“

The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has decided to withdraw the Drugs and Cosmetics (Amendment) Bill, 2013, which had been introduced in the Rajya Sabha onprevious government on August 29, 2013. Instead, the government has now decided to comprehensively review the existing law to facilitate the ease of doing business and substantially enhance the quality and efficacy of pharmaceutical products. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare will soon notify separate rules under the existing Act for regulating medical devices; and bring out a separate legislation for regulating medical devices and drugs and cosmetics.

While, after extensive discussions with all stakeholders, the draft rules for regulating medical devices have been prepared and will be draft notified shortly, work on drafting the new legislation has also commenced. The Amendment Bill had been examined by the Standing Committee of Parliament which had made a number of recommendations for changing the provisions of the Bill.India is one of the largest manufacturers of pharmaceutical products in the world. The annual production of such products is in excess of Rs. 2 lakh crore. Out of this, over 55% is exported to over 200 countries/economies of the world including the developed countries. As such, the pharmaceutical sector in India plays a vital role in managing the public health in large number countries at a substantially lower cost.The regulatory framework for ensuring the quality, safety and efficacy of medical products including the medicines, medical devices, in-vitro medical devices, stem cells, regenerative medicines, and clinical trial/investigation is provided for in the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940.

The Cabinet has, keeping in view the role of the sector in managing public health, decided that it will not be appropriate to carry out further amendments in the present Act especially as newer areas of biological, stem cells and regenerative medicines, medical devices and clinical trial/investigation cannot be effectively regulated under the existing law.In order to leverage the comparative cost advantage, the demographic dividend and the advantage in information technology, the Indian medical products sector is poised for exponential growth in the near future and it would besides meeting the domestic demand, has the potential to become an international hub for manufacturing these products and attracting investment in the sector.”

“

The Communist Party of India (Marxist’s) loss in the recent West Bengal Assembly elections has claimed its first victim with the senior leader from Haryana, Jagmati Sangwan resigning from the primary membership of the party to register her protest against the party’s decision to ally with the Congress in the State.

However, the party claimed that Jagmati Sangwan had been `expelled’ for gross indiscipline. This announcement was made at the ongoing Central Committee meeting of the CPI (M) in New Delhi. Ms Sangwan, member of the Central Committee, who had been associated with the party since 1968, had boycotted the Central Committee meeting as a mark of protest against the decision of the West Bengal government to tie up with the Congress in the just concluded Assembly election even though the Central Committee was against this decision.

An emotional Ms Sangwan, who was the face of the All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA) in Haryana, told reporters that she announced her decision to the party. She said she had opposed the West Bengal unit’s decision and made her opposition clear. In a statement issued at the conclusion of the three day meeting, the CPI (M) said that the electoral tactics adopted in West Bengal were not in consonance with the Central Committee decision not to have an alliance or understanding with the Congress.

Other than saluting its voters, the statement said the West Bengal elections were held in very difficult conditions for the CPI (M) and the Left Front. During the course of last five years, the terror unleashed by the Trinamool Congress CPI (M) had, even before the campaign began, claimed the lives of 176 comrades apart from internally displacing 60,000 families of CPI(M) members, and sympathizers. Pointing out that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had come to power in Assam for the first time and made substantial gains in Kerala, and West Bengal, the statement said the party had undertaken a very aggressive campaign in Kerala and “”mounted serious post-poll violence against the CPI(M). Overall, the Congress suffered a setback in this round of elections.

On its win in Kerala, the party said the CPI(M)-led LDF had taken a strong stand against corporatization, corruption and communalism. The LDF victory in the Assembly elections is recognition for the policy of building up Left and democratic alternative to the BJP and the Congress. Describing its performance in Tamil Nadu as disappointing, the party said the six-party alliance could not win any seat and that a major feature of the Tamil Nadu elections had been the use of money power in a big with both the AIADK and DMK distributing cash to the voters in most of the constituencies on an unprecendented scale.

Suggesting that in Tamil Nadu and Assam, where the alliance could not win even a single seat, the emphasis should be on building the independent strength of the party through class and mass struggles, and taking steps to rally all the Left and democratic forces, the statement said the Left parties in Assam had appealed to the voters to oust the Congress from power, defeat the BJP and elect the Left candidates for strengthening the unity of the people and ensuring all-round development of the State.”

