New Delhi : Two months after the gruesome killing of eight years old student Pradyuman Thakur in Ryan International School (Bhondsi) Gurugram, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in its probe of the murder case has detained a student of standard XI of the Ryan school and took him under custody. CBI in its preliminary reports has alleged that the motive behind the killing of Pradyuman was to postpone the ‘Parents-Teacher Meeting (PTM)’ in the school. The top investigating agency in its briefing reported that the accused student bought the weapon from outside and slit Pradyuman’s throat in the bathroom. CBI has relied on the forensic evidences and CCTV footage in this case. The std. XI student will be produced as a prime accused before the Juvenile Justice Board this afternoon at 2PM. The CBI officials were in regular touch with the accused family since the start of the investigation in Pradyuman’s murder case.

According to the media reports, the detainee’s father has expressed that the CBI arrested his innocent son. “He (the detainee) was the one who broke the murder of Pradyuman to the gardener, teachers and other school authorities. He didn’t even know Pradyuman. CBI has been doing injustice and framing my child in this murder case. I have sympathy for the deceased and his family, but this is wrong to detain my son. They (CBI officials) kept me waiting at the CBI headquarters for late yesterday night and forced me to sign an alleged confession of my son,” he added. The sudden twist in the Ryan International shocking murder case has challenged the earlier confession of the bus conductor, Ashok, which stated that he stabbed Pradyuman twice in the bathroom of the school after the boy objected to sex, however CBI has refused the theory of sexual assault.

Pradyuman’s father Varun Thakur after the dramatic turn in the case has expressed that he was opined that the offender school had been deliberately trying to hide something from the police since day one.

Gurugram police in its preliminary investigation had arrested the bus conductor of Ryan school, Ashok Kumar, 42, with his confession of Pradyuman’s murder and sexual assault. The police had also produced the weapon used in the killing that time.

What had happened earlier?

On 9th September after the horrific murder of Pradyuman Thakur, a conductor of the school bus, Ashok Kumar 42, had confessed that he killed the boy. He confessed, “I was doing some objectionable activities alone inside the bathroom. The boy came inside and saw me. I got scared and pulled him inside. Then I attempted to have sex with the boy, he objected to surrender. I pulled him again and he fell on the ground. I panicked and slit his throat with a knife. I stabbed him twice near the part of his throat and ears. The boy cried and yelled, I flew away.”

Pradyuman’s father Varun Chand Thakur had said that he used to drop Pradyuman at school every day. On 8th September, he had dropped his son and daughter at the gate of Ryan International School and came back home. After fifteen minutes, he got distressed calls from Ryan International School that his son fell in the bathroom. The school management took the boy to Artemis hospital. Varun reached the hospital and saw the body of his son.

The victim’s father had complained, “Simply arresting the bus conductor is not sufficient. It is negligence of part of the school administration and they should be booked.”

“The school couldn’t even ensure basic safety for my son, how will then parents send children to school,” told the victim’s mother Jyoti to ANI.

The Gurugram police had investigaed different possible angles and motives behind the murder. The Deputy Commissioner of Police South Gurugram, Ashok Bakshi, had said, “The accused has been arrested and we are also integrating POCSO Act in this case. More names will be added soon.”

Amid outrage for strict action against the school, the acting principal was then suspended. “Principal Neerja Batra has been suspended. A special committee is probing the case. We took action against the security agency of the school,” said Gurugram Deputy Commissioner of Police Simardeep Singh. 

Present

Now after the CBI report on Pradyuman’s murder, every earlier false theories behind the murder are rejected by the CBI. 

Read More About Pradyuman Case..

I Stabbed Him Twice As He Objected To Sex: Bus Conductor, Ryan International School

Ryan International School Is A Repeat Offender, Devansh Was Killed Last Year

Over the past one year, demonetization has been a buzzword across all Indian industries, but much more so in real estate. The radical move of banning high-value currency notes, seen as the Government’s surgical strike on black money, has become a landmark event in the history of the Indian economy. Looking back on Year 1 AD (After Demonetization), it is plain to see that it has brought significant disruptions into the overall economy – and particularly the real estate sector.

