Childhood deaths from two leading bacterial causes of pneumonia and meningitis, pneumococcus and Hib, declined sharply during the period 2000 to 2015, especially as vaccines against these pathogens were introduced in high-burden countries, according to new estimates from a team led by scientists at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

The findings, published in The Lancet Global Health, highlight the success of the global fight against these illnesses, and also provide a clear picture of the remaining disease burden, now largely concentrated in South Asia and Africa.

Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) and Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus) are bacteria that can cause meningitis, pneumonia, sepsis and other serious complications, especially in children. They have been major causes of child mortality in developing countries. Estimates for the year 2000 showed about 2.1 million severe infections and 299,000 child deaths from Hib, and 6.6 million severe infections and 600,000 child deaths from pneumococcus—not including cases of opportunistic infection in children with HIV.

Conjugate vaccines against Hib have been used in the U.S., Europe and some other countries for almost three decades. They virtually eliminated Hib as a significant public health threat in areas of high and sustained coverage. However, children in several developing countries with high disease burdens have only started to receive Hib vaccine in the past decade. A vaccine against pneumococcus, known as the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV), began to be used in many low-income countries, where much of the disease burden is found, in 2009.

“Further progress against these diseases will depend on efforts in a few large countries,” says study lead author Brian Wahl, PhD, an assistant scientist at the International Vaccine Access Center in the Bloomberg School’s Department of International Health. “These bacteria still cause far too many child deaths.”

Researchers developed updated estimates—on a country-by-country basis, for each year from 2000 to 2015—of the numbers of Hib and pneumococcal disease cases and deaths in children. They used country-specific figures of children who died of pneumonia and meningitis, along with field-based evidence on the fraction of those deaths caused by pneumococcus and Hib, and WHO/UNICEF estimates of vaccine coverage to estimate the burden of pneumococcal and Hib deaths and cases.

Their primary findings were that both Hib and pneumococcus caused far fewer cases of severe disease and death in children ages one to 59 months in 2015 compared to 2000. For Hib in 2015, there were approximately 29,500 child deaths, and for pneumococcus an estimated 294,000 child deaths. These figures suggest declines of 90 percent and 51 percent, respectively, from the estimated deaths in the year 2000.

The researchers estimated that Hib and pneumococcal deaths among children with HIV/AIDS also declined sharply—75 percent—from about 95,000 in 2000 to about 23,000 in 2015.

The sharp declines in child mortality from Hib and pneumococcus were due not just to the introduction of vaccines but also to general factors that have reduced pneumonia and meningitis deaths from all causes, such as better hygiene and access to health care. “In 2015 compared to 2000 fewer children died from all causes, not just Hib and pneumococcus,” Wahl notes.

However, there was evidence that vaccines were specifically responsible for a considerable reduction in mortality. “The estimated average annual decline in child deaths from pneumococcus jumped from 3 percent during 2000-2010 to 8 percent after 2010 when many high-burden countries began widespread immunizations with PCV,” Wahl says.

The researchers estimated that during 2000-2015 PCV prevented a total of about 250,000 child deaths—mostly after 2010—while Hib vaccines prevented 1.2 million child deaths. These figures do not include the prevented cases of pneumococcal and Hib deaths among children who were HIV-infected.

The new estimates will guide ongoing efforts to reduce the burdens of Hib and pneumococcal diseases, which together still kill approximately 900 children per day around the world. The estimates suggest, for example, that about half of the pneumococcal child deaths in 2015 occurred in just four countries: India, Nigeria, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Pakistan. “The pneumoccocal disease burden is now limited to a small number of countries that have not introduced the vaccine or have not yet fully scaled the vaccines,” Wahl says.

The introduction of Hib vaccine and PCV into high-burden, low-income countries since 2009 has occurred with the support of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, a public-private partnership of countries, WHO, UNICEF and other partners.

“Burden of Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae type b disease in children in the era of conjugate vaccines: global, regional, and national estimates for 2000–15” was written by Brian Wahl, Katherine O’Brien, Adena Greenbaum, Anwesha Majumder, Li Liu, Yue Chu, Ivana Lukšic, Harish Nair, David McAllister, Harry Campbell, Igor Rudan, Robert Black, and Maria Deloria Knoll.

NEW DELHI: In what it could be called as weaning away  young minds from anti-social activities in Kashmir Valley, Army’s Super 30 coaching initiative has notched up an impressive success rate of getting 30 students selected for the elite IITs and other engineering colleges in the country. 

The Army began its collaboration five years ago with the Centre for Social Responsibility and Leadership (CSRL) and Petronet LNG Ltd (PLL) to train students from Kashmir Valley for engineering courses.

“We had identified 35 students from the valley for engineering examination and 32 have cleared their examination this year. Out of 32, seven have been selected for admission to IITs and the rest will enroll in the NITs and other engineering colleges,” said Meenakshi Shahi, Chief Manager (Project and HR) National 

Super 30 of CSRL. 

On being asked about the mission of Super 30, Ms Shahi said, “The CSRL wants to bridge the socio-economic gap prevailing in the society by providing free classes, food and lodging.” She also appreciated the efforts of the Indian Army for providing infrastructure, security and safe environment in training the students. 

“It is one of the successful projects undertaken by the Army in the valley which has impacted the lives of number of youths by providing them proper guidance and an opportunity to make a career for themselves,” Army officials said. The project has equally helped the families of these youths in their growth and prosperity. It is a major milestone towards bringing normalcy in the valley, they said.  

Zahra Batool, one of the students who cracked the JEE examination shared her experience as to how she was attracted to this course. She said, “Last year, some of my friends got selected into IITs through this project. They asked me to get enrolled into this organization. I got selected into this scheme and I had a wonderful experience with the students across the country.” While the boys are being trained at Srinagar campus, the girls are accommodated in Noida. 

The CSRL runs 15 centres across the country and will increase the number to 20 in July this year.

Along the lines of Kashmir Super 30 for engineering aspirants, Indian Army has recently signed a MoU for medical aspirants with Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) and National Integrity Educational Development Organisation (NIEDO), under which selected students will be provided with complete free residential coaching for National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) for their selection in various medical colleges in the country. 

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has commended India for its progress in recent years in reducing the maternal mortality ratio (MMR) by 77%, from 556 per 100 000 live births in 1990 to 130 per 100 000 live births in 2016. India’s present MMR is below the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target and puts the country on track to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target of an MMR below 70 by 2030.

