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IWD.pngToday is March 8 – International Women’s Day. While the focus remains largely on achievers so that they become role models to inspire others, the contribution of a silent majority goes unsung. These lakhs of foot-soldiers brave difficult conditions to save women and newborns across the country. TheIndiaSaga.com brings to its readers a story from Fakirpuri the last Indian village along the international border in Uttar Pradesh. Nepal border, which is just 500 metres away from here, is perhaps its closest neighbourhood.

The village is about 120 km from the District Headquarters at Bahraich. One has to drive through 53 kilometers of dense forest and lush green fields from Mihinpurwa block to reach Fakirpuri which is a small Tharu tribe dominated village with a population of just about 1,440.  Tharu community is an ethnic group indigenous to Terai region (Himalayan foothills) in India and Nepal. The inaccessibility and proximity to the international border make this Tribes village difficult-to-reach with extremely poor mobile and internet connectivity. Other than the deployment of security forces, an anganwadi centre and a primary school show the government’s token presence here.

The entire healthcare system in this village from a sub-centre situated about 8 kms away. The Aamba sub-centre is run by an auxiliary nurse midwife (ANM) Sumitra Devi, and she is assisted by an Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) Prem Kumari, who is the first port of call on health-related issues. If Sumitra Devi has been instrumental in ensuring the safety of young mothers and children since 1989, Prem Kumari has been promoting ante-natal care, institutional deliveries, post partum care, immunization and even family planning. The closest tertiary care facility is the District Hospital at Bahraich.

Of and on, the community also contributes its bit in running the show. Just last year in October, the region witnessed massive floods and the village was totally cut-off from the mainland resulting in an acute shortage of drinking water, vaccines and medicine at the sub-centre with the threat of water-borne diseases looming large. The ANM started functioning from a nearby sub-centre where her mobile was partially functional and the sub-centre was not totally submerged in water.  One of the ASHAs coordinated with the Community Resource Person (CRP) – posted by the Technical Support Unit which is helping the UP government implement a comprehensive programme to improve the maternal and child health care — coordinated with the ANM to alert the staff at the one of the larger facilities in the block regarding the urgent need for medicines, vaccines and clean water.

The staff from the Motipur Primary Health Centre brought supplies to the sub-centre where the ANM was stationed at that time. To transfer the medicines and vaccines to the flooded area of the block, local villagers packed the medicines in a series of polythene bags which they tied on their bodies. The villagers used rubber tyre tubes to swim across the flooded area to ferry supplies to Aamba sub-centre and then to Fakirpuri village. Even during normal times, the ANM Sumitra Devi has to fetch medicines and vaccines from the Bicchiya raiway station which is approximately 15 kms away from the Fakirpuri and the last rail head to the region, on her scooty. Alternately, when she goes for the weekly cluster meetings, she picks up the required stock.

Prem Kumari has been running the show efficiently. She has all details on the fingertips and tells without hesitation that there should to be 39 pregnant women registered with her as per the population norms. Her Village and Health Index Register (VHIR) was updated and she was proficient in discussing the 5 key indicators of mother and child care including registration, ANC, Institutional Delivery, PNC and use of contraceptives. However, despite all the initiatives, some deliveries were still happening at home. This was primarily because of lack of mobile connectivity. “”The BSNL connectivity here is not very good and sometimes it is not possible to call of ambulance. Therefore, we have to plan birth well in advance. I tell the families that they should make alternative arrangements for deliveries just in case the ambulance could not arrive,”” she says. But, there are times when deliveries are done at home due to logistical issues, she explains while adding that she was trained in Home Based Neonatal Care as well.

“”ASHA batayin raha kewal apna doodh pilana pani bhi nahi dena,”” says Sumitra a lactating mother when asked what all had she learnt from ASHA. The ASHA is a highly respected individual in the village with people taking her seriously. The umbilical cord of Sumitra’s new born child was dry and nothing was applied on that which normally is the practice in the communities. Her husband said he would have the second child only after at least 4 years, and her wife would opt for IUCD. A large number of eligible couples have opted for modern methods of contraception. But this change did not come overnight. According to Prem Kumari, whenever she used to ask women to adopt family planning methods, women used to tell her that she also have two children, so why had she not opted for sterilization. “”Then I decided to set an example and opted for sterilization,”” she said.

Interestingly, the community does not have a quest for male child and, hence, there is no discrimination among girls and boys. Girls are in fact called as “”babu””, something often used for boys. The use of “”babu”” explains the position of girls in this community. “”The induction of CRPs has brought about a massive change in the healthcare systems in far-off areas. She coordinated very well with the frontline workers and services are being delivered, and little wonder then that healthcare indicators are improving at all levels,”” Jairam Pathak, Zonal Community Specialist (ZCS) said.”