The rolling out of key policy reforms such as the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act [RERA] and the Goods and Services Tax [GST] compounded the aftermath effects of demonetization. Although there was a lot of confusion and uncertainty immediately after demonetization, the shadow of this radical move now appears to be fading. The long-term effects of demonetization on the real estate sector are aptly summed up by the wise words of the German philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche – “That which does not kill us, makes us stronger.”

The triple tsunami of demonetization, RERA and GST resulted in a deceleration of new property launches. The supply of new housing units in the top 6 cities in India during the first three quarters of 2017 was down by around 60% compared to the same period of 2016. However, this curtailed pipeline of new launches serves to cover the prevailing demand-supply mismatch, impart equilibrium to the market and make it unprecedentedly end-user friendly. 

The prevailing attractive home loan rates, flexible payment plans and other attractive offers by developers, coupled with restricted new supply addition, has led to a steady decline in the unsold inventory. As of Q3 2017, only 638,500 units were unsold in the top 6 cities, registering a 9% decline from Q4 2016 levels. As per ANAROCK’s analysis, the quarterly absorption levels across the top 6 cities reached pre-demonetization levels in Q2 2017 itself and maintained similar levels in Q3 2017 as well.

With respect to property sales, the secondary market was obviously highly susceptible to demonetization as compared to the primary market. Property transactions in the secondary sales and luxury housing segments tended to have significant cash components, and such sales have been hampered significantly due to demonetization. In contrast, demand for affordable and mid-segment housing has been on a rise.

Initiatives such as interest waivers on the home loans, the Government’s push for affordable housing through the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) and the ‘Housing for all by 2022’ mission have come to the forefront over the past one year. Various policy initiatives, amendments, and reforms were all aimed at making the real estate sector more transparent, organized and fundamentally stronger. Demonetization played a significant role in this process.  

In the long term, the real estate sector is likely to regain a faster growth trajectory and is estimated to contribute around 13% to India’s GDP by 2028. This optimistic forecast is very much attainable because the various reforms now redefining the realty landscape in India will not only incrementally boost consumer sentiment but also improve investment inflows from foreign and domestic institutional investors going forward.

(Author is expert in Real Estate Business)

The World Health Organisation has advised the farmers and the food industry against using antibiotics routinely to promote growth and prevent disease in healthy animals.

The new WHO recommendations aim to help preserve the effectiveness of antibiotics that are important for human medicine by reducing their unnecessary use in animals. In some countries, approximately 80% of total consumption of medically important antibiotics is in the animal sector, largely for growth promotion in healthy animals.

Over-use and misuse of antibiotics in animals and humans is contributing to the rising threat of antibiotic resistance. Some types of bacteria that cause serious infections in humans have already developed resistance to most or all of the available treatments, and there are very few promising options in the research pipeline, WHO said in a statement.

“A lack of effective antibiotics is as serious a security threat as a sudden and deadly disease outbreak,” says Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of WHO. “Strong, sustained action across all sectors is vital if we are to turn back the tide of antimicrobial resistance and keep the world safe.”

A systematic review published today in The Lancet Planetary Health found that interventions that restrict antibiotic use in food-producing animals reduced antibiotic-resistant bacteria in these animals by up to 39%. This research directly informed the development of WHO’s new guidelines.

WHO has strongly recommended an overall reduction in the use of all classes of medically important antibiotics in food-producing animals, including complete restriction of these antibiotics for growth promotion and disease prevention without diagnosis. Healthy animals should only receive antibiotics to prevent disease if it has been diagnosed in other animals in the same flock, herd, or fish population, it has said.

Wherever possible, sick animals should be tested to determine the most effective antibiotic to treat their specific infection. Antibiotics used in animals should be selected from those WHO has listed as being “least important” to human health, and not from those classified as “highest priority critically important”. These antibiotics are often the last line, or one of limited treatments, available to treat serious bacterial infections in humans.

Many countries have already taken action to reduce the use of antibiotics in food-producing animals. For example, since 2006, the European Union has banned the use of antibiotics for growth promotion. Consumers are also driving the demand for meat raised without routine use of antibiotics, with some major food chains adopting “antibiotic-free” policies for their meat supplies.