A statement issued by WHO said that four key actions are responsible for India’s remarkable achievement, according to Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director for South East Asia. 

First, India had made a concerted push to increase access to quality maternal health services. Since 2005, coverage of essential maternal health services has doubled, while the proportion of institutional deliveries in public facilities has almost tripled, from 18% in 2005 to 52% in 2016 (including private facilities, institutional deliveries now stand at 79%).

Second, state-subsidized demand-side financing like the Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram – which allows all pregnant women delivering in public health institutions to free transport and no-expense delivery, including caesarian section – has largely closed the urban-rural divide traditionally seen in institutional births. Overall, 75% of rural births are now supervised, as compared to 89% of urban deliveries.

Third, India has put significant emphasis on mitigating the social determinants of maternal health. Women in India are more literate than ever, with 68% now able to read and write. They are also entering marriage at an older age, with just 27% now wedded before the age of 18. These factors alone have enabled Indian women to better control their reproductive lives and make decisions that reflect their own interests and wants.

Finally, the government has put in substantive efforts to facilitate positive engagement between public and private health care providers. Campaigns such as the Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan have been introduced with great impact, allowing women access to antenatal check-ups, obstetric gynecologists and to track high-risk pregnancies – exactly what is needed to make further gains and achieve the SDG targets.

India’s achievements are already having wide-ranging human impact, and are of immense inspiration to WHO Member States, both in the Region and beyond. As per WHO South-East Asia’s Flagship Priority of advancing maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health, the Organization will continue to provide technical and operational support as and where needed in India and across the Region to end preventable deaths due to pregnancy and childbirth and to ensure every woman has full control over her reproductive life.

Meanwhile, Unicef, too, has appreciated the achievement.

“India has shown impressive progress in reducing maternal deaths, with nearly 1000 fewer women now dying of pregnancy related complications each month in India as compared to 2013” said Dr. Yasmin Ali Haque, country representative of UNICEF in India.

She further added, “What is even more heartening to see is that the State of Uttar Pradesh, which accounts for the highest share of home deliveries in the country has led the charts with a near 30 per cent reduction, which is even higher than the national average of 22 per cent”.

However, even one maternal death is too many and it is our shared responsibility to end these preventable maternal and newborn deaths.  Ensuring every women delivers with a safe pair of hands in an environment that treats her with respect and dignity going to be the key. It will be crucial that the same timely access and quality of care is afforded to every woman, especially those who live in the remotest and the poorest household of the country. The time for all of us to act is now, she added.

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee is going to establish a Design Innovation Center (DIC), named “Navonmesh” at a cost of Rs. 10 crore to address issues of Himalayan region.

Funded by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), It will address issues of the Himalayan Region using resources available locally as well as national priorities. The objective is to develop innovative designs primarily to address the local issues which need low cost solutions and to nurture and advance the culture of design and innovation in the region to improve the quality of life.

Highlighting the importance of this Center to the Himalayan Region and the country, Prof. Ajit K.Chaturvedi, Director, IIT Roorkee, said, “I am happy that IIT Roorkee has been selected for setting up a Design Innovation Center. We already have an ecosystem in place and I am sure our faculty members and students will take full advantage of the framework provided by DIC.”

“The DIC aims to produce region-specific products and will support innovative proposals for product development. It has also some unique outreach programs such as COMAL (Common MAn to Laboratory), under which DIC will connect with the common man, who often has innovative ideas, but usually gets deprived of proper mentoring, to takehis ideas to reality. I am sure the Design Innovation Center, along with the Spoke partners, will focus on the specific problems of the region which will benefit the society,” he said.

The DIC has already identified several products that are going to be developed including crop harvester for terrains, green furniture based on forest waste materials, assistive device differently-abled persons, high yield loom design for Uttarakhand local weavers, lab-on-chip and an inclusive Education Kit.

The DIC will also take up Industrial Consultancy and Collaborative Activities besides conducting Workshops/Seminars and U2U (Udbhavan to Utpadan).

Speaking about the vision of this Center, Prof Manoranjan Parida, Dean (Sponsored Research and Industrial Consultancy), IIT Roorkee, said, “The DIC will evolve a unique model of focusing on the development of a culture of collaborative partnership with society, industry and other stakeholders to develop state-of-the-art outcomes. Addressing the needs of differently-abled persons is among the priority areas.”

The MHRD approved the proposal of IIT Roorkee to establish the DIC under the National Initiative of the Ministry for setting up of Design Innovation Center, Open Design School and National Design Innovation Network. The DIC will have a laboratory with selected fabrication devices and testing facilities will be developed. These include – High-end Machining Center, Coordinate Measuring Machine (CMM), Chip Fabrication Facility, and Simulation Facility.

The proposed DIC will operate in the ‘Hub and Spoke’ Model, in which IIT Roorkee will be the Hub Institute; three other premier Institutions of the region – National Institute of Technology Uttarakhand (NITUK), Indian Institute of Management Kashipur (IIM-Kashipur) and College of Technology, G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology (GBPUA&T), Pantnagar, shall participate as the Spokes. The other institutions have also developed their specific proposals –to address local problems. As per guidelines of MHRD, the Spokes are allocated one-third of the total budget.

Mr. Krishna Rao who just graduated (B.Tech., Production and Industrial Engineering), said, “The P2P (Prayogshala to Prayogkshetra) initiative gives students a chance to learn and develop productsfrom the research work that they’ve done for their final year project. It is an extraordinary chance for the student community to explore the field of product development by gaining first-hand experience from the designing stage to fabrication ofthe final product.”

The proposed activities of the DIC will be carried out under three major categories:

(i)            Supporting innovative product-based projects of faculty members and students,

(ii)           Academic activities, and

(iii)          Outreach activities.

A core team of faculty members led by Prof. Apurbba Kumar Sharma, DIC Coordinator (Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering) and members – Prof. Rajat Agrawal (Department of Management Studies), Prof. Gaurav Raheja (Department of Architecture and Planning), Prof. Sanjeev Manhas (Department of Electronics & Communication Engineering) and Prof. Inderdeep Singh (Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering) prepared the proposal under the overall supervision of Prof. Manoranjan Parida, Dean, Sponsored Research and Industrial Consultancy (SRIC). A number of faculty members from other departments and centers also contributed.

