Road traffic injuries kill approximately 3,16,000 people each year in the South East Asian Region and are the highest cause of death only after AIDS and TB. Despite comprising only 11 countries, this is 25% of the global total of road traffic deaths.

If the situation doesn’t improve and necessary interventions and actions are not taken, the road injury deaths are predicted to rise from ninth biggest killers in 2015 to seventh biggest in 2030. The South East Asian region has a road traffic death rate of 17.0 per 100 000, compared to the global rate of 17.4. However, within the region there is considerable variation, ranging from 3.5 to 36.2.

Pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists make up 50% of road traffic deaths in the region: in some of the regions countries this figure rises to over 80%. The safety needs of these groups must be addressed in order for a decline in the regional deaths to be achieved.

The situation in India is no different. According to the year 2015 police data, 43.7 per cent of the total road crashes were due to over- speeding which caused 60,969 deaths and left 2,12,815 persons injured. As many as 16.6 per 100,000 population die in road accidents.

Earlier this year, the George Institute for Global Health, India conducted a study of 2,200 road accident victims in three hospitals in North India with one of its collaborators Dr Shankar prinja from PGI Chandigarh highlighting the health, social and economci burden of road injuries. The study revealed that 10% of people die post discharge and that more than a third of the families experienced financial distress due to injuries. 

It is the young economically productive age group at the highest risk and it is estimated that the total cost of road injuries is 3% of India’s GDP which is more than our entire health budget. 

According to Dr Patanjali Dev Nayar, Regional Advisor— Disability, Injury Prevention and Rehabilitation, WHO-SEARO, none of the countries in the region have national policies to separate vulnerable road users from high-speed traffic.

“Legislation is a key strategy to improving road user behaviour but most countries in the region could do much more to bring their laws on key risk factors – speed, drink-driving, helmets, seat-belts and child restraints – into line with best practice. Also, enforcement of laws relating to the key behavioural risk factors is weak: strengthening enforcement is critical to realising the potential gains associated with passing strong laws,’’ said Dr Dev Nayar.

Vehicle standards are a critical part of road safety but only 2 countries in the region currently applies any of the 7 priority international vehicle safety standards, while no country applies all 7. Improving infrastructure is an effective mechanism for reducing road traffic injuries. Six countries require road safety audits for new roads, while 4 assess the safety of existing roads, Dr Dev Nayar said adding improving post-crash care can help to reduce road traffic deaths and the severity of injuries.  

The South-east Asia Region comprises a large proportion of global road deaths. Achieving the Sustainable Development Goal on road safety – halving the total number of road traffic deaths by 2020 means that the pace of implementation needs to be rapidly accelerated within this region.

Pointing out that humans make mistakes that lead to road crashes, Dr Dev Nayar  said people involved in designing, building, managing and using the road traffic system have a shared responsibility to ensure that road crashes are prevented as much as possible or, when they occur, do not lead to fatal or serious injuries. All parts of the system need to be integrated and strengthened so that the safety effects are multiplied and if one part fails other parts will still protect all the people involved.

Book        :  1965 — Stories From The Second Indo-Pak War.

Author     :  Rachna Bisht Rawat.

Publisher :  Penguin.

Pages        :  190.

Price         :  Rs 299/-

The book “1965 – Stories from the Second Indo-Pak War” by Rachna Bisht Rawat vividly recounts the five major battles fought by the Indian Army. The sheer grittiness, intense hand-to-hand combat and unflinching valour of the officers and men of the Army refreshes one’s memory of the grittiest battles fought at Haji Pir, Asal Uttar, Barki, Dograi and Phillora where the Pakistanis were beaten fair and square. 

Understandably there was a lot of unhappiness that hard won territories had to be returned and the sacrifice of the Indian soldier had been in vain. It is believed that Pakistan was running out of ammunition and had the war continued for a few more days, it would have broken their back. 

In Pakistan too there was lot of disgruntlement as public opinion had been created giving the impression that they were winning the war. 

As the wife of an Army officer, Rachna’s narrative is simple, matter of fact and poignant. Even after the ceasefire was imposed after 21 days of the conflict in which India’s victory was never in doubt, it is widely believed India lost in Tashkent what it had gained during the war. The peace agreement signed on 10 January 1966 between then Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri and the then Pakistan President Gen Ayub Khan was aimed at normalising relations between the two countries. On the contrary the third Indo-Pak war of 1971 was round the corner. 

