul, the terror fighters of the Aryabhata Clan.

As to where and how the final battle between peace and terror would be fought, the author has few answers. Sadly perhaps, the words of Kubha sum up the spirit of the narrative: “There would be more Kubhas like me. There would be many more Aryabhata Clans like ours. We will not allow any apocalypse to happen anywhere in the world, in life and in death.”

Sudipto Das has done well to portray the design that emerges as terrorists plot to strike innocent people in the world. A word of caution must be added to the oft-repeated reference to Islam and its history by the terror pushers in “Aryabhata Clan”.

Islam has as little to do with terrorism as any other religion we follow. In fact, the narrative proves that the first victim of the terrorists’ plan is the religion they claim to follow.

Studies quote a staggering number of children forced to beg and carry out petty thieving in order to survive. One of the more recent surveys finds that around 3,00,000 children are drugged, abused, and pushed to beg. 

These children have no sense of a childhood. They are forced to grow up much before they are supposed to. They do not have the ‘luxury’ of playing with toys, running carefree; what characterises childhood the most-education-is completely lacking. This situation is alarming to say the least, however there are a few organisations that are working to build a better future. One such organisation is Delhi-based NGO Wishes and Blessings. In an effort to combat these depressing circumstances, to bring back the colour and innocence of childhood in these children, Wishes and Blessings initiated the project “Street to School”.

Founded by Dr. Geetanjali Chopra in 2014, the organisation works to bring happiness and dignity into the lives that need it the most. Some of us are blessed in terms of access to resources, and some can only wish for these things. Wishes and Blessings works as a platform to connect donors and beneficiaries. This way, those who are blessed can fulfil the wishes of the lesser privileged. What makes this organisation unique is that the NGO does not focus on one cause, but a philosophy. This philosophy is that of happiness- Happiness is not just an end, but also a means to an end. To spread happiness, the organisation does not focus on one cause, but altogether pays attention to 9 causes, among which are skill development, infrastructure, SOS relief and education.

Wishes and Blessings focuses on the underprivileged, specifically children who are visually impaired, have special needs, and those who are forced to live on the streets. One of their goals is directed towards education and skill development. Education is the best way to combat poverty, gender inequality, child marriage among other issues that plague our society. 

According to the 2011 Census, 1 out of 4 children (those who are of school going age) is out of school; 99 million children have dropped out of school. Education is one of the prime avenues through which one can gain a sense of identity, can be independent and empowered. There is no age limit to learning, but it is always best to start young. Children who are pushed to live on streets, under flyovers, whether it is because of familial or financial reasons, do not have the space nor the time to experience a childhood; a carefree, fun, happy childhood.

While other children might worry about missing out on watching a TV show, these children very often have to worry about the possibility of not having the next meal. Children who learn to read and write, who are educated and skilled, can provide better futures for themselves and their future families. Citizens who have a solid foundation in education will also work towards a better tomorrow. This is where Wishes and Blessings decided to come in with their flagship programme – “Street to School”.

Started in 2015, the programme initially dealt with around 60 street children that were in the general locality of the NGO’s shelter in Nizamuddin, Delhi. The aim was to transform the children’s lives- to groom them, to educate them, to help inculcate values that would help in successfully integrating them into general society. The immediate goal was to enable them to experience the joys of childhood. The programme started with teaching the basics to the children- how to sit, read, write. What made the organisation even more committed to giving these children a new lease on life was their enthusiasm to learn. There was never a bored face, never even a murmur of protest.

The organisation also believes that good and hygienic food is essential for the overall development of a child, and therefore provides 3 home-cooked nutritious meals a day to these children. The joy of something as simple as writing their own names, according to the organisation, is incomparable. Names give identities. Through the journey of learning how to hold a piece of chalk, to learning the alphabet to finally writing their names they were able to gain a sense of identity, a sense of self-esteem. 