New Delhi : Indian Railways has for the first time completely digitized the Complaint management system. Piyush Goyal, Minister of Railways & Coal today launched a new App “Rail Madad” – An App to expedite &  streamline passenger grievance redressal. 

RPGRAMS (Railway Passenger Grievance Redressal and Management System),which has been developed by Northern Railway (Delhi Division) and comprises many novel features including ‘Rail Madad’ – a  mobile App  to register complaints by passengers through mobile phone/web. It relays real time feedback to passengers on the status of redressal of their complaints- the passenger gets an instant ID through SMS on registration of complaint followed by a customized SMS communicating the action taken thereon by Railway. RPGRAMS integrates all the passenger complaints received from multiple modes (14 offline/online modes currently) on a single platform, analyzes them holistically and generates various types of management reports which enable the top management to continuously monitor the pace of grievance redressal as well as evaluate the performance of field units/ trains/ stations on various parameters viz cleanliness, catering, amenities etc. It also identifies weak/deficient areas and laggard trains/stations for undertaking focussed corrective actions.

Salient features of Rail Madad application are:

Rail MADAD (Mobile Application for Desired Assistance During travel) registers a complaint with minimum inputs from passenger(option of photo also available), issues unique ID instantly and relays the complaint online to relevant field officials for immediate action. The  action taken on complaint is also relayed to passenger through SMS, thus fast tracking the entire process of redressal of complaints through digitisation.

Rail MADAD also displays various helpline numbers (e.g., Security, Child helpline etc) and provides direct calling facility for immediate assistance in one easy step

All modes of  filing complaints including offline and online modes are being integrated on a single platform, therefore the resultant management reports present a holistic picture of weak/deficient areas and  enable focused corrective action by officials concerned.

The data analysis would also generate trends on various performance parameters of a selected train/station like cleanliness, amenities etc thus making managerial decision more precise and effective.

Hierarchy based dashboard/reports will be available for management at Division /Zonal/Railway board level and sent through auto email to every concerned officer weekly

A considerable proportion of adolescents in Bihar are aware of the availability of tests to determine the sex of the foetus. As many as 31 percent of younger boys (ages 10–14) and 67 percent of older boys, and even more girls—39 percent of younger girls (ages 10–14) and 72–76 percent of unmarried and married older girls—were aware of sex determination tests. 

Findings pertaining to older adolescents’ perceptions about abortions underscore that most adolescents did not favour the termination of pregnancy; only 23–36 percent of older boys and girls perceived that it is acceptable for a 15 girl or woman to terminate her pregnancy if she does not want to continue with it. Indeed, as many as 58–61 percent of adolescents believed that it is not acceptable to terminate a pregnancy. Of those who were aware of abortion, 64 percent of boys and 53–58 percent of girls reported that they would direct a friend or relative in need of abortion services to a provider or facility that was likely to be legal, which indicates some indirect understanding that abortion is legally available. Only very small proportions of adolescents reported that they would suggest a facility or provider not authorised to provide abortion services (2–4%). Finally, 23 percent of boys and 11–22 percent of girls reported that they did not know of facilities that offer abortion services.

These are some of the findings of a research programme titled, ‘Understanding the lives of adolescents and young adults (UDAYA) in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh’ done by Population Council, A total of 35,586 households were selected for interview; among these, interviews were successfully completed for 33,900 sample households. A total of 10,433 adolescents were interviewed.

While most older adolescents had heard of contraception, in-depth awareness was limited. Thus, 84 percent of boys, 65 percent of unmarried girls, and 86 percent of married girls had heard of at least one selected modern method of contraception—oral pills, condoms, and emergency contraceptive pills—suitable for adolescents. However, specific knowledge of at least one modern contraceptive method was reported by considerably fewer—63 percent of boys, 18 percent of unmarried girls, and 43 percent of married girls. Specific knowledge of at least one contraceptive method increased with the respondent’s educational attainment level, current enrolment in school/college, as well as his/her mother’s educational attainment level and the household’s economic status.

Findings show that school enrolment was nearly universal among adolescents other than married older girls, but particularly so for younger adolescents; however, a considerable proportion of unmarried and married older girls—nine percent of unmarried older girls and 29 percent of married older girls—were never enrolled in school. Findings highlight, moreover, that differences by residence in rural or urban areas in school enrolment were modest. Although school enrolment was nearly universal, attainment of educational milestones was far from satisfactory.

Data on activity status during adolescence among older adolescents show that school enrolment declined across all groups as they transitioned out of early adolescence into late adolescence; for example, school enrolment declined from 94 percent to 85 percent among older boys and from 88 percent to 79 percent among unmarried older girls at the ages of 10 and 15, respectively

Data on migration experiences among older adolescents show that 18 percent of boys, 10 percent of unmarried girls, and 87 percent of married girls were migrants by place of last residence. Boys migrated largely for education-related reasons (34%), family migration-related reasons (26%), and work-related (20%) reasons. Among unmarried girls, the leading reasons were family migration (56%), followed by education-related reasons (29%). Some 17 percent of boys and 12 percent of girls cited economic distress experienced by family. Almost all married girls who had migrated into their current place of residence cited marriage-related migration. Finally, findings show that the vast majority preferred to stay in their state, given a choice — 89 percent of boys and 75–79 percent of girls. Just 6–14 percent preferred to migrate outside their state, while the remaining were unsure about it.

Findings suggest that large proportions of adolescents were exposed to the mass media, typically television and films (83–91% of boys and 61–82% of girls). Fewer adolescents had been exposed to the print media (61–81% of boys and 41–66% of girls who had completed five or more years of education) and to the radio (26–32% of boys and 10–13% of girls). More boys than girls reported exposure to each medium.

However, a large majority of adolescents owned or had access to a family member’s mobile phone. Findings show that the penetration of internet and social media among adolescents was very limited, except among older boys. While as many as 39 percent of older boys had ever accessed the internet, only 1–13 percent of adolescents in the remaining four categories had done so. Very few adolescents, except older boys, had ever accessed social media—27 percent of older boys and 1–4 percent of adolescents in the remaining four categories. As expected, a larger proportion of urban than rural adolescents had ever accessed social media.

Findings underscore, in general, the gender discriminatory experiences of adolescents. Among adolescents with opposite-sex siblings who were up to three years younger or older than the respondent, for example, 19–20 percent of boys reported that their parents favoured them over their sisters and 33–42 percent of girls (married older girls were not included) acknowledged that their parents favoured their brother over them in at least one of three practices, namely, the quantity or quality of food items given, amount of pocket money given, the type of school in which they were enrolled, or parental aspirations for respondent’s education.