At 1.30 AM on 11 January 1966 Shastri died of a heart attack in Tashkent. He was one of those rare Indian Prime Ministers who had boldly told the Indian Army that it could cross the border and attack Pakistan at a place of its own choosing. It was agreed that both sides will pull back their armies to the pre-August position. On the first of September 1965 Pakistan invaded Chamb district of Jammu and Kashmir believing that a peace oriented India would never declare all out war. They were proved wrong. 

The deliberate invasion intended to annexe J and K triggered a 21-day bloody conflict that witnessed one of the biggest tank battles since the Second World War and infantry attacks where 100 per cent casualty was considered acceptable. Ultimately the cold courage of the Indian soldier prevailed over the superior U S weapons that Pakistan had banked on. 

The pitched battles were fought from Kashmir’s Haji Pir pass to the paddy and sugar cane fields of Punjab. Having unprecedented access to Army records and war diaries coupled with extensive interviews with the survivors some of whom were in their eightees five decades after the conflict lends authenticity to the author’s painstaking efforts of providing a first hand account of the conflict in five different and diverse theatres of war.  

On September 20, 1965 the United Nations Security Council adopted a resolution calling upon India and Pakistan to implement the ceasefire on 22 September at 7 AM GMT (12 PM IST). The resolution did not satisfy either country. India had set two conditions to the ceasefire: that Pakistan would be declared the aggressor and give an assurance that it would not interfere in Kashmir thereafter. Neither conditions were agreed to. Pakistan too had hoped to defeat India with Chinese support and force plebiscite in Kashmir. This did not happen either. Ceasefire was finally declared between the two countries on 23 September at 3.30 AM (IST) after international pressure intensified. However, skirmishes still went on. 

In his foreword union Defence minister Manohar Parrikar said the endeavour was to commemorate the 1965 Indo-Pakistan conflict. “I hope the book will make you pause and think about the courage and sacrifice of our soldiers who defend our borders and ensure our freedom,” he observed. 

Rachna is candid that mistakes are made even in wars and “I have not tried to hide that. In many cases the bravery of the enemy has been applauded by our own soldiers.” There are incidents where Pakistani Company Commanders have informed India about the bravery of an Indian soldier and vice versa. The author said “she was touched to the core. Soldiers respect bravery, even in the enemy.”  

Around 2 PM on 27 August 1965 Maj Ranjit Singh Dyal gets orders to launch the attack on Haji Pir. What had been planned as a brigade level attack is now being taken on by a single company. This suddenness of the daring assault he leads flusters the enemy and they flee in confusion. By 10 AM on 28 August Haji Pir pass is taken. Maj Dyal’s stories of courage are legendary.  He had the strength of character to stand by what he believed in.  2Lt Dyal was headed for big things in life. He would go on to command his unit, become the Army Commander, then General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, and later the Governor of both Puducherry and Andaman and Nicobar. He was one of the country’s first Maha Vir Chakra awardees of the 1965 war when India was still smarting from the reverses of the 1962 Chinese aggression.  

The Indo-Pak war witnessed the largest tank battle in military history between WWII and 1965. Moe than a 1000 tanks on both sides took part in the deadly offensives. One of the most fascinating war trophies of the Battle of Sal Uttar. Battered and abandoned enemy tanks were lined up by the victorious Indian Army. In three days of the war 75 Pakistani tanks were destroyed or abandoned. These included the entire tank fleet of Pakistan’s 4 Cavalry, whose commanding officer, twelve officers and several soldiers of other ranks surrendered on the morning of 11 September. Lt Col H R Janu of 4 Grenadiers says he had counted as may as 103 tanks after the battle. This area was referred to as the Patton Tank graveyard. Subsequently named Patton Nagar it served as a unique memorial to all those who fought and fell at Asal Uttar or survived the ordeal of that battlefield. 

Then there are others whose individual acts of valour coupled with leadership on the battlefield unmindful of the injuries suffered by them inspired others to bash on regardless and silence the enemy. Being just out of school in 1964-65 one was overawed by the Army and the raw courage of these soldiers. Newspapers were flooded with the narration of their heroism despite their life hanging by a thread. 