“

India’s membership of the elite Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) has hit a massive roadblock with China stoutly opposing it. It has emphasised such a move will be against its national interests. The state-run Global Times went public last Tuesday that this country’s bid for NSG membership for the first time will touch a “”raw nerve”” in Pakistan and lead to a nuclear arms race in the region. China’s hardline approach is to send an unambiguous message to the United States and Prime Minister Narendra Modi that their lobbying for New Delhi being part of the NSG can come unstuck.

It is apparent that Beijing is working in tandem with its all weather friend Pakistan along with cautioning the lone super power that its gambit to contain Beijing’s aggressive regional policy and expansionist designs is unlikely to work. The South China Sea has been a major irritant between the US and China with the former maintaining that international maritime conventions cannot be given a go by. Even as the three-nation naval exercise among India, US and Japan was being held close to the South China Sea, a Chinese spy ship kept a close watch on their manoeuverings. It is argued by Beijing that Islamabad is not willing to see an enlarging gap in nuclear power with India having the portends of a nuclear race breaking out between the two neighbours jeopardising regional security. “”India musn’t let its nuclear ambitions blind itself,”” the article added.

On his part Modi has been actively lobbying for support in the wake of Beijing’s outright refusal to consider New Delhi becoming a new addition to the 48-member NSG. This adds a new dimension to India’s vigorous efforts with Modi visiting Switzerland and Mexico during his recent five-nation tour to seek their backing. After his return home following his third Summit with President Barrack Obama in Washington along with addressing a joint sitting of the Congress earlier this month, Modi wasted no time in telephoning Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin. He is believed to have impressed on Putin to use his good offices with China so that any hurdles connected with India’s membership of the NSG are overcome. The Kremlin issued a statement that the “”discussion focussed on practical issues of bilateral cooperation including top level contacts to be held shortly.”” Moscow has consistently backed India’s membership of the NSG.

At the India-US summit a fresh push was given to the strategic relationship crucial for the two sides to balance China’s growth as a major power. What did not escape universal notice was the joint statement’s studied silence on the controversial South China Sea (SCS). Modi’s address to the Congress was applauded several times with US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Nisha Desai Biswal  observing that a “”compelling vision was laid out by Modi before the joint session of the US Congress.”” She described Modi’s visit, his fourth to the US since he assumed office as Prime Minister on May 26, 2014, as “”historic”” and said the Obama administration has christened his vision on Indo-US ties that has overcome the “”hesitations of history”” and working for the betterment of the global good as the “”Modi Doctrine””.

Be that as it may, fresh irritants in the India-China relations have come to the  fore with Beijing determined to use its veto in stopping India’s membership of the NSG despite this country’s impeccable record in the nuclear sphere. Even as there can be no comparison between India and Pakistan, China said India’s membership issue did not figure at the meeting of the NSG in Vienna last week. Beijing is now firm that there should be consensus on the matter amid opposition that India is not a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). New Delhi has refused to sign the NPT as it has found it to be highly discriminatory. As things stand at this juncture New Delhi’s efforts to be part of the NSG may turn out to be an exercise in futility.

Modi will be travelling to the East later this month where he is expected to meet Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping among others at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tashkent. The final decision is unlikely to be known till the NSG meeting in South Korea on June 23 and 24. Interestingly, the SCO is also going to discuss India as well as Pakistan’s membership of the NSG thus adding a fresh dimension to the matter. The SCO is a grouping of half-a-dozen Central Asian countries and is viewed as a counter to NATO. Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Foreign Affairs Advisor Sartaj Aziz claimed that Islamabad’s credentials for the membership of the NSG is stronger than that of India if the member countries agree to adopt a uniform criteria for NPT states. He said Pakistan has diplomatically engaged numerous countries over a criteria-based approach for non-NPT countries. “”Our strategy is to apply after India did and we would have followed immediately. We have had our application in an advanced state of readiness for the past three months,”” Aziz told a Pakistani newspaper.

China has maintained that non-NPT signatories should not be admitted to the NSG on the grounds that it would undermine efforts to prevent proliferation. It is apparent that China and Pakistan are working overtime to block India’s entry in this grouping or admit both in one stroke. The NSG, set up after India conducted its first nuclear test in 1974, regulates the trade of nuclear technology. While India is not a member yet, the NSG had exempted this country from restrictions on civilian nuclear trade. This happened eight years back. With its veto power, China can derail Modi and India’s invigorated campaign can come to nought.