Findings related to adolescents’ plans for the immediate future, that is, for the three years following the interview, show that the vast majority of younger boys and girls (88–89%) reported that they would like to continue/get back to their studies. In contrast, and not surprisingly, a large proportion of older boys and unmarried older girls expressed that they had both plans to continue/get back to their studies (66% for each) and plans related to livelihood generation (56% and 48%, respectively). Married girls, on the other hand, were interested in livelihood-related plans (45%) and plans to become a mother (17%) or assume the role of a homemaker (40%).

Findings clearly highlight the limited agency of adolescents and the striking gender divide in all the dimensions of adolescents’ agency. Adolescent girls were far more disadvantaged than adolescent boys. Differences by sex, for example, were evident among both younger and older adolescents across all domains of decision-making, with boys more likely than girls to have some say in decisions such as choice of friends, level of schooling they want, whether to work or not.

Findings also underscore adolescents’ limited awareness of sexual and reproductive matters, such as how pregnancy occurs and knowledge of contraception, HIV, safe sex practices, and maternal and newborn care practices. Just 56 percent of younger boys in ages 13–14 and 44 percent of younger girls in ages 13–14, for example, knew that a woman cannot become pregnant after kissing or hugging; even fewer (9–10%) were aware that a woman can get pregnant at first sex. Among older boys and unmarried older girls, only 27–28 percent were aware that a woman can 14 get pregnant at first sex, and hardly any (4–5%) knew that a woman is most likely to become pregnant if she engages in sexual relations mid-cycle. 

Even among married older girls, just 53 and 12 percent, respectively, were aware of these facts.

Findings highlight the limited awareness of maternal and newborn care practices among older adolescents, including among married girls (younger adolescents were not asked about these matters). Just 22–28 percent of boys and girls for example, knew that a pregnant woman should have at least four antenatal check-ups, and 68–71 percent of boys and girls knew that a woman should go for post-partum check-ups even if she is feeling well. Similarly, 30–43 percent of boys and girls knew that a newborn should be breastfed within an hour of birth, 39–50 percent knew that colostrum should be fed to the newborn, and 28–48 percent knew that an infant should be breastfed exclusively for six months. 

Finally, 62 percent of boys and 34–39 percent of girls reported that a newborn should not be bathed on the first day of birth. Awareness levels increased systematically with the respondent’s age, his/her belonging to general castes, educational attainment level, his/her mother’s educational attainment level, and the household’s economic status.

Adolescents had few sources of information on puberty and sexual and reproductive matters. Indeed, large proportions of younger boys and girls had never received any information about puberty (57% and 53%, respectively). Likewise, 70–72 percent of younger boys and girls in ages 13–14 had never received information on such matters as how pregnancy occurs or how a pregnancy can be prevented, as also 25 percent, 44 percent, and 30 percent of older boys, unmarried older girls, and married older girls, respectively.

Leading sources of information on puberty for younger adolescents were family members (15% of boys and 38% of girls), particularly parents, followed by friends (12% of boys and 6% of girls) and influential adults in the community (9% of boys and 7% of girls), particularly teachers. Hardly any younger adolescents listed healthcare providers (less than 1%) or the mass media (2% or less) as their major sources of information. Leading sources of information on sexual and reproductive matters for boys aged 13 and above included friends (17% among 13–14-year-old boys and 59% among older boys), influential adults in the community (11% among 13–14-year-old boys and 15%, among older boys), and the mass media (3% among 13–14-year-old boys and 18% among older boys). Among girls, family members (20% among 13–14-year-old girls and 36–58% among unmarried and married older girls) and friends (4% among 13–14-year-old girls and 17–18% among unmarried and married older girls) were the leading sources of information.

Findings confirm that despite strict norms prohibiting opposite-sex socialising, opportunities do exist for the formation of romantic relationships among adolescents. As many as 19 percent of boys and 13–14 percent of girls reported that they had been involved in a romantic partnership in their lifetime. Romantic relationships almost always included some form of physical intimacy—74 percent of boys and 52–55 percent of girls had hugged their romantic partner, and progressively fewer reported more intimate behaviours, such as kissing their romantic partner on the lips (64% of boys and 43–47% of girls) and engaging in sexual relations with their partner (41% of boys and 17–18% of girls).

A large proportion of adolescents who had engaged in sexual relations with a romantic partner had engaged in unprotected sex. Contraceptive use in a romantic relationship was limited—just 31 percent of boys and 17 percent of girls reported using a contraceptive method at first sex. Even more limited was consistent contraceptive use—only 28 percent of boys and 7–11 percent of girls reported that they/their partner had always practised contraception. The majority of those who practised contraception in romantic relationships had used condoms.

Non-consensual sexual experiences characterised the lives of a significant number of adolescents. As many as 22 percent of younger girls had ever experienced teasing and verbal harassment of a sexual nature and seven percent had experienced unwanted sexual touch. Among younger boys, one percent had ever experienced non-consensual sexual touch, typically perpetrated by another boy or a man.

Circumstances of the first birth suggest that almost all married girls had received at least one antenatal check-up (98%). However, fewer girls had their first check-up in the first trimester (47%), while even fewer had received four or more antenatal check-ups (36%). Although 44 percent of married girls had taken iron and folic acid tablets, only six percent had taken it for 100 days. As many as 89 percent of married girls had received two or more tetanus toxoid injections and almost all (95%) had received at least one. Giving birth in a health facility and having skilled attendance were common for the first delivery. Indeed, 79 percent of married girls reported that they gave birth in a health facility and 84 percent of girls reported that their first birth was attended by a health care personnel. Findings show that girls’ access to post-partum check-ups following their first birth was limited—just 39 percent of married girls reported at least one check-up. Some 36 percent of married girls had their first post-partum check-up within two days of delivery. Almost all married girls who had received a post-partum check-up had received it from a healthcare professional. Only nine percent of girls had received three or more check-ups within six weeks of delivery

Breastfeeding is nearly universal—96 percent of married girls with at least one live birth reported that they had breastfed their first child. However, only a small proportion of married girls had initiated breastfeeding within an hour of delivery (47%) and 80 percent had initiated breastfeeding within the first day of birth.