Their supreme sacrifice coupled with the prestige of their regiments soared to new heights. It encompassed the valour of so many including Company Quarter Master, Havidar Abdul Hamid, awarded the PVC posthumously. During the capture of Phillora a splinter cut through Lt Col Ardeshir Burzorji Tarapore’s arm leaving a gaping wound. He refused to be evacuated insisting saying its just a scratch. Besides he still has to oversee the attack on Chawinda. In this battle his tank was hit several times. Inspired by his leadership his regiment fiercely attacks and destroys as many as 60 tanks. He was also awarded the PVC posthumously. 

The furious action at Dograi had its own moments of anxiousness before achieving victory. There were several heroes including Lt Col Desmond Eugene Hayes who only made two demands from his men who were the Jats. The First is “Ek Bhi aadmi peche nahi hatega” and the second was “Zinda ya murda Dograi mein milna hai.” A must read book which also underlines the need to remember the simple women who lost their husband on the battlefield thereby “losing their today for our tomorrow.”

NEW DELHI: Parsis are among the smallest ethno-religious minority in India. Now a new genetic study has confirmed that members of this community indeed migrated to India from ancient Persia, which is present day Iran.

The study involved analysis of genetic data of Parsis in India and Pakistan as well as biological remains of members of the community excavated from Sanjan in Gujarat which had early settlements of Parsis in India.

The results have shown that Parsis are genetically closer to ancient Neolithic Iranians, followed by present day Middle Eastern populations (Iranian and Caucasian). This provides evidence of sex-specific admixture and prevailing female gene flow from South Asians to the Parsis, according to results of the study published in journal Genome Biology on Wednesday. The international team of scientists was led by Dr Kumarasamy Thangaraj from Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad and scientists from India, Estonia, United Kingdom and Pakistan.

“We have done extensive analysis using mitochondrial, Y chromosomal and autosomal DNA markers to trace the origin of the Parsi population of the Indian subcontinent and found that they have genetically admixed with the Indian population about 1200 years ago, suggesting that the first Zoroastrian might have arrived India about the same time period,” explained Dr Kumarasamy Thangaraj.

The results are consistent with the suggested migration of the Parsi populations to South Asia 8 to 10 centuries ago and in agreement with their assimilation with the local South Asian population. It also shows that Parsis of both India and Pakistan come from the same original group who landed in Sanjan.

“This is the first successful ancient DNA study from India which has analysed maternal DNA composition of ancient remains excavated in Sanjan. Interestingly, 48% South Asian indigenous lineages among the ancient Parsi samples was observed, which is likely due to assimilation of local females during the initial settlement,” pointed out Dr. Gyaneshwer Chaubey, first author and a senior researcher at the Estonian Biocentre, Tartu, Estonia.

Historical evidence shows that Parsis – whose present population is just about 57,000 individuals – trace their origins to Persia. Their fertility and mortality rates have steadily declined over the past century, thus making them vulnerable to possible extinction.

Besides reconstructing population history of Parsis, the study also shows a major impact of population rearrangements in West Asia due to Islamic conquest, felt Dr. Veena Mushrif-Tripathy, one of the authors and a bioanthropologist at Deccan College, Pune. (India Science Wire)