For India the NSG membership conveys legitimacy as an advanced nuclear state and an ability to participate in international governance and decision making on nuclear matters. For China, having India on the NSG table, means its chief strategic rival would be on an equal footing in this club. Even more significantly if New Delhi secures NSG  membership, Pakistan as China’s ally would be shut out from the club entirely because India would reject Islamabad’s application. Membership of the NSG may not bring that many advantages to this country but it could be helpful if India chooses to export more dual use or nuclear specific technology in the future. The question is can the Dragon be pacified to drop its objection to this country’s NSG membership.

Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar said at a conclave in Mumbai Monday last that Indian membership to the NSG will benefit not just New Delhi but the world’s nuclear trade and security. He cited the potential for a dramatic increase in investments in India’s nuclear sector — both from domestic manufacturers and international partners like the US, France, Japan and South Korea. For now becoming a member of the NSG appears to be a losing battle for India as the overarching body takes decisions unanimously.

(T R Ramachandran is a senior journalist and commentator. Views are personal.)  ”

“

book1.png”” alt=””book1.png”” />There is a fallacy of nomenclature in the very use of the terms ‘Right’ and ‘Left’ abstracted as they are from the western context and applied to the Indian historical realities. This, however, does not mean the absence of ideological groups with ‘Right’ and ‘Left’ leanings in the political realm of this country. Leaders in the Indian National Congress like Sardar Patel, C Rajagopachari and Rajendra Prasad among others were the followers of the ‘Right’, while Jawaharlal Nehru, Subhas Chandra Bose, members of the Congress Socialist party preferred Left ideology.

Making these observations in her book — PATEL, PRASAD AND RAJAJI : Myth of the Indian Right — author and historian Neerja Singh observes the three of them being mass leaders in their own independent capacity, not only influenced the thinking of a large number of people but were also at the helm of affairs of the Congress during that period. She takes a relook at the categorisation of ‘Right’ and ‘Left’ and emphasises history is not to be studied through the prism of politics.

The Left intending to take over the reigns of the Congress found them a formidable force to contend with in the pursuit of their objectives. They, therefore, used the nomenclature ‘Right’ to discredit and dislodge them from the position of power and influence. They held that the ‘Right’ concept of social, political and economic regeneration was more metaphysical than material and progressive. This was a ploy that the ‘Left’ used to make the senior leaders accept that the days of their kind of politics were over. The underlying motive was to make them defensive so that they took a rear seat and cleared the way for the new young leadership who were apparently more radical and revolutionary.

In a letter to Nehru on first July 1936, Prasad wrote about the Left’s attempts to control the Congress. “”Apart from all personal considerations we have strongly felt the ideals and policies for which we have stood all these sixteen or seventeen years and which we believe to be the only right one for the country are being assiduously undermined.””

Patel complained to Mahatma Gandhi that the Left leaders were only paying lip service to his advice and looked upon them as worn out leaders who should be listened but not followed. The Left decried in public that their way had proved its inefficacy and impracticability. The term ‘Right’ has a specific connotation. It has its specific European lineage. It appeared as a negative force advocating conservatism, encouraging reactionary forces and delimiting progress, freedom and individualism. It was synonymous with anti-people, anti-democracy, anti-intellectualism and anti- socialism.

The Left leaders never engaged themselves in serious analysis of the policies and programmes of Sardar Patel, Rajagopalachari and Rajendra Prasad before branding them as ‘Right’. In the tradition of Dadabhai  Naoroji, Phirozeshah Mehta, Gopal Krishna Gokhale and others, Patel, Rajaji and Prasad believed in a liberal democratic welfare state, anti-colonialism, class adjustment with a pro-poor orientation in the scheme of national building. Like the moderate leaders they also believed in cultural pluralism, religious tolerance and coexistence. They insisted on secular citizenship and placed it above religion, ethnic, caste and class identities.

The Left never called the moderate leaders of the Congress as ‘Right’, despite the fact that they too respected property and never advocated socialism. The ambition of the Left to control the organisation along with their conceptual rigidity and doctrinaire orientation, made them indulge in semantic militancy articulating high sounding programme. Being in a minority within the Congress with hardly any mass base, the strategy the Left adopted was to have the full protection of the Congress, the advantage of its prestige, and yet to attack and criticise it from outside.