Alternative options to using antibiotics for disease prevention in animals include improving hygiene, better use of vaccination, and changes in animal housing and husbandry practices.

WHO’s Guidelines on use of medically important antimicrobials in food-producing animals build on decades of expert reports and evaluations of the role of agricultural antibiotic use in the increasing threat of antibiotic resistance. They contribute directly to the aims of the Global action plan on antimicrobial resistance adopted by the World Health Assembly in 2015 and the Declaration of the High-Level Meeting of the United Nations General Assembly on Antimicrobial Resistance, adopted in 2016.

Since 2005, WHO has published a list of critically important antimicrobials for human medicine, with regular revisions, to be used as a basis for promoting their prudent use. The list groups all antibiotics currently used in humans and animals into three categories – “important”, “highly important” and “critically important” – based on their importance to human medicine.

The controversy over Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s mega movie `Padmavati’ refuses to die with the royal family of Jaipur jumping on to the bandwagon.

In a statement issued in Jaipur, Ms Diya Kumari of the Jaipur royal family and a Bharatiya Janata Party MLA said that if the movie distorts historical facts, it would not be allowed to be released.  

Ms Diya Kumari said that no film should hurt the sentiments of a community by twisting historical facts. The director of the film Padmavati, Sanjay Leela Bhansali should not wrongly depict the story of Queen Padmavati of Chittor. He should get the facts in the film verified by a forum of historians and then release the film, the statement said.

She further added that the Rajputs will not allow any distortion of the valiant history of Rajasthan and sacrifice of its people in fighting barbarians. If movie does not display authentic history or takes any liberties, it will not be allowed to be released.

The movie is set for released on 1 December, 2017 but is facing stiff resistance from Rajput groups who allege that the Director had distorted historical facts. In fact, the movie had faced trouble while shooting in Jaipur but the matter had been settled after an agreement between Sanjay Leela Bhansali and the protestors under which Bhansali had assured to drop the scenes which had angered the community.

However, the Rajput groups and some self-styled organizations have threatened to stall the release as they allege that the movie should be shown to historians before the release to ensure that it did not hurt their sentiments.

The protestors have already said they would not allow the movie to be released in Rajasthan and Gujarat. And, with the backing of the royal family, the protest will get a boost.

Historically, it is said Padmavati was stunningly beautiful queen of Chittor who committed `jauhar’ to save her honour when her husband Rattan Singh lost to Allaudin Khilji, the most powerful emperor of Khilji dynasty.  

New Delhi,  It may appear to be a bit trivial but zippers do matter. Inexpensive and convenient, zippers have become an integral part of the textile industry. Voicing concerns on behalf of the manufacturers from across the country, the Zippers Association of India has urged the GST Council to lower tariff on zippers from 18 per cent to 12 per cent.

In a letter to the GST Council, the association said that zippers and slide fasteners are part of the textile industry and should not be burdened with high tariff.   

The Zippers Association of India said the industry was already ailing due to GST and its impact on the business of slide fasteners and apparel export industry had been adverse.

“This is already a sick industry; Zipper manufacturing provides employment to about one lakh workers, mainly women. The existing tax rate of 18% is too high and unjust in comparison it was 12 per cent on textiles. The sector has been suffering not due to its capabilities but due to inconsistencies in the policies. The lowering of tariffs will provide the fastener as well as apparel export industry with competitive edge in the existing quota free world,’’ the Association said.

It said that local manufacturing and supply of zippers will shorten delivery time, boost export orders and enhance brand reputation of the garment export industry. Zippers industry will also assist in retaining and generating employment, especially to women, minimize loss of turnover and government revenue collections, the Association contended.

Zippers are used in the manufacture of readymade garments, woolen products, hosiery products, jackets, gloves, windcheaters and covers of pillows, mattresses, quilts and blankets. They are mostly made from textile materials like polyester or monofilament yarn, thread and tapes. 

Has the Congress party given up without a contest? Well that is the impression one gets from the way the election campaign of the party is being conducted in the Himachal Pradesh Assembly polls scheduled for November 9.