Conservative Party leaders appear to be jinxed when it comes to gambling. First, British Prime Minister David Cameron lost the referendum on Brexit and now his successor Theresa May failed to win more seats than before. She lost out on securing a decisive mandate which would have strengthened her hands. 
The gamble misfired and the Conservative party lost a dozen seats finishing with a tally of 318. Their rival with Jeremy Corbyn in the vanguard of the Labour party ended with 262 seats and about 40 per cent of the vote share. 
It is believed May’s image as a tough leader may have contributed to her misreading the public mood. Unlike France just across the Channel which catapulted an untested En Marche to power, Britain continues to have faith in the two traditional parties vying for power securing more than 80 per cent of the votes. 
Inexorably Brexit was at the centre of it all. On the other hand the Liberal Democrats demanding a new referendum, had to remain content with a conspicuously low vote count. There is no doubt that domestic factors as much as Brexit influenced the elections in Britain. 
May finds herself on shaky ground having reached a deal with the Democratic Unionist Party for her government’s survival. Impartial observers insist that May will have to think afresh on Brexit and domestic policy. 
In the immediate aftermath of the results, the Labour Party and in particularly Corbyn has been baying for May’s resignation. She has refused to oblige him and is determined to take the country forward. However, the challenge of providing her majority on the floor of the House of Commons remains after the Queens address at the beginning of next week on June 19. 
May has the option of accepting support from the ten-member Northern Ireland Unionists which is bound to entail a price which she might not be able to reject. The Scottish National Party will seek to extract an even bigger price which is unlikely to be acceptable to the Conservatives. For the same reason, Liberal Democrats may also be unacceptable even if they offer support as they are part of the unstable arrangement. 
If May fails to muster the numbers, the Queen could even invite Jeremy Corbyn to try and muster a majority. Amid all this there are the impending negotiations with the European Union for an exit that is not damaging or hurtful to Britain. 
On her part May had sought during her campaigning a strong verdict in her party’s favour failing which she apprehended the Brexit outcome could be gloomy. Considering the fractured mandate that the Conservative party has got, the negotiators have an unenviable task on their hands. 
At the same time there can be more upheaval with the talk of another election before the end of this year. Even as there is uncertainty about the Brexit talks beginning on schedule, the EU has warned Britain facing the risk of a “no deal” if talks are delayed. It has set a two year deadline to get over with Brexit so that it can get on with other business. 
The anti-UK mood in Europe has spiralled on account of May accusing the EU leadership of conspiring against Britain. Needless to say all EU members have closed ranks. 
British commentators feel while the EU is united about its negotiating strategy, May has little idea of what Britain wants, let alone how to achieve it. That is where the problem is.

Alarm bells are ringing for the Centre and state governments with farmers on the warpath in different parts of the country. Left with no option they are committing suicide being unable to repay the bank loan and in a considerable number of cases find themselves at the mercy of the money lending sharks. 
A loan waiver is nothing short of buying temporary peace as evidenced in Maharashtra. That cannot be said about Madhya Pradesh where chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan sat on an indefinite satyagraha only to end it abruptly after 28 hours. This was after the firing in Mandsaur in which five farmers were killed in police firing. 
Chouhan’s image as being dedicated to the cause of farmers has suffered a grievous blow. The states with little manoeuvering space were left with no option but to announce loan waivers. They will find it difficult to bear this heavy burden on their own. 
It assumes importance with the Union Finance minister Arun Jaitley announcing that the Centre is unlikely to bail out the states going in for loan waiver. In Maharashtra the amount is no less than Rs 1.35 lakh crore.  What has compounded the problem are the low prices of the commodities well below not only the minimum support price (MSP) fixed by the government but even less than seasonal rates. 
One of the follies of the political leadership is to look at short term gains rather than taking an overall view after a proper assessment of the prevailing situation and working in a determined manner for sustained and multi-pronged development on the agriculture front. 
The problems of farmers is manifold encompassing vast tracts of land that are drought prone, rainfed and areas affected by floods along with the lack of direly required irrigation facilities. 
There are several other aspects pertaining to the problems faced by the poor and marginal farmer. It has been suggested that farmers be given a one-year break on debt servicing. 
Most importantly the government must pursue long term solutions which has been the bane of the political leadership all along. For many yars the MSP has been dropping below the annual inflation and in real terms the farmer is being paid less and less for his produce. This is in addition to their family size growing coupled with shrinking land-holdings.  
Another disturbing aspect is that the MSP is used as much as a monetary policy tool as an agricultural policy intervention. It is often used to keep inflation in check and loan waivers have become a political compulsion. As evidenced in the past, short term political expediency must give way to long term solutions to problems in the farming sector. 
While loan waivers yield political dividend, it causes systemic changes to the farm credit market and does nothing to end the debt trap five years hence. The rural economy and the agricultural sector in particular have been in distress for quite some time now. 
The distress started three years back worsened with two back-to-back droughts in 2014 and 2015. It was also due to declining farm gate prices of a majority of crops since 2014. It has become imperative for the Centre and the states to rework their agricultural policies taking advantage of the technology available. 
The community of unhappy farmers is a cause for worry among politicians. The government cannot waste any more time in creating the necessary infrastructure linking farmers to urban centres. The farm economy is inexorably linked with the rest of the country. 
The government has to invest in irrigation, transport, storage facilities, R&D and environmental regulation allowing markets to function backed by insurance along with boosting productivity.
Meanwhile, BJP president Amit Shah is travelling to Maharashtra to assess first hand the distress to farmers and the magnitude of the problem. Meanwhile, farmers in Haryana are also demanding farm waiver in the wake of a disastrous potato crop.
In all this the question is can the Modi government ignore the signs of an economic slowdown! On its part the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh, the trade union wing of the RSS, emphasised that the government needs to focus on creating jobs in the small and micro sectors.  