The Left hoped that by projecting them as anti-people, anti-kisan, anti-youth and anti-labour they would be able to cut the social base of these leaders and thus they would be in a position to take over control of the Congress, the only mass party. Yet the Left’s attempts in this regard remained one sided. The sole concern of the Left was to turn Congress into a socialist organisation.

Patel, Rajaji and Prasad understood the situation and knew that to make the struggle successful against British imperialism, unity of all views was essential. Socialists like Narendra Dev were aware of this fact. He observed “”the Congress today wields enormous influence both at home and abroad and though we may differ from official policies and acts, it would be the height of a folly to think of breaking it up.”” He also warned the more militant Leftists both within and outside Congress that “”reactionary forces are trying to form a powerful combination in alliance with British imperialism to crush the forces of progress and freedom. They are making the Congress and the national leadership their target. It is foolish to imagine that they are only opposed to the present high command and would gladly join the Congress under a new dispensation. These factors impose a special obligation on us to see that nothing is done that may tend to weaken or disintegrate the Congress.””

The author draws pointed attention to Patel alluding to his views being different than that of Nehru on some vital matters. He detested imperialism and admitted existence of destructive inequality between the capitalist class and the famishing poor but the answer to it is not in the annihilation of one class for the progress of another. Elaborating Patel said that it was possible to purge capitalism of its hideousness. The three Gandhian leaders were actively engaged in steering the anti-imperialist struggle against the foreign domination.

The Congress emerged as a magic mosaic of diverse views and hues. The democratic character of the Congress witnessed prolonged argumentations among different views and groups at times dictated by the supremacy within the Congress fold. This became much more pronounced with the advent of Left and Left Wing politics in the 1930s. The demarcation of nationalist leadership in terms of ‘Left’ and ‘Right’ was primarily the product of this specific contextual setting. Therefore, historians have to be extra vigilant against the easy proclivity to speak in the language of the “”actors””, cautions Neera Singh.

The Editors of the Sage series in Modern Indian History — Bipin Chandra, Mridula Mukherjee and Aditya Mukherjee — stressed in their preface they are acutely aware that one swallow does not make a summer. Scholars face problems of going from library to library and city to city and yet not being able to find many of the necessary books. There is paucity of research funding organisations. This has made it difficult to initiate and sustain efforts at publishing a series along the lines of the Cambridge history series or some of the best US and European Universities.

TR

(T R Ramachandran is a senior journalist and commentator.)
”

“

Photo”” alt=””Photo”” />India has joined the select band of a few nations in the world that have women fighter pilots in their Air Forces. History was created on Saturday as the first three women fighter pilots of the Indian Air Force proudly brandished their stripes and wings. The three women fighter pilots — Flying Officers Avani Chaturvedi, Bhawana Kanth and Mohana Singh — were conferred with the President’s Commission at the Combined Graduation Parade at Air Force Academy, Dundigal.

The occasion marked the vanguards of the IAF roared into the sky and smeared the sky with tricolor. Each has cleared the first stage of training and has about 150 hours of flying. They will train now for six months on the Advanced Jet Fighter – the British-built Hawk and then will be assigned fighters and their squadrons. The three women are in their mid-20s and have experienced hazards of flying during their initial training.

Avani Chaturvedi said that for pilot it is all about “”split second”” decisions. Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar reviewed the Combined Graduation Parade.  Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha and other senior IAF officials were present at the ceremony which saw a total of 130 flight cadets, including 22 women trainees, getting commissioned in the IAF as Flying Officers.

It was also indeed a proud moment for 93 young pilots and seven navigators who earned their coveted ‘Wings and Brevets’, along with nine officers of Navy and one officer of Coast Guard, on successful completion of their intricate and vigorous flying training. All the guests were left mesmerised by the breath-taking aerobatics by the highly experienced and skilled pilots of SU-30, ‘Sarang’ the Helicopter Aerobatics Team, and PC 7 MK-II of the IAF. The brave acts of Sky Divers of the ‘Akash Ganga’ Team were also enthralling.