And the fissures are not only at the state level but it seems the division is right at the top also. While the BJP has not only stolen a march over Congress by announcing former Chief Minister and Sujanpur party candidate, Prem Kumar Dhumal as the choice for the post of the Chief Minister in case party wins the mandate, it has also unleashed a stream of start campaigners led by Prime Minister, Narendra Modi to win over the voters of the Hill State. In fact, Mr. Modi has been driving this point to the voters during his election rallies in the state.

In contrast, the Congress campaign is being mostly led by the old fox and Chief Minister, Virbhadra Singh who, despite being 83, is trans-versing across the State and will wrap up the election campaign with canvassing in Shimla (Rural) assembly segment from where his son, Vikramaditya Singh is contesting. The Congress campaign in the state is in complete disarray as its “war room’’ in the party office in Shimla is virtually non-functional indicating the trust deficit between the party and the Government. The State Congress president, Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu is contesting from Nadaun assembly segment.  

Surprisingly, there is already buzz that Congress vice-president, Rahul Gandhi, who has been upset with the threats and blackmailing tactics of Mr. Singh is keeping a deliberate distance from the Himachal polls and instead focusing on Gujarat which will go to polls only mid next month. With campaigning scheduled to end on November 7, there are hardly four days left for senior party leaders to jump into the electoral battle. Mr. Gandhi, who had addressed a election rally in Mandi in early October, has yet to address a rally in support of the party candidates. Similarly, the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, who has been keeping poor health, has also not addressed any rally in the state.

Mr. Gandhi has been upset with the manner in which Mr. Singh had held the party to ransom by dictating terms for the past six months and even threatening to split the party in case his demands are not accepted. The Chief Minister has been demanding the removal of the Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee president Sukhwiner Singh Sukhu which was strongly resisted by Mr. Gandhi. Not only this, he even forced the Congress high command to remove Sukhu as the chairman of the Campaign Committee and get himself nominated for the same. Even in the distribution of tickets, Mr. Virbhadra Singh left no stone unturned to put down the State Congress president and his supporters.

With Congress having little or no option at the eleventh hour, Mr Singh managed to have his way. Interestingly, Mr. Singh also accused veteran Congress leader and party general secretary, Sushil Kumar Shinde of giving preference or patronage to dissidents and his rivals within the party. On the other hand, senior party leader, Anand Sharma has been doing his party of the campaign in the state especially for his supporters. Mr. Sharma and Mr. Singh don’t see eye to eye which has further created issues within the party and the direction of his campaign. “The Congress vice president has left it to the Chief Minister to lead the campaign. He is upset with Mr. Singh for having virtually hijacked the party in the state. Now he wants that if the party does not win, it is Mr. Singh who should take the entire blame and hold others responsible for the loss as he was given a free hand,’’ a Congress party functionary remarked.

President Xi Jinping ruling the roost at the 19 Congress of the Communist Party of China. Will he made a bid for a third term as President of China as the CPC Congress side stepped announcing his successor.

CPC steers clear of naming Chinese President Xi Jinping’s successor. Xi maintains political system of China is a great creation.

Having consolidated his position, Chinese President Xi Jinping has outlined the way forward emphasising Beijing did not seek global hegemony but “no one should expect China to swallow anything that undermines its interests”. 

He remained uncompromising about his country’s political model steering clear of offering any hint about democratic reforms being on the horizon. “The political system of socialism with Chinese characteristics is a great creation,” Xi observed in a marathon three hour 23 minute address at the week-long 19th Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) held in Beijing recently. 

He affirmed it was time for his country to transform itself into a mighty force that could lead the world in political, economic, military and environmental issues. “This is a new historic juncture in China’s development,” Xi added. 

Having taken over as his country’s leader at the 2012 Congress of the CPC, he has emerged as the most dominant ruler since Mao Zedong.  He believed achieving the China dream will not be a walk in the park and “take more than drum beating and gong clanging to get there”. Having seen the back of his rivals posing a threat to his leadership, one wonders if Xi will adhere to the party constitution ruling out a “life tenure” as there is no term limit for any office unlike the state constitution which prescribes a two-term limit for the presidency. 

It might be premature at this juncture to fathom the post 2022 developments but it seems unlikely that Xi will bid adieu to his pre eminent leadership position like his predecessor Hu Jintao who made his exit after completing two terms as the Chinese President. 