Bhutan and Maldives have eliminated measles, a highly infectious disease that is a major childhood killer globally. Measles kills 46,000 children every year in India.
The two countries—Bhutan and Maldives– have become the first in WHO South-East Asia Region (SEARO) to be verified for having interrupted endemic measles virus transmission, ahead of the 2020 Regional target.
“Bhutan and Maldives have demonstrated how a highly contagious virus like measles can be eliminated. WHO commends them for this momentous public health achievement,” Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director of WHO South-East Asia, said, announcing the findings and conclusions of the WHO South-East Asia Regional Verification Commission  for Measles Elimination and Rubella control.
“The strongest political commitment, alongside the concerted efforts of health workers, officials and partners at all levels, has helped achieve this landmark success, which is a boost to the Region’s effort to eliminate measles and control rubella,’’ Dr Khetrapal said. 
Bhutan and Maldives launched their Expanded Program on Immunization in 1979 and 1976 respectively, and since then worked indefatigably to increase access to immunization services.
India launched its Measles-Rubella vaccine in February this year. The vaccine is given to children in the age group of 9 months to 15 years. 
Maldives has not reported any case of indigenous measles since 2009, and Bhutan since 2012. To fortify their progress, both countries have been carrying out mass vaccination campaigns with measles and rubella vaccine covering high-risk populations.
“While endemic measles virus transmission has been interrupted, both Bhutan and Maldives continue to be at risk of measles virus importation. Hence, both countries must continue efforts against measles and rubella and protect high-risk populations to effectively deal with any importations,” Dr Khetrapal Singh warned.
An estimated 620 000 measles deaths have been averted in 2016 alone following vaccination carried out by Member countries. Nearly 107 million children have been reached with an additional dose of measles vaccine through mass vaccination between 2013 and 2016.
All countries have introduced two doses of measles containing vaccine and have been making focused efforts and progress against measles and rubella.  All countries are conducting case-based surveillance for measles and rubella, and Regional surveillance standards have been revised to meet elimination standards. The measles laboratory network has been expanded from 23 laboratories in 2013 to 39 WHO accredited laboratories in 2016, a WHO statement said.
The measles elimination and rubella control strategy in WHO South-East Asia Region is based on four key approaches – achieving and maintaining at least 95% vaccination coverage with two doses of measles and rubella vaccine through routine and supplementary immunization; developing and sustaining a sensitive case based surveillance that meets recommended performance indicators; developing and maintaining an accredited measles and rubella laboratory network; and  strengthening support and linkages for these strategies.