The reach of various schemes to promote maternal, newborn, and child health— the Janani Surksha Yojana, the Janani-Shishu Suraksha Karyakram, and the ICDS—was far from satisfactory. Just 43 percent of married girls with at least one live birth had received JSY cash benefits for their first birth; even among those who had given birth in a public sector facility, only 72 percent had received the cash benefits

Menstrual hygiene practices were far from satisfactory, as measured by use of sanitary napkins. Of those who had begun menstruating, 20–28 percent reported that they used only sanitary napkins, 43–52 percent reported that they used only pieces of cloth, and 21–27 percent reported that they used both. Those who reported using materials other than sanitary napkins cited lack of affordability of sanitary napkins, difficulty in or shyness about obtaining sanitary napkins, and lack of awareness about sanitary napkins as the leading reasons for not using sanitary napkins.

The findings of UDAYA provide considerable evidence that family life or comprehensive sexuality education is urgently needed among adolescents, for both those in school and those who have discontinued their education. Findings demonstrate a limited understanding of sexual and reproductive matters among adolescents, including among the married older girls. Misconceptions abound on most topics: sex and pregnancy, contraceptive methods, STIs and HIV/AIDS, and maternal and newborn care practices. Where adolescents have shown awareness of sexual and reproductive health matters, many of them exhibited only superficial knowledge. While few adolescents had been exposed to family life education, key topics covered related to HIV/AIDS rather than sexual and reproductive topics more generally. Even so, those who had been exposed to such an education were more likely than those who had not been to display in-depth awareness of sexual and reproductive matters. 

Moreover, notable proportions of adolescents—one-tenth to two-fifths—indicated a preference for receiving information about sexual and reproductive matters from teachers, healthcare providers, or other influential adults in the community, the study says.

Adolescents in Uttar Pradesh have limited awareness of sexual and reproductive matters, such as how pregnancy occurs and knowledge of contraception, HIV and safe sex practices, and maternal and newborn care practices. Just 55 percent of younger boys in ages 13–14 and 43 percent of younger girls in ages 13–14, for example, knew that a woman cannot become pregnant after kissing or hugging; even fewer (8–10%) were aware that a woman can get pregnant at first sex. 

Among older adolescents, only 23–24 percent of boys and unmarried girls were aware that a woman can get pregnant at first sex, and hardly any (5–7%) knew that a woman is most likely to become pregnant if she engages in sexual relations mid-cycle. Even among married older girls, just 58 percent were aware of even one of these facts. However, as many as 26 percent of younger boys (ages 10–14) and 57 percent of older boys were aware of the availability of tests to determine the sex of the foetus as were 30 percent of younger girls (ages 10–14) and 65–68 percent of unmarried and married older girls.

These are the findings of the programme of research titled, ‘Understanding the lives of adolescents and young adults (UDAYA) in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh 2015-16’, implemented by the Population Council. 

Findings pertaining to adolescents’ perceptions about abortions underscore that most adolescents did not favour the termination of pregnancy; one-third or fewer adolescents (23–32%) perceived that it is acceptable for a girl or woman to terminate her pregnancy if she does not want to continue with it. Indeed, as many as 54–64 percent of adolescents believed that it is not acceptable to terminate a pregnancy. Of those who were aware of abortion, 66 percent of boys and 51–61 percent of girls reported that they would direct a friend or relative in need of abortion services to a provider or facility that was likely to be legal, which indicates some indirect understanding that abortion is legally available. Only very small proportions of adolescents reported that they would suggest a facility or provider not authorised to provide abortion services (2–5%). Finally, 20 percent of boys and 12–29 percent of girls reported that they did not know of facilities that offer abortion services.

The goal of UDAYA is to establish the levels, patterns, and trends in the situation of younger (10–14) and older (15–19) adolescents and assess factors that influence the quality of transitions they make. 

UDAYA uses both cross-sectional and longitudinal designs and focuses on unmarried boys in ages 10–14 and 15–19, unmarried girls in ages 10–14 and 15–19, and married girls in ages 15–19 in both rural and urban settings in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. These two States together constitute 25 percent of the country’s population and adolescents in these states account for 29 percent of the country’s adolescent population.

Adolescents had few sources of information on puberty and sexual and reproductive matters. Indeed, large proportions of younger boys and girls had never received any information about puberty (56% and 63%, respectively). Likewise, 69 percent of younger boys in ages 13–14 and 83 percent of younger girls in ages 13–14 had never received information on such matters as how pregnancy occurs or how a pregnancy can be prevented as also 37 percent, 57 percent, and 31 percent of older boys, unmarried older girls, and married older girls, respectively (adolescents in ages 10–12 were not asked about these matters). Leading sources of information on puberty for younger adolescents were family members.

Hardly any younger adolescents listed healthcare providers or the mass media as their major sources of information. Leading sources of information on sexual and reproductive matters for boys aged 13 and above included friends (17% among younger boys in ages 13– 14 and 48% among older boys), influential adults in the community (6% and 14% among 13–14-year-old boys and older boys, respectively), and the mass media (2% and 14% among 13–14-year-old boys and older boys, respectively). Among girls, while no single leading source of information was identified among younger girls, family members (24%), friends (13%), and the mass media (13%) were listed as leading sources for unmarried older girls, and family members (60%), friends (16%), and influential adults in the community (7%) were listed among married older girls.

Findings confirm that despite strict norms prohibiting opposite-sex socialising, opportunities do exist for the formation of romantic relationships among adolescents. As many as 26 percent of older boys and 16–20 percent of unmarried and married older girls reported that they had been involved in a romantic partnership in their lifetime. Romantic relationships almost always included some form of physical intimacy—74 percent of boys and 54–60 percent of girls had hugged their romantic partner, and progressively fewer reported more intimate behaviours, such as kissing their romantic partner on the lips (68% of boys and 42–51% of girls) and engaging in sexual relations with their partner (42% of boys and 18–25% of girls).

A large proportion of older adolescents who had reported sexual relations with a romantic partner had engaged in unprotected sex. Contraceptive use in a romantic relationship was limited—only a quarter of boys and about one-fifth of girls reported that they had used a contraceptive method at first sex.