Addressing the parade, the Defence Minister complimented the newly Commissioned ‘Flying Officers’ for the exceptional standard of their parade. Keeping in view the changing geo-political and strategic environment and varied security challenges faced by India, Mr. Parrikar urged the young officers to give their best, as future leaders of the IAF, and take it to next higher level of performance by dynamically adapting to the newer environment.

While pointing out that our country is going through a transformational shift to modernise its forces, he exhorted the young officers to widen their horizon and keep pace with the swiftly advancing technology to exploit the true potential of the Aerospace Power.”

“41nYIJC8-SL”” alt=””41nYIJC8-SL”” />””THE SEVEN SAGES””, a book of selected essays by Ramchandra Gandhi, grandson of Mahatma Gandhi and C Rajagoplachari, underlines the need for dialogue and inclusive approach to faith in resolving burning issues within and among states rather than waging wars. The father of the nation and a sage Mahatma Gandhi gave non-violence to the world for promoting peace and brotherhood. Ironically he became one among two million innocent human beings led like lambs to the slaughter by the trauma of partition.Along with the Mahatma died the idea of subcontinental India, that vastness of self identity, suggestive of God’s generosity, which had been available to all Indians down the ages regardless of cultural, religious and political differences and divisions. The Mahatma believed India, Pakistan and Bangladesh can atone for this crime against humanity through a symbolic resurrection of subcontinental Indian reality within existing sovereignties, in a region like Jammu and Kashmir which has mercifully kept ‘unfinished’ the vivisectional agenda of partition.He called for a subcontinental cultural Parliament to be inaugurated in the area as a whole to which members will be elected from all of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Men and women of goodwill who would not rule but serve life and nature and all sacred traditions in the region and not majoritarian or minoritarian or anthropocentric vested interests. It was the author’s conviction that the mass of subcontinental humanity would thunderously support such a gesture of atonement for partition.He had no doubt “”two million souls now hovering over their former homelands, waiting to be remembered, would find final release and bless, not curse, in this morally forgetful new century.”” A philosopher, Professor and intellectual, Ramchandra Gandhi (1937-2007) came to be regarded as a top sage in his lifetime. His student at the University of Hyderabad A Raghuramaraju puts together and edits some of his long essays and hitherto unpublished talks and writings on themes ranging from non-violence to karma and swaraj, brahmacharya and modern Indian spirituality.The book provides valuable insight to the manner in which Mahatma Gandhi’s martyrdom broke the prevailing power of evil and violence; and swaraj being a struggle for the kingdom of self and autonomy and not mere political autonomy. It deals with modern India’s great sages from Ramakrishna Paramhansa to Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi providing insights into their lives and ideas. He often repeated the narrative of the non-upper-caste women’s role in the life of Paramahamsa, Ramana Maharishi and Mahatma Gandhi. This is perhaps intended to claim that Advaita is incompatible with caste.In his essay ‘A Himalayan Betrayal’ the author cautioned the Indian government against sending the Indian Peace Keeping Force to Sri Lanka observing this was estranging itself from Theravada Buddhism and keeping itself away from the Tibetan problem further estranging it from Mahayana Buddhism. The Dalai Lama’s peace proposals concern not only the fate of Tibet but also of China and India and the whole world. The sage of Tibet does not insist on sovereignty for Tibet independent of China. He requests China to reverse its invasive settlement of a massive Han population in Tibet which threatens to reduce Tibetans to the status of an endangered species in their own homeland.In 1893 when Swami Vivekananda addressed the Parliament of World’s Religions in Chicago he was very nervous and kept telling the chairperson, “”I will speak later, I will speak later..”” As a very interesting man of 30 he came up to the stage and said””Brothers and sisters of America’.That is all and there was thunderous applause. For the first time people of the US had been addressed in that way. People always feared America or wanted to flatter it. Swami Vivekananda was the first person to have made a new world sibling and this is quite remarkable historically and politically. So that is a tremendous achievement of Swami Vivekananda.Then in 1939 Mahatma Gandhi called one of his staunch followers Jamnalal Bajaj, who was also the financier of the Congress party, and asked him to visit Ramana Maharshi to absorb some peace. It was a crucial year when the second World began. Bajaj asks many questions and no one has any idea that there is going to be independence in India from foreign rule. Bajaj tells Maharshi ‘well after many years of struggle and sacrifice, freedom is attained, ought we not to be elated?’ Maharshi says ‘certainly not. You are meant to do what is right, what is your duty and not care about results at all, because a greater power than yourself is behind you. “”Do what you are told to do as Gandhi is doing. Don’t worry about results, don’t think of elation or disappointment, because if you think of elation, the first disappointment destroys the struggle, apart from ingratitude.””When Independence came in 1947 only one person in India followed this advice and that was Mahatma Gandhi himself. He was not in Delhi celebrating independence which was won at a tremendous sacrifice of the lives of innocents. Gandhiji was in Noakhali, a thousand miles away trying to save innocent lives. What Maharshi said applies to the world as a whole. As a true sage Maharishi did not take part explicitly in politics. At the same time “”we should look at the remarks of the sages because therein lies true political as well as moral wisdom not only for this world but for the entire world as a whole.”” For Mahatma Gandhi to have won a political victory over Muhammad Ali Jinnah who wanted a separate state for the Muslims, the consequences would have been disastrous. There would have been a hundred divisions of India. The author maintains that Hinduism’s hand was stretched in friendship to Islam and this will be remembered one day when the big revolution within Islam takes place. Ramchandra Gandhi emphasises “”Muslims will remember this saint who did not hate them. People think of Islam as a sort of a monopoly of violence. Mahatma Gandhi saw the essential wisdom, the spiritual truth in Islam and embraced it in love and friendship continuously, regardless of the political consequences.  “”I do think he planted seeds in the soil of time and they will bear fruit. So, that’s the Mohandas Gandhi I think about of the last year who became a sage.”” In his lengthy essays, the author foresees “”Mankind must perish surely without a solution to the problem of war, want and lust. May Sri Krishna, the Buddha and Christ guide us to sanity and safety. “”AUM SHANTIH SHANTIH SHANTIH.””