India has ratified two critical International Labour Organisation (ILO) Conventions—182 and 138—on ending worst forms of child labour and on minimum age of employment after the Union cabinet gave its approval for ratification on March 31, 2017.
India’s decision for ratification of these Conventions was long overdue in providing justice to millions of working children and is a significant opportunity for the country to make renewed commitment for ending forced labour, modern slavery and human trafficking.
After the total prohibition of child labour through enacting a stronger legislation – Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Act 2016, this is yet another significant step in protecting the country’s children from exploitation and abuse. 
“It is a historic moment for India as we are going to take another giant step to affirm our commitment for a child labour free by ratifying the two core Convention of ILO Conventions 138 regarding admission of age to employment and Convention 182 regarding the worst forms of child labour,’’ Union Labour and Employment Bandaru Dattatreya said this at the sidelines of an event held in Geneva at the ILO Conference. The Instruments of Ratification were handed over by India to ILO at the event.  
The Minister said that the Government has been working in a concerted manner to eliminate child labour from the country by following a multipronged strategy by including both stringent legislative and project-based approach for complete prohibition on employment of children below 14 years in all occupations and processes and prohibits employment of adolescents (14-18 years) in hazardous occupations and processes. The age of employment has been linked to the age of compulsory education under Right to Education Act (RTE), 2009.
A landmark step in the endeavour to have a child labour-free society was the enactment of the Child Labour (Prohibition and Prevention) Amendment Act, 2016 that provides for complete prohibition on employment
Commenting on the ratification, Nobel prize winner Kailash Satyarthi said: “I recall the day when I conceived this idea to demand an international law on the abolishment of modern forms of slavery, sale and trafficking of children, forced or compulsory labour and the usage of children of children in conflict, for pornography and for procuring and doing other illicit activities such as drug trafficking.’’  
The Government has also notified the amendment in the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Central Rules after extensive consultation with the stakeholders. The Rules, for the first time, provide broad and specific framework for prevention, prohibition, rescue and rehabilitation of child and adolescent workers.
To clarify on issues related with help in family and family enterprises and definition of family with respect to child, specific provisions have been incorporated in rules. Further, it also provides for safeguards of artists which have been permitted to work under the Act, in terms of hours of work and working conditions. The rules provide for specific provisions incorporating duties and responsibilities of enforcement agencies in order to ensure effective implementation and compliance of the provisions of the Act. In order to clarify the issues on Schedule of hazardous occupations and processes, the Schedule has been reviewed and the intent notification has been issued to include a comprehensive list of about 118 occupation and processes.
The Minister further informed that India was in the process of providing a digital platform ‘PENCIL’ which has components ensuring enforcement of the Act, mechanism for redressal of complaints, child tracking system and a monitoring mechanism. This platform would integrate all the State Governments with the Central Government for effective coordination and convergence of various measures being taken for compliance of the Act.
On this occasion, Director General, ILO said “this is an historic step. From today, Convention 182 will cover more than 99 percent of the world’s children and the coverage of Convention 138 will leap from approximately 60 percent to almost 80 percent. That strong alliance must now turn its attention to full implementation of these two Conventions, with no child left behind.”
The Minister mentioned that among the various measures taken recently to meet the objective of child labour free society, the prominent one was strengthening of the National Child Labour Project (NCLP), which is a rehabilitative scheme, providing bridge education and vocational training to adolescents. This scheme has been strengthened recently in terms of improving its quality and extending its coverage to all the districts of the country. For effective implementation of the project, the NCLP guidelines have been reviewed.
The Civil Society groups and the prominent child labour activists have widely appreciated India’s recent initiative for complete eradication of child labour.
With ratification of these two core ILO conventions, India has ratified 6 out of 8 core ILO conventions, with the other 4 core ILO conventions relating to abolition of forced labour, equal remuneration and no discrimination between men and women in employment and occupation, thus reaffirming its commitment for promoting and realising fundamental principles and right at work.

NEW DELHI: The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday set the ball rolling for the coming Presidential election by naming three of its top ministers to hold consultations with its NDA allies as well as opposition parties for evolving a consensus on the candidate who would be the country’s next President. 
The BJP President Amit Shah names a panel of three senior Union Ministers — Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Finance and Defence Minister Arun Jaitley and Urban Development and Information and Broadcasting Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu — to evolve a consensus for the Presidential elections. 
The presidential election, if necessary, will be held on July 17, as announced by the Election Commission. The last date of nomination is June 28 and the counting of votes is to be taken up on July 20.
Last month, the Congress President Sonia Gandhi had held a luncheon meeting of opposition parties but the JD(U) leader and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar skipped it and attended the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s lunch the next day for the visiting Malaysian premier. After a meeting of 17 Opposition parties, senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad had said, “We want a candidate who can steadfastly uphold constitutional values”.
While opposition has indicated that it was for the ruling party to initiate the move for consensus, the BJP has maintained that it is comfortably placed to have its own candidate as the next occupant of the Rashtrapati Bhavan. 
From the opposition side, former Governor of West Bengal Gopal Krishna Gandhi and former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar’s names have been doing the rounds while from the BJP side Jharkhand Governor Draupadi Murmu and Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan are stated to be possible candidates. 