Non-consensual sexual experiences characterised the lives of a significant number of adolescents. As many as 16 percent of younger girls had ever experienced teasing and verbal harassment of a sexual nature and two percent had experienced unwanted sexual touch. Among younger boys, three percent had ever experienced non-consensual sexual touch, typically perpetrated by another boy or a man. Two percent of older boys and 8–9 percent of unmarried and married older girls reported ever experience of non-consensual sexual touch, including attempts to force sex on them (married older girls were asked to report such experience if it had occurred before their marriage). Four percent of unmarried older girls and five percent of married older girls reported the experience of a forced sexual encounter ever in life including that perpetrated by their romantic partner/s (married older girls’ experiences were before marriage).

Circumstances of the first birth suggest that almost all married girls had received at least one antenatal check up. However, fewer girls had their first check-up in the first trimester (47%), while even fewer had received four or more antenatal check-ups (31%). Although 55 percent of married girls had taken iron and folic acid tablets sometimes, only eight percent had taken it for 100 days. As many as 82 percent of married girls had received two or more tetanus toxoid injections and almost all (93%) had received at least one. Giving birth in a health facility and having skilled attendance were far from universal for the first—and most risky—delivery. Indeed, just 72 percent of married girls reported that they gave birth in a health facility and 78 percent of married girls reported that their first birth was attended by a health care personnel. 

Findings show that girls’ access to post-partum check-ups following their first birth was limited—just 37 percent of married girls reported at least one check-up. Some 33 percent of married girls had their first post-partum check-up within two days of delivery. Almost all married girls who had received a post-partum check-up had received it from a healthcare professional. Only eight percent of married girls had received three or more check-ups within six weeks of delivery.

Breastfeeding is nearly universal—96 percent of married girls with at least one live birth reported that they had breastfed their first child. However, only a small proportion of married girls had initiated breastfeeding their first child within an hour of delivery (33%). 

The reach of various schemes to promote maternal, newborn, and child health— the Janani Surksha Yojana (JSY), the Janani-Shishu Surakshya Karyakram, and the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS)—was far from satisfactory. Just 32 percent of married girls with at least one live birth had received JSY cash benefits for their first birth; even among those who had given birth in a public sector facility, only 61 percent had received the cash benefits. Among married girls whose first birth took place in a public or private health facility, 54 percent reported that they had received at least one benefit dispensed under the Janani-Shishu Surakshya Karyakram. The reach of services through the ICDS programme was even more limited during pregnancy and the period of lactation. Just 33 percent of married girls reported that they had received food supplementation during pregnancy or the lactation period with respect to their first child, and fewer married girls reported that they had received health and/or nutrition education. Infant and child health services in contrast were more likely to have been accessed by married girls who had at least one child—53 percent of married girls reported that they had received various services for their first child under six years of age.

Menstrual hygiene practices were far from satisfactory, as measured by the use of sanitary napkins. Of those who had begun menstruating, 30–35 percent reported that they used sanitary napkins, 42–50 percent reported that they used pieces of cloth, and 16–25 percent reported that they used both. Those who reported using materials other than sanitary napkins cited lack of affordability, difficulty in obtaining sanitary napkins, and lack of awareness about sanitary napkins as the main reasons for not using sanitary napkins.

Findings show that frontline workers (FLWs), namely, accredited social health activists (ASHAs) and anganwadi workers (AWWs) were widely known to adolescents. Among boys, 82–91 percent and, among girls, 84–93 percent, for example, had heard about AWWs.

Findings show that school enrolment was nearly universal among adolescents, except for married older girls, among whom a considerable proportion of married girls—one out of five—were never enrolled in school. Findings highlight, moreover, that differences by sex in school enrolment had disappeared and that differences between adolescents of rural and those of urban areas were modest. Although school enrolment was nearly universal, attainment of educational milestones was far from satisfactory.

Retention in school was far from universal even among younger adolescents despite the introduction of the Right to Education Act, 2009, that has made primary education free and compulsory, with 86–91 percent of younger adolescents, 52—63 percent of older boys and unmarried older girls, and five percent of married older girls were enrolled in a school or college at the time of the interview. Furthermore, school retention declined steadily as boys and girls transitioned from early adolescence to late adolescence, with steeper declines among girls than boys and among married than unmarried older girls. While 90–93 percent of boys and unmarried older girls in ages 15–19 were in school at age 10, just 69–78 percent were in school at age 15

Data on migration experiences among older adolescents show that 19 percent of boys, 14 percent of unmarried girls, and 92 percent of married girls were migrants by place of last residence. The major reason for migration among boys and unmarried girls was family migration—47 percent of boys and 68 percent of unmarried girls reported that they had moved into their current place of residence because the family had migrated. Other reasons for migration included the pursuit of education, economic distress experienced by family, and, additionally, among boys, employment. Almost all married girls who had migrated into their current place of residence cited marriage-related migration. Finally, findings show that the vast majority preferred to stay in their state, given a choice — 88 percent of boys and 70–76 percent of girls. Just 7–12 percent preferred to migrate outside their state, while the remaining were unsure about it.

Findings suggest that large proportions of adolescents were exposed to the mass media, typically television and films (90–92% of boys and 73–81% of girls). Fewer adolescents had been exposed to the print media (65–82% of boys and 48–67% of girls who had completed five or more years of education) and to the radio (28–33% of boys and 16– 24% of girls). More boys than girls reported exposure to each medium, while differences by age and by marital status among girls were modest for the most part. However, a large majority of adolescents owned or had access to a family member’s mobile phone. Findings show that the penetration of internet and social media among adolescents was very limited, except among older boys. While as many as 42 percent of older boys had ever accessed the internet, only 5–17 percent of adolescents in the remaining four categories had done so

Findings underscore, in general, the gender discriminatory experiences of adolescents. Among adolescents with opposite-sex siblings who were up to three years younger or older than the respondent, for example, 16–19 percent of boys reported that their parents favoured them over their sisters and 26–28 percent of girls (married older girls were not included), acknowledged that their parents favoured their brother over them in at least one of three practices, namely, the quantity or quality of food items given, the amount of pocket money given, the type of school in which they were enrolled, or parental aspirations for respondent’s education. Girls who were less educated, out-of-school, engaged in paid work, belonging to poor households, and residing in rural areas were more likely than others to report gender discriminatory experiences. Adolescents’ family lives were marked by violence, both witnessed and experienced. As many as 20–24 percent of boys and 26–30 percent of girls whose both parents were alive at the time of the interview had ever witnessed incidents where their father had beaten their mother

The findings of UDAYA provide considerable evidence that family life or sex education is urgently needed among adolescents, for both those in school and those who have discontinued their education. Findings demonstrate a limited understanding of sexual and reproductive matters among adolescents, including among married older girls. Misconceptions abound on most topics: sex and pregnancy, contraceptive methods, STIs and HIV/AIDS, and maternal and newborn care practices. Where adolescents have shown awareness of sexual and reproductive health matters, many of them exhibited only superficial knowledge. While few adolescents had been exposed to family life education, key topics covered related to HIV/AIDS rather than sexual and reproductive topics more generally. Even so, those who had been exposed to such an education were more likely than those who had not been to display in-depth awareness of sexual and reproductive matters. Moreover, notable proportions of adolescents—one-tenth to two-fifths—indicated a preference for receiving information about sexual and reproductive matters from teachers, healthcare providers, or other influential adults in the community.