The journey did not end here. Wishes and Blessings is committed to following up, to 100% transparency, to ensuring that whatever goal is set is achieved. Efforts paid off as 41 children were successfully enrolled in MCD/NDMC schools. Equipped with bags and water bottles sent in by the NGO, there was not a face in the room that was not beaming with joy. Whenever the organization reviews the journey, they are always left awestruck. One only needs to look at their faces- dull eyes, sad, faces covered in dust, and now, gleaming eyes, happiness exuding out of their smiles. 

Currently the programme works with 125 children, out of which 95 are now enrolled in the MCD and NDMC schools. According to Dr. Chopra, one of the reasons they have been able to hit multiple milestones is because of the unending and gracious support of their donors. “One step at a time and with your support, we believe that the sky is the limit and we shall reach it.”. They are so excited to follow these young children on their journeys to becoming successful, independent adults, ready to grab life by the horns. 

 India’s women’s hockey team got a silver medal at the Asian Games for the second time as it lost 1-2 to lower-ranked Japan in the final at the Gelora Bung Karno Hockey Field here on Friday.

World No.14 Japan took the lead through Minami Shimizu in the 11th minute but world No.9 India pulled level through Neha Goyal in the 25th minute. Motomi Kawamura regained Japan’s lead in the 44th minute. India couldn’t find their equaliser and had to settle for the silver medal.

It was India’s second silver medal in women’s hockey in Asiad history. The last time they had finished second was in the 1998 edition. The only time they have won the title was in 1982 Games in New Delhi.

Coming into the final, India were the favourites having scored 38 goals during the group stage before securing a 1-0 win over China in the semi-finals. Also. going by recent results, India have had uccessful outings against the Japanese.

India started the first quarter well as they created a few opportunities which saw forwards Lalremsiami, Navneet Kaur and skipper Rani Rampal come close to scoring, but were denied by a rigid Japanese defence.

The Japanese got into the game and had their first real chance in the 8th minute as they forced Indian goalkeeper Savita to make a save off Aki Yamada’s shot. 

The 10th minute saw India win their first penalty corner. Japanese goalkeeper Megumi Kageyama kept away Gurjit Kaur’s drag-flick on the left post.

After the turnover, Japan came hard at the Indians, earning a penalty corner. Shimizu deflected a penalty corner near the left post to give Japan a crucial 1-0 lead.

Japan looked comfortable on the ball towards the start of the second quarter and made several interceptions to deny India the opportunity to stitch passes together. 

However, the Indian team was finally successful in finding an equaliser in the 25th minute as Navneet Kaur and Neha combined in a brilliant counter-attacking move to score India’s equaliser. Navneet struck a reverse shot across goal from inside the striking circle to find an unmarked Neha, who deflected the ball into the back of the net.

In the third quarter, India minimised unforced errors, building pressure on their opponents by keeping the ball better.

India had the first chance of the period in the 36th minute as Vandana Katariya and Navjot Kaur combined to attack on the counter, but the Japanese defence held firm to clear the ball away. 

Vandana Katariya took another shot in the next minute but her strike was saved by Kageyama.

Japan, too, got their game going. With just over a minute remaining in the third quarter, Japan were awarded their second penalty corner which was well converted by Kawamura through a variation as they led 2-1.

It was desperate times for the Indian team as they tried to find a way past the Japanese defense. Whereas, Japan, on the other hand, tried to stay in front and manage the match well as they kept possession inside India’s half to utilise vital seconds.

The Indian team created an opportunity in the last minute when Rani and Vandana found themselves in possession inside Japan’s striking circle. But the latter’s shot went just wide of the goalpost as Indian hopes fizzled.

The Bimstec regional bloc on Friday reiterated its resolve to provide seamless transport connectivity within its seven member states and renewed its commitment to an early free trade deal.

A joint declaration issued at the conclusion of the Fourth Bimstec Summit here stated that the member states resolved “to establish seamless multi-modal transportation linkages and smooth, synchronised and simplified transit facilities”.

This would be done “through the development, expansion and modernisation of highways, railways, waterways, sea routes, airways in the region”.

It said that the respective authorities would be directed to speed up their efforts to conclude the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation’s Coastal Shipping Agreement and the Bimstec Motor Vehicle Agreement as early as possible.