At the same time the most notable and significant aspect of the CPC deliberations is that it did no announce a successor to Xi on completing his second term in 2022 as the President of China. Keen observers of the CPC deliberations believe Xi pitching for a third term as President cannot be ruled out. 

If Xi wants to remain President of China for a third consecutive term, amending the constitution might become a cake walk as he will be overseeing the agenda in the National Peoples’ Congress. On the other hand not having a succession plan has caused factional feuds in the past. 

Since Xi’s arrival on the global scene five years back in 2012, China has emerged as a power calling the shots much to the chagrin of the United States of America as the lone super power amid the waning of influence of other major powers including the Russian Federation.  

Beijing’s growing expansionist tendency encompassing its assertions in the South China Sea, could pose a challenge to India along with the countries in the East. Beijing’s growing clout and heft cannot be undermined thanks to its investments in the far corners of the globe including Africa, South America and Latin America.

It has also taken up the massive “One Belt One Road” project linking Europe with China. OBOR seeks to link no less than 60 nations in the process.  On its part New Delhi has serious objections to joining this project as it passes through the disputed Kashmir territory. 

President Xi remains all powerful in his country at present which will largely depend on how he harnesses the energy of the people of China. There is no doubt he will be keenly watched globally.

Having realised the potential damage that the newly introduced Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime could cause to the party prospects in the next month’s polls in Gujarat, the Narendra Modi Government is in the course correction mode and is likely to dole out sops to SMEs and trading community at large.

The November 10 meeting of the GST Council scheduled to be held in Guwahati is likely to make drastic changes in the GST regime and remove a large list of goods and commodities accessed by the middle class and the upper middle class form the ambit of the high rate of 28 per cent. The thinking with in the government, sources said, was that only top end luxury items and commodities including high end automobiles should be placed in the 28 per cent category and majority of the items should be moved down to the 18 or 12 per cent category.

Sources said the government was concerned about the possible fallout of the new GST regime and the resentment prevailing among the trading and business community, a major vote bank of BJP, and would look to address their concerns in order to assuage their feelings. “One of the most impacted by the GST regime has been the SMEs which are badly reeling under the adverse impact of the new indirect taxation system. They are badly hit as a large number of the business conducted by them falls in the 28 per cent structure which had led to slowdown in business and subsequent layoffs. This is the core constituency that the GST Council would seek to address during the Guwahati meeting,’’ a senior official remarked. Interestingly, India is home to around 56 million SMEs who have been badly hit by the demonetisation last year and then introduction of GST in July this year.

The Tax Rate Fitment Committee, a panel of central and state officials assisting the GST Council, has been engaged in the task of scrutinising the list of items in the highest slab to identify items which need to be taken out from the 28 per cent and 18 per cent tax structure. The sentiment in the official circles is that in order to encourage SMEs to become part of the new GST regime and increase their tax contribution indirect tax regime from 5 per cent to 10 to 15 per cent, rationalising of the rates was very important.

In fact, as stated by Finance Minister, Arun Jaitely recently, the idea is to retain only so-called sin goods such as cigarettes, the consumption of which the state wants to discourage, in the highest tax slab.

The GST Council will also consider further changing the liberal quarterly tax filing scheme called composition scheme meant for SMEs.

In its last meeting on October 6, the Council shifted items such as stones used in flooring other than marble and granite, stationery items such as paper clips, poster colours, some diesel engine parts and parts of pumps from 28% to lower slabs. The tax regime has 5%, 12%, 18% and 28% slabs and cess on some items falling in the highest slab.

India has shown the largest positive change— 7-point increase in Global Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Pneumonia and Diarrhoea (GAPPD) score—in the 2017, according to the latest Pneumonia and Diarrhea Report.

This is largely due to changes in vaccine coverage of measles vaccine (MCV1), Haemophilus influenzae type B vaccine (Hib), three doses of diphtheria tetanus and pertussis vaccine (DTP3), and rotavirus vaccine (RVV). In India, these percentages translate to a substantial increase in the number of vaccinated children.