NEW DELHI: Now that the election to the highest constitutional office of President will be held on July 17, the million Dollar question is who will be the ruling BJP’s nominee. There is no doubt the choice will be that of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 
A month back speculation was rife about moving harkhand Governor Draupadi Murmu to Rashtrapati Bhawan. If that happens she will be first tribal and that too a woman from backward Odisha to replace the 13th President Pranab Mukherjee who retires next month on July 25. Murmu is 52-years-old and has a clean image as a politician. 
The Lotus party would not like to let go this great opportunity to have its own President. The BJP-led NDA is capable of easily making up the shortfall and rummaging a clear majority in the electoral college. It is widely believed that the choice of President should be in national interest along with enhancing the country’s image. This assumes importance as the saffron brigade’s recent appointments like that of Yogi Adityanath as the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh does not invoke the requisite confidence. 
Intellectuals feel it might be too much to expect the BJP and its mentor, the RSS. to pick a Presidential nominee who will not hesitate to speak out along with preserving and protecting the Constitution. 
It may recalled that the outgoing Head of State Pranab Mukherjee prided himself on being a “copy book” President and remained committed to preserving and protecting the Constitution. 
Though the real power vests in the Prime Minister, the President’s job is anything but ornamental. He/She is a bridge between the people and the Centre. The Head of State has ample discretionary powers to caution and warn the government, if needed. 
In the event of a hung Parliament, it becomes incumbent on the President to decide which party will form the government. There can be other embarrassing moments for the government of the day like returning the cabinet recommendation for imposing central rule in a state or having strong reservations in signing an Ordinance. 
With its runaway win in the assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh recently, the NDA is short of the magic figure by only 18,000 votes. It has already received a shot in the arm with the YSR Congress chief Jaganmohan Reddy announcing his support for the NDA nominee. The Telengana Rashtra Samiti has also decided to vote with the BJP. 
If both the factions of the AIADMK with nearly 59,000 votes also backs the NDA, a win is certain by a comfortable margin. The Biju Janata Dal too might not be opposed to voting the NDA nominee although the BJP has emerged as its main rival in Odisha relegating the Congress to the background. 
With the opposition trying to make its presence felt, it is apparent they are woefully short of the critical arithmetic and have to remain content with a token fight. Their talk of having a consensus candidate is bound to be rejected by the BJP. 
Congress president has nominated NCP chief and Maratha strongman Sharad Pawar to strive for a consensus candidate. It might, however, turn out to be an exercise in futility. 
Presidential elections in this country have been predictable. The upcoming one does not appear to be any different with the opposition putting up a symbolic fight for all practical intents and purposes. 
At the same time the ruling party should take care not to scare away the parties supporting it by projecting a polarising candidate. Therefore, much will revolve around BJP’s choice of its nominee. There have been instances when allies have switched sides to vote for or against a particular candidate. 
Regional considerations have weighed with some parties as evidenced in 2007 when the Shiv Sena voted for the UPA nominee Pratibha Patil against Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, the candidate fielded by its ally, the BJP. 
It may be recalled that the Shiv Sena and the Shiromani Akali Dal are peeved with the BJP but require strong reasons for breaking ranks. As of now the BJP’s Presidential nominee is a sure shot winner barring the imponderables.  