The bloc was also satisfied with the preparation of the draft Bimstec Master Plan on Transport Connectivity and called for its early adoption.

It thanked the Asian Development Bank for providing support to prepare the Master Plan and tasked the Bimstec Transport Connectivity Working Group to work out the modalities for its implementation, giving due attention to the special circumstances and needs of the member states. 

“We agree that the Master Plan would serve as a strategic document that guides actions and promotes synergy among various connectivity frameworks, such as the Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Master Plan on Connectivity 2025 (MPAC 2025), the Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS), to achieve enhanced connectivity and sustainable development in our region,” it stated.

The statement comes in the wake of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s stress on connectivity within the region during his address at the inaugural session of the Summit on Thursday.

Bimstec came into existence on June 6, 1997, through the Bangkok Declaration.

It comprises seven countries lying in the littoral and adjacent areas of the Bay of Bengal — Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

The bloc brings together 1.6 billion people, or 22 per cent of the world’s population, and has a combined GDP of $2.8 trillion.

In terms of trade cooperation, the bloc renewed its commitment to an early conclusion of Bimstec Free Trade Area (FTA) negotiations, and directed the Bimstec Trade and Economic Ministerial Meeting (TEMM) and its subsidiary bodies including the Trade Negotiating Committee (TNC) to expedite finalisation of all related Agreements of the Bimstec FTA as early as possible. 

The member states also agreed to enhance cooperation for development, access and sharing of affordable technologies, including for micro, small and medium enterprises for promoting sustainable development across sectors.

The declaration reemphasised the need for cooperation in mountain ecosystems and the Blue Economy.

In terms of people-to-people ties, the bloc resolved to build a deeper understanding and trust among member states and promote people-to-people contacts at various levels.

The member states also agreed “to take concrete steps to promote intra-Bimstec tourism and task the relevant authorities to devise strategies considering the emerging opportunities and building on the past initiatives”.

In its visionary move, central government has proposed to set up Higher Education Commission of India (HECI) replacing the University Grants Commission (UGC), a statutory body under University Grants Commission Act, 1956 through draft Higher Education Commission of India (Repeal of University Grants Commission Act) Act, 2018.

The main concern of the government behind this move is to make place of India among the world’s top 500 universities. Thereby, main thrust has been put on creating separate blocks for regulating the institutes and their funding aspects. HECI is different from UGC in a sense that former will only be associated with “promoting the quality of academic instruction, maintenance of academic standard and ensuring the autonomy of institutes of higher education.” HECI, unlike UGC has no power to sanction grants to the institutes and this domain will fall under the hands of Ministry of Human Resource and Development.

Moreover, HECI has power to shut down those institutions which has lowered down their academic standards which would also attract the penal liability upon them and a detailed procedure has given in the Act for granting the authorization to any institution or university or college in order to ensure their compliance with the better academic standards within a framework of regulatory regime. However, it is remarkable to note that UGC had no such power.

Another facet is, the emerging and challenging issue in India’s education is that “commercialization of education” where private institutes charge exorbitant fee which becomes hurdle in the way of universal, accessible, affordable and quality education because people with lower income can’t even think to approach there. So, HECI will regulate this aspect too.

But, the question is whether creating a uniform body like HECI will solve all the problems associated with the higher education or it will actually contribute in the development of education or not.

By analyzing the whole idea of the picture, one can assume that HECI is an overarching umbrella body which would try to manage and control the institutes of higher education instead of giving them autonomy what they actually require. 

Kerala’s Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has rightly pointed out that this ‘unilateral move’ of the central government would restrict the role of the states in regulating the institutes. No doubt, it would affect the spirit of co-operative federalism in the country. Moreover, the Advisory Council which is created under the draft Act has its head Union Minister of HRD which would push it for exerting more governmental influence over the body. 

Since past few years, the standard of quality education has fallen down but a new regulatory and legislative regime must provide environment friendly atmosphere taking into account the considerations of the states. 