TR

(T R Ramachandran is a senior journalist and commentator.)
”

“

The recent events on the global stage as well as in India caught everyone’s attention, an unexpected Trump victory in the United States’ Presidential elections, which went against media assessments and defied most opinion polls has left people guessing as to the actual reasons behind his rise to the top and also about what it may bring in the future.

In between all of the guessing games, there is somebody who claims to have predicted these events with critical accuracy.

Meet Rajiv Narain Sharma 54, a Vedic Astrologer from New Delhi who has been reading the stars for past 15 years. Sharma caught my eye when his press release reached my desk on November  2  in which he claimed to predict not only Trump’s win but also his victory margin.

I caught up with him for a brief chat at in Bhartiya VidyaBhawan’s cafeteria. Dressed in a simple kurta and trousers with laptop in hand, he answered my queries over tea.  Here are some excerpts:–

Q. How did you go about this process of predicting the US elections?

A. I am an engineer by training. Judging, observing, testing and recalibrating is what I have been taught. Getting birth-charts of Trump and Hillary were not easy as there is a lot of dirty data out on the web. After taking a few leads from what appeared to be relatively correct, I tweaked and corrected it by matching it with their life events (marriage, child birth etc.). I based my judgments on their individual charts and the planetary transit they are running, as well as checking with the birth chart of the United States itself to see which leader has the best chance.

Q. How were you able to predict that it would be a close call, but Trump would win?

A. I claimed that the fight would be neck and neck and almost like a see-saw situation. In my prediction I have clearly written that Hillary will get good votes, but not the crown and in the end it was a difference of only 1 percent or so between votes for her and votes for Trump. The planetary transit on the day of election did not favour her, her moon was afflicted that day, and Trump’s transits had RAJ YOG. Secondly, according to the birth chart of USA, it favoured a change in power from ruling party as well as a male leader.

Q. What are some of your other predictions?

A. In the past I have predicted that PM Modi’s tenure will be full of ups and downs and he will face many problems in the implementation of his ideas while his intention may be correct. Secondly, I have regularly predicted the outcome of the past few sessions of parliament. Including the deadlocks and monsoon session washouts. I had also predicted natural disasters/ earthquakes as well as terrorist strikes in 2016. All of my predictions are dated and published with time stamp on my facebook and whatsapp.

Q. So what do you see next?

A. I am currently analyzing the impact of Trump’s presidency for USA, India and the whole world and will be out with it soon. I am also seeing partial roll back of this ban on notes leading to grim situation and judiciary intervening soon.

In our neighbourhood, Pakistan may see instability with the possibility of a military coup in near future. 