[Produced by: Bombay Talkies/ Directed by: Franz Osten / screenplay: Niranjan Pal/ dialogues &lyrics: J.S. Casshyap/ cinematography: Josef Wirsching/ music composer: Saraswati Devi/ Starring: Devika Rani, Ashok Kumar. P.F. Pithawala, Kamta Prasad, Kishori Lal, Kusum Kumari, Pramila, Anwar and Ishrat.]

India’s cinema has been reluctant to tackle the vexed issue of casteism from its very inception. The first major attempt to deal with the subject was attempted in the Bombay Talkies’ Achhut Kanya (1936). Achhut Kanya mounted the topic in a Romeo-and-Juliet tale of star-crossed lovers meeting their fate due to intolerant families and village community at large. 

Bombay Talkies, as an institution was a result of the genius of Himanshu Rai (1892 –1940) who had not intended it as just not another of those fly by wire film making companies but an institution strongly conscious of its sense of social commitment. 

Achhut Kanya, tried to piggy ride the genre of romantic tragedy established by Barua’s Devdas that had rocked India an year earlier at its core, it was a film made for the young of the thirties. The theme of untouchability was segued in by Himanshu Rai, who wanted to splash Bombay Talkies amidst the ruling élite. Pandit Nehru and Sarojini Naidu admired its progressive theme.
 

The film was based on the story, The Level Crossing by Niranjan Pal, freedom fighter Bipin Chandra Pal’s son who also wrote the screenplay. Achhut Kanya chronicled the tragic love story of a Brahmin youth (Ashok Kumar) and an untouchable girl (Devika Rani).

The cinematography, production design and acting in Achhut Kanya reached new levels thanks to the contributions of German technicians whom Himanshu Rai had brought along with him from Europe. There was Franz Osten as director, Josef Wirsching as cameraman and Karl Von Spreti as the art director.

Achhut Kanya, was directed by Franz Osten who employed flash back technique in narrating the story, a rare first in the history of Bollywood. Ashok Kumar and Devika Rani played the lead roles and also became the biggest singing stars of their generation, lending their voice to the duet “Mein Ban ki chidiya…” which became a template for all romantic duets of the day.

It is claimed that solo playback singing was introduced in this film, when the composer Saraswati Devi (1912 – 1980) herself sang the song, Ki Gaye who.. In the film Dhoop Chaon (1935) helmed by Nitin Bose for New Theatres, an year earlier playback singing had been introduced for the first time in Bollywood although in a chorus of singing stars. Saraswati Devi was a Parsi whose real name was Khursheed Manchershah Minocher-Homji, while her sister played a role under the name of Chandraprabha. 

Devika Rani, the grandniece of Rabindranath Tagore left for London in the 1920s to study architecture. There she met Himanshu Rai and became the set designer of his first production, Light of Asia (1925). They got married and the couple made the bilingual film, Karma (1933), in which a 4 minute kiss between them was the talk of the tinsel town. The couple set up the famous Bombay Talkies Studio, which started rolling out Hindi productions beginning with Jawani ki Hawa (1935).

A love curl or kiss curl was a shapely curl hanging on the forehead or turning into the cheek in films of yesteryear is unique to Bollywood stars, was first seen on Devika Rani in Â‘Achhut Kanya’ (1936),besides being employed to a devastating effect on Vyjayanthimala in Â‘Madhumati’ (1958), Madhubala in Â‘Mughal-e-Azam’ (1960) and Asha Parekh in Â‘Teesri Manzil’ (1966). 

Ashok Kumar, born Kumudlal Kunjilal Ganguly, a law student from Kolkata, wanted to become a director so he joined Rai as a laboratory assistant. Ashok’s brother-in-law, Shashadhar Mukherji was already employed with Bombay Talkies. The biggest stars of Bombay Talkies at the time, Najmul Hasan and Devika Rani, who had fallen for each other during Jawani Ki Hawa, eloped to Calcutta during the shooting of Jeevan Naiyya (1936) their film on the floor.

Sashadhar Mukherjee and Himanshu Rai tracked down the couple at Calcutta’s Grand Hotel. Sashadhar Mukherjee, convinced Devika Rani to return, without Hasan, and suggested Ganguly as a replacement for the male lead to Himanshu Rai. A protesting Kumar was thrust in front of the camera opposite his wife Devika Rani in Jeevan Naiyya (1936). Ashok Kumar’s father was a lawyer and his grandfather, an affluent district magistrate didn’t take it very kindly to his joining the films, however the aura of Bombay Talkies and a handsome salary of Rs 75 per month held back Ashok Kumar. 

In his first film as a leading man Ashok Kumar was a green horn who for example had to garland the standoffish and sophisticated Devika Rani, and he would most gawkishly keep on getting the garland entangled in her hair! The very year of release of Acchut Kanya had Ashok Kumar getting married in an arranged match with Shobha. Ashok Kumar and Devika Rani started as lead pair in films from Jeevan Naiya (1936) but it was Achhut Kanya (1936), which capitulated Devika Rani and Ashok Kumar to big time fame. Ashok Kumar and Devika Rani did Janma Bhoomi (1936), Savitri (1937), Izzat (1937), Nirmala (1938) and Vachan (1938). The last film to co-star them was Anjaan (1941). 

Devika Rani continued acting till 1943 and when Rai died in 1940 she took over the reins of Bombay Talkies. Among her discoveries at Bombay Talkies was Dilip Kumar. But the economics of filmmaking and tussles with other studio executives led her to take voluntary retirement in 1945. She married the famous Russian painter Svetoslav Roerich and stayed at their huge estate near Bangalore in South India. For her contribution to Indian Cinema, Devika Rani was the first ever recipient of the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke award in 1970. 