Union Minister of HRD has invited suggestions from various stakeholders on setting up of HECI though the intended action of the government makes it clear that it would be done away with the UGC as soon as possible. 

Recently, government has released the list of ‘institution of eminence’ under which IISc, Bengaluru, IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi in public category and Jio Institute by Reliance Foundation, Pune, BITS Pilani and Manipur Institute, Karnataka in private category have been finalized. But it attracted numerous criticisms on the ground that Jio institute is not even in existence then how central government can place it under the category. It is evident that primary focus of government is on technical education and research though these institutions are already having sufficient funds, research tools and capacity to grant quality education. Government must shift its focus towards other institutes, universities and colleges too which are working in the domain of sociology, history, management, law etc. 

The government should also focus on improving the primary education which is the basis for higher education and try to make it affordable and accessible to children belonging to lower strata of the society which would pave the way for quality higher education. In our country, right to education is made a fundamental right under Article 21-A but it is still a dream for many. We should equally prioritize the education at ground level otherwise quality and accessibility could not be ensured at the higher level. 

In General Comment No. 13, Committee of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights highlighted the value of education in the life of an individual. It was stated that education helps the economically and socially marginalized adults as well as children to participate fully in their communities. Further, the comment laid down four essential features that education must conform with i.e., available, accessible, acceptable and adaptable. Education should only remain a potential tool for transforming the lives of the children. Thus, we need a body which is not politically motivated and subject to whims and fancies of the government’s discretion.

However, the government’s take on Foreign University Bill, 2010 is a welcome step in the alignment of improvement of higher education that would permit the foreign universities to open their branches in India. It would facilitate the quality education, good infrastructure in India itself to those students who want to pursue their higher education from abroad. But, government has to ensure the transparency in the regulatory regime of these universities in order to prevent corruption, unnecessary political interference and commercialization. 

(Writer is a budding lawyer at M.P. High Court)

Parents and teachers may find it difficult to detect depression in young children, that can affect their social skills and academics, a new study shows.

According to Anxiety and Depression Association of America, as many as 2-3 per cent of children aged between 6-12 might have a major depressive disorder.

But parents and teachers face difficulties in recognising depression in children.

The findings, appearing in the Journal of School Psychology, showed that children who show mild to severe symptoms of depression in second and third grades are six times more likely to have skill deficits, such as difficulties with social skills or academics, than children without symptoms. 

However, when teachers and parents were asked to rate a child’s level of depression, there was only about 5-10 per cent overlap in their ratings.

“Some people would view that overlap as the truth about a child’s well-being and areas of disagreement as errors, but we need to explore the possibility that each of them are seeing different aspects of children’s behaviour and mental health,” said Keith Herman, professor in the University of Missouri (MU), College of Education. 

For the study, the team completed profile analyses of 643 children in early elementary school to explore how patterns between student, teacher and parent reporting can be used to gain a holistic picture of a child’s mental health. 

Herman suggested that mental health professionals could work with teachers and parents to identify depressive symptoms early by including self reports from children in mental health evaluations.

“The gold standard for identifying children who might be at risk for developing depression later in life is to ask the children themselves,” noted Herman.

“However, even if a child doesn’t say they feel depressed, certain outward behaviours might provide clues to the state of the child’s mental health. It’s important for teachers and parents to catch these behaviours early to prevent long-term problems that occur with depression,” he said.

Claiming that the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi were fast losing popularity, writer-activist Arundhati Roy on Thursday said that attempts will be made to “derail everything with some surprise attack” ahead of the 2019 general elections.

“There will be ruthless and continuous attempts to divert attention from the reasons for this loss of popularity, and to fracture the growing solidarity of the opposition. It will be a continuous circus from now on till the elections — arrests, lynchings, bomb attacks, false flag attacks, riots,” she said at a press conference here.

Roy along with rights activist Aruna Roy and lawyer Prashant Bhushan and others held a press conference at the Press Club here to express their views on the arrest of rights activists Sudha Bharadwaj, Gautam Navlakha, Vernon Gonsalves, Arun Fereira and P. Varavara Rao on Tuesday, which had triggered a massive outcry.