(Rakesh Nagar is a Delhi-based journalist who writes on a variety of subjects and dabbles in digital and visual media also.)”

“

In India in 2012, more than 100,000 pregnant women in India had syphilis, and more than half of those newborns were affected. Syphilis has severe health impact, ranging from early fetal loss to stillbirth and premature birth.

A new report from the international nonprofit PATH highlights the toll that parent-to-child transmission of syphilis has on Indian mothers and their babies. The report, “”Congenital Syhilis in Nigeria, Zambia, and India: Identifying Policy Pathways to Eliminae Mother-to-Child Transmission of Syphilis,”” details the severe health issues caused by congenital syphilis, which range from early fetal loss to stillbirth and premature birth.

According to the report, there are existing solutions to this issue because congenital syphilis is easily detectable with rapid, point-of-care diagnostics and easily treatable with antibiotics, and that no mother or newborn should suffer.

In recent years, Indian government has committed to eliminate congenital syphilis and has made significant progress in reducing cases through strengthened policies, testing, and treatment. Though failure of some States to take advantage of available funding for test kits, screening data gaps, and incomplete guideline dissemination have all stalled improvements.

“Congenital syphilis is an absolutely avoidable burden on our mothers and newborns. India’s decision-makers should continue their work to ensure we are doing all we can to bring us toward elimination,” said Nitya Nand Deepak, knowledge management leader and maternal and child health expert at PATH in India.

The report outlines specific actions saying that decision-makers should ensure that all mothers are tested and treated, so that no babies suffer from syphilis. The report recommends scaling up guideline dissemination and training for state program managers and health care workers at lower levels of care.

Ensuring state decision-makers are using all available resources for obtaining tests and treatment and creating a comprehensive way to monitor India’s progress toward congenital syphilis elimination targets are some other recommendations made in the report.

While the recommendations require concerted effort, the report confidently presents them as feasible and crucial ways to improve India’s maternal and newborn health. The paper concludes that “new technologies, awareness, and commitments mean that elimination is within sight. To ensure progress, governments and global stakeholders…must develop strong policies and strategies aligned with existing programs, advocate for political prioritization that includes clear national targets, finance diagnostics and treatment, and consistently implement policies throughout the health care system.”

PATH is an international nonprofit organization which saves lives and improves health, especially among women and children. PATH accelerates innovation across five platforms—vaccines, drugs, diagnostics, devices, system and service innovations—that harness our entrepreneurial insights, scientific and public health expertise, and passion for health equity.”

“

Non-governmental organizations, working in the field of reproductive health, have asked the government to reconsider their approach towards maternal and child health for the vulnerable sections by putting in a multi-pronged effort that includes research and more context-situated interventions, even if these challenge the ‘template approach’ currently adopted.

In a report, “”CHRONICLES OF DEATHS FORETOLD,””– A civil society analysis of maternal deaths In seven districts from the states of Odisha, West Bengal, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh—the groups have drawn the attention of the government towards the fact that millions of children continue to be born at home, leaving these women at greater risk and the presence of informal providers and community birth companions and the existing health care practices which may not be really healthy.

The study was done by SAHAYOG and the National Alliance for Maternal Health and Human Rights (NAMHHR) and it documents the stories of about 140 women who did not survive pregnancy and childbirth, and it calls for a more pragmatic approach about the socio-cultural situation in these villages. It asks the government to move away from ‘hospital delivery equals safe delivery’ assumption to building skill in continuum of care for prevention and management of adverse outcomes.

“”Can we stop imagining that only IFA tablets with reduce severe anaemia? Anemia must be treated with something more effective than IFA tablets which are not helping women who are already severely anaemic. Can we continue our focus on terminal contraception and ignore informed contraceptive choice for all women? The lack of acceptable and appropriate family planning counseling and services is life-threatening for many women. Can we acknowledge that one-third of deaths in India are due to “”other causes”” that include domestic violence and non-obstetric causes of death, such as malaria, kalazar and falciparum malaria, and other local health problems. Can we make safe abortion services available at sub-district level?  Can we realize that the lowest functionary ASHA alone cannot easily negotiate the complex chain of referrals and the health system for the family? Can we move away from this ‘input-focused’ high priority area approach given the interconnecting webs of risks and vulnerabilities for specific populations at risk,’’ the report has sought answers for these questions.