In an irredeemable loss to Indian cinema, master prints of over 60 films including prints of classics such as Achhut Kanya (1936), Ziddi (1948), Bandhan (1940) and Jhoola (1942) were reduced to ashes in a fire that broke out at the Bombay Talkies studio in Mumbai on June 26, 2014!  .

Sony TV’s new show “Zindagi Ke Crossroads’’ has come under fire from women’s groups for its first episode on abortion.

A statement by Advocating Reproductive Choices (ARC) Coalition on the advertorial published by a media house to promote their launch episode said it was disheartening to note that a popular Indian media house is using irresponsible provocative content to promote their reality show.

The first episode of ‘Zindagi Ke Crossroads’ was aired yesterday on Sony Entertainment Television which revolved around the plight of life of the parents with special children. However, the advertorial which was released to endorse the first episode as well as the programme was insensitive, misleading and misconstrued. In a country like India which has put women at the topmost priority introducing policies and laws to safeguard their rights and respect, it is defamatory to feature a woman who has decided to take medical assistance to terminate her pregnancy as ‘She would be playing God’. The teaser goes on to reveal that the mother took this decision since she wanted to save her future child from sorrows and sufferings which s/he might face as a ‘special child’ if she continues with the pregnancy.

Advocating Reproductive Choices (ARC) is a coalition of approximately 170 civil society organisations and individuals that are committed to advocating for greater attention and focus on sexual and reproductive health issues and family planning services in India.

While watching the advert and the first show which was telecasted last night, we observed a couple of inappropriate languages used in the context of abortion, which we as a coalition would like to flag our concerns, the statement said.

While abortion legally accepted under a board range of circumstances since 1971 in India, using such sentences like ‘Mother asked to kill her own child’ or ‘She would be playing God……’ is completely unacceptable as it gives a negative connotation and demeans an extremely important issue. In fact, these words unnecessarily create a sensation to the incident adding misery to the life of the expecting woman who might have already taken a hard decision to abort the foetus post medical advice.

Further, many Indian women carry on with their unexpected pregnancies failing to take a timely call due to the social stigma around it. Therefore, terming a foetus as a “child” and hammering on the word “mother” in the advertorial as well as during the show tends to hype unnecessary expectations and also instigates the society to become judgemental about a person or a situation which do not necessarily fall under the social determinants.

The statement pointed out that abortion is a legal process and should be dealt between the decision maker and medical facilities. Brining such issues into public forum, efforts in generating discussion around those with limited cross sectoral representation from medical fraternity and advocates, rather than just lay audience, who may not be aware of the issues has actually compromised the content of the episode. We are concerned that such an episode might have a long term impact on the decision making process of women.

Expressing similar concerns, Pratigya—Campaign for  Gender Equality and Safe Abortion– has asked Sony TV has quoted the recent Supreme Court judgement on privacy which said that decisions relating to reproductive autonomy including the decision to seek Medical termination of Pregnancy/ abortion and said it was a violation of this ruling. It has said it should be made clear that abortion is legal in India for a range of reasons including fetal abnormalities.  

“I understand that the purpose of this program on Sony TV is to put forth the challenges people face in life. However, a personal choice on whether to have or not have an abortion is not a subject of public debate. We all need to remember that abortion is a woman’s personal decision and the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971 also recognizes this. Therefore public value based debates on a personal and contextual decision like abortion threatens the very essence of women’s rights and contravenes the right to privacy. Media needs to be sensitive to issues of women’s health and rights and not stigmatize abortion but reinforce that having an abortion is a personal choice of the woman,”  said Vinoj Manning, Executive Director, Ipas Development Foundation.

Qingdao: Chinese President Xi Jinping will travel to India next year for an informal summit, Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale announced here on Saturday.

Briefing journalists after a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping in this Chinese city, Mr. Gokhale said that one of the important outcomes of the meeting was that the Chinese side conveyed that they have accepted the Prime Minister’s invitation to President Xi Jinping to have a similar informal summit in India in 2019.

The two leaders had an informal summit in Wuhan in the last week of April when Mr. Modi travelled to China.

The Foreign Secretary said Saturday’s meeting between the two leaders was “a substantive meeting”. He said that President Xi Jinping began by making positive assessment of Wuhan summit. The Chinese leader described it as ‘a new starting point’ in  bilateral relations between the two countries. Mr. Modi described it as ‘milestone in our relations’, Foreign Secretary said about the bilateral meeting.  

“Met this year’s SCO host, President Xi Jinping this evening,” PM Modi tweeted. “We had detailed discussions on bilateral and global issues. Our 

talks will add further vigor to the India-China friendship,’’ he said.

The Foreign Secretary said that new people to people mechanism will be set up. On Indian side, it will be headed by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and on the Chinese side, it’ll be headed by state council and Foreign Minister Wang Yi. The first meeting of this mechanism will be held this year: Mr. Gokhale said,

On the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit here, India and China signed two crucial Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) including sharing of hydrological information of Brahmaputra river. The MoUs were signed after a delegation level meeting between Mr. Modi and Mr. Xi. 

In a tweet Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said, “Following PM @narendramodi meeting with Chinese President Xi, two MoUs were signed – Sharing hydrological information of Brahmaputra river by China to India& amendment of Protocol on phytosanitary requirements for exporting rice from India to China to include non-Basmati rice.”

Both the leaders agreed on to deepen the bilateral ties in scores of field. 

“Further strengthening the positive momentum in the bilateral relationship generated at the #Wuhan Informal Summit, PM @narendramodi had a warm and forward looking meeting with Chinese President #XiJinping on the sidelines of the SCO Summit,” Mr Kumar said in another tweet.

India is attending for the first time the SCO summit after formally becoming its full time member last year. Pakistan also became the full time member in 2017.

During his visit, Mr. Modi also held meetings with heads of several participating member nations.

“Becoming part of the SCO family! PM @narendramodi interacting with leaders of other #SCO member countries in the Leaders’ Lounge at the banquet hosted by Chinese President #XiJinping in Qingdao,” Mr Kumar added. Mr. Modi held a meeting with Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. Apart from India,China and Russia, other SCO member nations include Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Pakistan, and Kyrgyzstan.