She alleged that small businesses, traders and the poor had suffered enormously while companies close to the BJP had multiplied their wealth several times over since the NDA government came to power in 2014. 

“Businessmen like Vijay Mallya and Nirav Modi have been allowed to decamp with thousands of crores of public money while the government looked the other way. What kind of accountability can we expect for all this? Zero,” Roy said.

The writer said the Tuesday arrest of rights activists is “illegal”.

“The arrest of these people serves to cut whole populations of vulnerable people off from any hope of justice or representation. Because these persons were their representatives. They remain in custody, charged under the draconian Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. Fortunately, they are still alive, unlike Ishrat Jahan, Sohrabuddin and Kauser Bi.

“The vulnerable people are being cordoned off and silenced. The vociferous are being incarcerated. God help us get our country back,” she said.

A new clinical trial SimpliciTB that will evaluate whether a new four-drug regimen can treat most types of tuberculosis (TB) including multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) more quickly and effectively than currently-available treatments, has been launched by TB Alliance. 
The first patients for this trial have been enrolled at the National Center for Tuberculosis and Lung Disease in Tbilisi, Georgia. SimpliciTB is expected to enroll 450 people with TB, including up to 150 with MDR-TB across at least 26 centers in 10 countries in Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America. SimpliciTB will test the efficacy of a four-month treatment with the BPaMZ regimen, consisting of the drugs bedaquiline, pretomanid, moxifloxacin and pyrazinamide, in people with drug-sensitive TB. Outcomes will be compared against the standard six-month treatment regimen of isoniazid, rifampicin, pyrazinamide and ethambutol (HRZE), to determine whether BPaMZ may be able to shorten the duration of therapy for drug-sensitive TB by a third. The trial will also assess BPaMZ’s potential to treat MDR-TB in six months. Currently, treatment for drug-resistant TB is extremely complicated, expensive, and lengthy, involving a wide variety of medicines that have debilitating side-effects, can include injectable drugs, and are administered for nine months to two years or longer. Today, people with MDR-TB often go untreated, and of those who do receive treatment only about half are cured, a statement issued by TB Alliance has said.
TB Alliance is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to finding faster-acting and affordable drug regimens to fight tuberculosis (TB). Through innovative science and with partners around the globe, we aim to ensure equitable access to faster, better TB cures that will advance global health and prosperity. 
TB Alliance is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to finding faster-acting and affordable drug regimens to fight tuberculosis (TB). Through innovative science and with partners around the globe, we aim to ensure equitable access to faster, better TB cures that will advance global health and prosperity. 
“As resistance to current TB treatments continues to grow, we need to introduce all-oral drug regimens that can treat every person with TB in six months or less, regardless of their resistance profile,” said Mel Spigelman, president and CEO of TB Alliance. “If proven successful in SimpliciTB, the BPaMZ regimen would represent a major step toward this goal.” The BPaMZ regimen was previously studied in the Phase 2b study called NC-005, in which people with MDR-TB who were treated with the BPaMZ regimen cleared TB bacteria from their lungs up to three times faster than drug-sensitive TB patients treated with the standard (HRZE) treatment. NC-005 was an eight-week trial conducted at 10 sites across Uganda, South Africa and Tanzania. SimpliciTB builds on these results, testing BPaMZ over a longer duration, in more people and across more sites, and against both drug-sensitive and MDR-TB.  According to the World Health Organization’s most recent Global Tuberculosis Report there is growing resistance to available drugs, which means the disease is becoming more deadly and difficult to treat. WHO estimates that in 2016 there were 600,000 new cases with resistance to rifampicin–the most effective first-line drug—of which 490,000 had MDR-TB.
Tuberculosis (TB) is a global disease, found in every country in the world. It is the leading infectious cause of death worldwide. The World Health Organization estimates that two billion people—one third of the world’s population—are infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb), the bacteria that causes TB. In 2016, 10.4 million fell ill from TB and 1.7 million died. It is an airborne disease that can be spread by coughing or sneezing.