The report,” 2017 Pneumonia and Diarrhea Progress Report: Driving Progress through Equitable Investment and Action’’ says India could save over US$ 1 billion each year in economic benefits and avert more than 90,000 needless child deaths each year by introducing and scaling up coverage of vaccination programs targeting pneumonia and diarrhea.

Pointing out that India had the highest percent of children less than five years old with suspected pneumonia taken to an appropriate health care provider (77%), the report says this despite children less than five with diarrhea receiving Oral Rehydration Salts (ORS) treatment was low (34%).

The report further says that India had the highest percent of children less than 6 months of age exclusively breastfeeding (65%). Exclusive breastfeeding protects infants from pneumonia and diarrhea.

India recently began phased introductions of rotavirus vaccine in 2016 (9 states introduced so far) and pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) in 2017 (3 states introduced so far). Following India, the neighbouring country of Bangladesh (+5) experienced the largest GAPPD score change and fared well with over 90% coverage of PCV.

In 2016, pneumonia and diarrhea were responsible for one of every four deaths in children under 5 years of age.Figures released by UNICEF earlier this month show thatprogress against these illnesses has been stubbornly slow, despite these deaths being largely preventable with strategic investments in interventions such as vaccines, antibiotics, oxygen, breast feeding and hand washing.Released today, the some light on the factors slowing progress against the world’s two biggest killers of young children.

The Progress Report is issued by the International Vaccine Access Center at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and provides an update on efforts to prevent and treat pneumonia and diarrhea in the most heavily burdened countries. This scorecard, released annually to mark World Pneumonia Day in November, finds countries are making progress in increasing coverage of vaccines and breastfeeding goals, but treatment targets seem still far out of reach for most.Efforts to work and invest more strategically in all three areas – immunization, nutrition and treatment – are critical to meaningfully reducing the nearly 1.5 million childhood deaths that still occur each year as a result of pneumonia and diarrhea.

“The good news is that when we invest in child health, we save lives, ” says Kate O’Brien, MD, MPH, a professor in the Bloomberg School’s Department of International Health and IVAC’s executive director. “Sadly, there are significant gaps in reaching global targets to make sure that medicines, food and care get to that last child, living in the inner city or on a small rural farm. The success of investments in these countries demonstrates the potential to vastly improve equity, prioritizing the most vulnerable and catalyzing action to close those gaps.”

In the report, IVAC identifies the 15 countries with the greatest number of deaths from pneumonia and diarrhea among children under 5 years of age. IVAC then uses a scoring method based on the integrated Global Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Pneumonia and Diarrhea (GAPPD) developed by the World Health Organization and UNICEF. A country’s “GAPPD score” measures the use of interventions that protect against, prevent and treat pneumonia and diarrhea. The higher the score, the more interventions are being used.

These interventions include vaccination; exclusive breastfeeding; access to care; and use of antibiotics, oral rehydration solution and zinc to treat the illnesses. These measures are known to prevent childhood deaths due to pneumonia and diarrhea and could help achieve the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal target of reducing under-5 mortality to at least 25 per 1,000 live births by 2030.

GAPPD scores in 2017 varied widely from a low of 19 percent (Somalia) to a high of 69 percent (Tanzania), with all 15 focus countries falling below the 86 percent target for the overall GAPPD score. In 2016, the scores varied from 20 percent (Somalia) to 74 percent (Tanzania), virtually unchanged compared to this year’s scores.

Rotavirus vaccine coverage:Sudan and Tanzania achieved or exceeded the 90 percent target for rotavirus vaccine coverage. Ten of 15 countries failed to meet a threshold of 45 percent for this vaccine which prevents a substantial portion of diarrhea deaths and hospitalizations. This includes nine countries (Afghanistan, Chad, China, DRC, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Somalia) who had not yet introduced the vaccine and India, who began a phased introduction in 2016.

Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine coverage:Three of the 15 countries achieved or exceeded the 90 percent target (Sudan, Tanzania, and Bangladesh) for pneumococcal conjugate vaccine coverage. Six countries failed to meet a threshold of 45 percent, all of which had not yet introduced the vaccine in 2016 (Chad, China, India, Indonesia, Nigeria and Somalia).