The report points out that the current approach of Priority Actions in high-focus districts and vulnerable populations has two major limitations. The first is that it primarily includes more ‘inputs’. It also has a very limited definition and understanding of ‘vulnerable populations’. The primary measure of vulnerability that is used is ‘reaching the unreached’ and clubs a diverse range: from the poor, urban slum dwellers to tribals, and even adolescents. There is no analysis of why the system fails these people and there is an assumption that “”implementing and monitoring high impact interventions”” will be sufficient to address equity. “If we are serious in wanting to address disparities it is necessary to move from this ‘input-focused’ high priority area approach to a ‘highly vulnerable population’ approach which integrates inputs with processes and is informed by existing health care practices and socio cultural understanding of health determinants among the vulnerable communities,’’ it says.

To achieve this, the government should develop  a Highly Vulnerable Populations Approach  Mapping of Vulnerabilities and Risks and the existing health care practices in areas where  maternal health outcomes are poor, not showing the anticipated improvements and where the proportion of marginalised communities is higher. It has called for developing an appropriate cadre of providers – new personnel like emergency patient facilitators at secondary and tertiary care hospitals as well additional training to improve quality of care through improved interpersonal interactions, and adverse management outcomes skills.  Identifying niches within existing practices and practitioners for building an alternative safety plan (including the support of Dais and Informal providers where appropriate) and focussed on saving lives, and developing context specific plans from home to institution and from ante natal to postpartum period, are some other suggestions.

Developing Appropriate Protocols and Procedures for managing adverse outcomes using a team approach as well as ICT to support decision making is another suggestion made in the report. The team would include public and private providers located in different spaces from village to the tertiary care facilities. These protocols and procedures would need to be done for Management of Risks and Complications during Pregnancy, strengthening the Referral Chain, providing effective Comprehensive Obstetric Care Services to the marginalized, and monitoring ‘performance’ of the ‘adverse outcome management’ system, it says.  

We need MDRs to be done systematically in the community, and the health system to publicly share the findings or Action Taken from MDR. The community-perspective needs to be strongly incorporated in all MDR by having PRI members accompany the women’s family even for facility-based MDR, and promote reporting and review of all the maternal death cases with the health officials. The role of adequately trained civil society organizations (CSOs) is important when we see the extreme disempowerment of marginalized communities. CSOs can play a role in non-partisan, non-adversarial CB-MDR work in selected districts, according to the report.

The Janani-Shishu Suraksha Karyakram entitlements also means that supply of medicines should be ensured in all health facilities and the private sector needs more monitoring and better regulation: the quality and rationality of treatment is doubtful in the private hospitals, but huge sums of money are taken. There is serious need for regulation of the costs of services provided by the private sector. Families are paying any amount for unskilled and poor quality care of women in critical condition, and getting into debt. In addition the public sector doctors examining/treating patients who come to public hospital privately and public providers are also referring women into the private sector, which needs to be checked, the report says.”

“In one of the worst train accidents in the country in recent past at least 120 passengers were killed and another 200 were wounded when 14 coaches of Indore-Patna Express jumped tracks in Kanpur rural area in Uttar Pradesh in the early hours of Sunday.The derailment took place at about 3 a.m. when passengers were asleep and were jolted with a loud noise and the compartments smashing into one another and going topsy-turvy. It is suspected that rail fracture could have been the cause behind derailment of the train which was hurtling towards its destination Patna in speed. The accident site Pukhrawa was said to be about 80 kms from the industrial town of Kanpur which is also a big railway station and yard.  The disaster badly damaged four ordinary sleeper coaches in which hundreds of passengers were trapped, media reports said. As railway personnel assisted by those of army, NDRF and state police carried out the search and rescue operation, the number of casualties went on increasing. By Sunday night at least 120 bodies had been extricated out of the badly twisted and mangled coaches. Minister of State for Railways Manoj Sinha said that it seems the cause of the accident is rail fracture. Member (Engineering) of the Railway Board will find out the cause of the mishap and action will be taken against those responsible, he said.

President Pranab Mukherjee, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Vice President Hamid Ansari, Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu, UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and other leaders have mourned the loss of lives in the train tragedy.Indian Railway is the fourth largest in the world and ferries nearly 20 million passengers daily across the country.”