This is the story of a 20-year-old French girl’s dare devilry in unravelling the goings on inside Islamic State’s recruitment networks. Anna Erelle’s book — IN THE SKIN OF A JIHADIST — is at once compelling and scary of the diabolic efforts by terrorists to convert young people to Islam and foist jihad on them. This is relentlessly pursued on Facebook by the IS organisation’s glib talkers to entrap naive European girls bringing to the fore their harrowing and unsuspecting nightmare. 
Seeking to get to the bottom of it all under an assumed name, Melodie is skyped by a ruthless terrorist Bilel, who has already married thrice. He constantly talks of true love and is the French right hand man of the most dangerous militant in the world Abu Bakr al-Bagdadi, the Caliph of Islamic State. 
With some suave and persuasive talk coupled with subtle threats, Bilel promises marriage and an idyllic life in next to no time. The only thing he wants Melodie to do is join him and the ISIS in their Syrian jihad. 
Her relationship causes intense pain resulting in Melodie being “married” to a dreaded terrorist much against her wishes. All this on skype. Bilel claimed he had never been married. She takes calculated risks without raising suspicions as her only interest is to bring to the world the manner in which these Jihadis trap young people of both sexes. 
The girls are promised the moon if they marry them though they have their way through and through. The ISIS organisation propagates the illusion that it cares for these youthful people thus dispossessing them of their past and reprogramming them. 
It is like a cult leader leading the faithful. Their favourite technological weapon is exploiting the Internet. In less than 48 hours Melodie was promised true love, marriage and idyllic life. With all his sweet talk Bilel tries everything in his armoury to convince Melodi to undertake the perilous journey to the Middle East. Entering the Middle East for Melodie is ruled out. 
She was unconsciously looking for a father more than a lover. A man who could protect her, a man with the strength to give her a sense of purpose in life. A person she could trust absolutely. Someone mature. Melodie saw in Bilel somebody who had solutions for her troubles.Coming to the aid of the Syrian people seemed a much more ambitious life than the one she imagined for herself in France. 
As a freelance investigative reporter in France, Melodie kept her Editors in the loop of trying to infiltrate among the recruiters of the ISIS and do the real story. They agreed but knew the deadly consequences in case the terrorist got wind of Melodie’s gambit. Every part of the way she was assisted by a news photographer colleague required to capture snapshots of those involved in the sweet talk of convincing the European boys and girls to covert to Islam and take up Jihad. 
The girls were brainwashed that marrying Jihadists will ensure a life of comfort ever after. In Melodie’s case she had decided to do whatever it takes to earn Bilel’s trust and extract as much information about the modus operandi of trapping unsuspecting girls and getting them to enter Syria. Once in their clutches  these girls were left at the mercy of the fearsome Jihadists. They were exploited and treated like slaves by the Jihadists. 
Importantly, it reveals how technology is used to spread radicalism and the factors that motivates young people including women to join the extremist wars. Erelle’s book is already an international best seller. Her quest is investigating on behalf of a desperate mother, the disappearance of a Belgian teenage girl when she decided to adopt a psudonym and see first hand what the online world of jihad is like. One thing which remained constant was that entering the Middle East or Syria was ruled out. Melodie is under threat even today and understandably cannot reveal her true identity. She wonders how can there be any moral if the story isn’t finished. “More and more I feel the threat of danger. It’s invincible, unforseeable, and constant. Or perhaps I’m imagining things. I’ve asked myself so many questions which have gone unanswered.” 
She summed up her experience in the words of Franklin Roosevelt: “If asked to classify human suffering, I would do it in this order: sickness, death, and doubt.” 
She goes on to say “my uncertainties and the consequences of my actions have thrown me into a mental prison, and only a reality clad in intangible convictions free me. For the past eight months since May 5, 2014, my life has been an eternal recurrence. I stopped counting the number of statements I’ve given to various branches of the police when it reached 254. I’ve never sought them out. The authorities have always come to me.” 
For her safety the periodicals where she publishes articles have banned her from writing on the Islamic state and its networks. Drastic safety measures have been implemented at her work places. Meanwhile young girls in burqas, accompanied by much older men, have started asking strange questions at the reception desk. The threats have also got more serious by and by. This has necessitated shutting down Melodie’s Facebook account but she can still access her skype account. 
At the same time someone claiming to be Bilel’s wife started sending intimidating monologues of insults. Her recurrent nagging question: “How does it feel bitch to write a story about a terrorist and fall in love with him?” It was a strange interpretation of events. “Was this really Bilel’s wife or was it Bilel himself still alive and torturing me.” 
Simultaneously multiple police branches have classified Rachid X., known as Abul Bilel al-Firanzi as “alive.” They have no proof of his death but they do have a thick file on him. Melodie recalls that after a while she found a video on her. It showed her wearing a veil on her couch. It was probably taken by Bilel she imagines. There is no audio but it does include cartoon characters of a devil and bilingual, french and Arabic, subtitles. She acknowledges she has watched the video only once and does not think she will ever watch it again. 
Melodie, however, remembers every word: “My brothers from around the world, issue a fatwa against this impure person who has scorned the Almighty. If you see her anywhere on earth, follow Islamic law and kill her. Make sure she suffers a long and painful death. Whoever mocks Islam will pay for it in blood. She’s more impure that a dog. Rape, stone, and finish her. Insha’Allah.”  She asks the readers to decide: which is worse, doubt or certainty? 
As of today it is estimated that 15,000 foreign fighters have joined the ranks of the ISIS since 2010. They come from 80 different countries. According to official numbers there are 1089 French nationals from no fewer than 89 districts of that country. One hundred and twenty have returned to France while 40 have died in Syria. Unofficially fighters in the IS organisation number between 35,000 and 45,000.