Antibiotic treatment (suspected pneumonia): In the 11 of 15 countries with available data, antibiotic treatment ranged from 7 percent (Ethiopia) to 59 percent (Sudan). Two countries met or exceeded 45 percent of children with suspected pneumonia treated (Afghanistan and Sudan); nine countries did not, and data was not available for four countries. All countries were low-performing on this indicator (covering less than 70 percent children with suspected pneumonia).

ORS treatment (diarrhea): In the 14 of 15 countries with available data, ORS treatment ranged from 20 percent (Chad and Sudan) to 77 percent (Bangladesh). Four countries met or exceeded 45 percent of children with diarrhea receiving ORS (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Somalia, and Tanzania); 10 did not, and no data was available for China. All countries, except Bangladesh, were low-performing on this indicator (covering less than 70 percent children with diarrhea).

Breastfeeding:There is strong evidence demonstrating that about half of all diarrhea episodes and about one third of respiratory infections could be averted by breastfeeding. The GAPPD target for exclusive breastfeeding within the first six months of a child’s life is 50 percent coverage. Based on 2015 data, the report finds five countries met or exceeded the target (Bangladesh, Ethiopia, India, Sudan, and Tanzania). Nine of the 15 countries did not meet the target; of these, five countries met a threshold of 25 percent, half the target (Afghanistan, China, DRC, Indonesia, and Pakistan) and three did not (Chad, Niger, and Nigeria).

The report also captures the economic cost of the illnesses and sheds light on the complex relationship between childhood illnesses and poverty. Children in low-resource settings are at higher risk for illness; at the same time, pneumonia and diarrhea can contribute to the cycle of poverty. Costs of illness can include: lost wages for families caring for sick children; the cost of health care, a large portion of which is often paid by families; and the long-term consequences of illnesses on children, including lost schooling and the longer-term effects of repeated or severe illness.

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology-Roorkee have come up with a new, low-cost method for production of biofuels.

The collaborative research team led by Dr. Richa Katiyar, Centre for Transportation Systems, and Prof. B. R. Gurjar, Department of Civil Engineering and Centre for Transportation Systems, has for the first time investigated the use of crude glycerol (CG), for  cultivation of microalgae (namely, Chlorella sp.) in photobioreactor (PBR) to enhance automotive quality biodiesel production.

Speaking about the research Prof. B. R. Gurjar, said, “In today’s time, there is an ever-increasing demand for alternate fuel as the existing reserves of crude are depleting at a rapid rate. Traditionally, the production of biodiesel from microalgae has been a slow process and involves high production costs. Our focus was to overcome the cost related to production of the biodiesel from microalgae and develop a method, which will be fast and cost-effective.”

The cost of feedstock and expense of operation are two crucial cost components in biodiesel production. The cost of feedstock used for biodiesel production accounts about 60–70%, in the total cost of biodiesel production from microalgae. Moreover, the cost of the substrate used in micro algal based biodiesel production also contributes to a huge part of the total cost. Such high costs restrict the production and use of biodiesel.

In the method being employed by the researchers at IIT Roorkee, the team has used the algal based crude glycerol, which is a low-cost organic carbon source and the main by-product of the biodiesel production process. Crude glycerol works as a feedstock for cultivation of microalgae, thereby reducing the cost of the substrate to a negligible point. Moreover, the research has shown that the use of crude glycerol caused the enhancement in total lipid accumulation in the algal cells. The various analyses and testing post production of biodiesel using this method has shown a better quantity and quality of fuel and the fuel thus produced was also comparable to the existing vehicular fuel standards.

According to Dr Richa Katiyar, microalgae are considered as one of the superior resources for production of biodiesel, due to its ability to produce higher biomass and accumulate more lipids, which are the target material for biodiesel production. “To increase the rate of production and to make it cost-effective, we continuously employed the use of heterotrophic cultivation of microalgae using low cost organic carbon-based feed stocks such as agro waste, molasses, municipal and industrial wastes, algal based crude glycerol and fruits extracts,” she said.

 Â“This method used by the team is also beneficial to the environment as there is no biodiversity loss attached to it. Moreover, it increases waste minimization by using material like agro-waste and is able to produce enhanced quantity and quality of biodiesel,” Prof Gurjar added.