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FC3FccOI.pngNASSCOM Foundation has announced the launch of the Indian Public Library Movement (IPLM), an effort to revitalise and transform public libraries into inclusive knowledge and information centres catering to the information needs of communities across India. Indian public libraries can make the benefits of technology accessible to millions of Indians who do not currently have access to computers and the Internet, and provide training on how to use technology to access information that improves lives, a statement issued by NASSCOM said.  Speaking at the launch, Dr. Ganesh Natarajan, Chairman, NASSCOM Foundation, said, “”The Indian Public Library Movement will draw strength from the presence of a strong public library network in India, the committed leadership demonstrated by partners, and the ongoing support for public access to technology through the Government’s Digital India initiative.””

The IPLM seeks to change the landscape of public libraries and the services they provide to the country’s billion-plus citizens. The movement will start by reaching out to a million library users at 300 district-level libraries and proving them with community driven services such as computer training classes to build digital skills, access to online information about agriculture and health, a safe place for students to study, and learning opportunities for people of all ages.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation provided support for a pilot project for modernization of 7 government public libraries in the State of UP.  Based on the positive outcomes of the pilot project, the state government will now participate in the Scale Up Program, to be implemented by the Indian Public Library Movement/ NASSCOM Foundation. 16 Government Public Libraries of the state will be covered under the Scale Up Program including 7 Libraries covered under Pilot Phase. State Government has signed an MOU with IPLM for the smooth implementation of the Scale Up Program. We hope that this association will definitely benefit the Public library services of the state, the statement said. With a grant from Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation IPLM implementation, NASSCOM Foundation will have an independent team of professionals, the IPLM Secretariat, to manage all programmatic activities. The Secretariat will work to strengthen the library sector in India through increased collaborative work and support from the government (national, state and local level) as well as non-government stakeholders (NGOs and corporations through their CSR initiatives), among other like-minded organizations.

The IPLM team has partnered with DELNET to host the The India Public Libraries Conference. DELNET, with the prime objective of promoting resource sharing among the libraries through the development of a network of libraries, aims to collect, store, and disseminate information besides offering computerised services to users, to coordinate efforts for suitable collection development and also to reduce unnecessary duplication wherever possible.”

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535ab0c9d0d3437.pngIndia Post and the United Nations Postal Administration have jointly issued “”He For She”” postage stamps to commemorate the International Women’s Day. The stamp promotes gender equality and showcases UN Women’s campaign to engage men and boys as agents of change for women’s rights. In India, the stamps was issued by India Post and depicts side-by-side pairs, with half of a man’s face on a 5-rupee stamp and half of a woman’s face on a 25-rupee stamp.

The images portray girls and women as fully half of humanity and exactly equal to the other – male – half. Together, they make a whole world. The stamps were designed by Mirko Illic (USA, born in Bosnia and Herzegovina). He For She is an incredible youth movement and these stamps reflect that creativity and vitality,” said Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Executive Director of UN Women.

Since its launch on 20 September 2014, at the United Nations by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, hundreds of thousands of men from around the world including Heads of State, CEOs and global luminaries, from all walks of life have committed to gender equality. HeForShe has been the subject of more than two billion conversations on social media, with off-line activities reaching every corner of the globe.”

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RUVAbgOoHarish Chandra Singh Rawat who took over as the seventh Chief Minister of the hill state of Uttarakhand on February one, 2014  is a prominent leader from the state having risen from the grassroots. The 68 year old Rawat had served as Union Minister at the Centre and brings his experience which the Congress expects would help it in the coming Assembly elections in the state. Rawat spoke to Sri Krishna on various issues ranging from the ongoing JNU to centre-state relations.

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Q: How do you view Centre-State relations in today’s scenario ?

In fact, the Centre maybe very friendly towards BJP ruled states or NDA ruled states.  But as far as Congress-ruled States are concerned or states which are ruled by opposition parties, that is opposition to BJP,  they are not taking care of our financial or any other problems and in fact the NITI Ayog which has come in place of Planning Commission  has become very ineffective and the government  is not even listening to the recommendation made by the NITI Ayog which is happening for the first time. Earlier, when there was  Planning Commission, they  used to discuss various matters with the States and once they used to get settled there and than, subsequently the Planning Commission used to get the concurrence from Finance Ministry. However, all that has changed and now everything is decided by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). It is but natural that the Centre is not friendly to the States but at least they should acknowledge that the States growth too matter and is indeed important. For the development of the country, there should be development of the states too.

Q: What is your view on the ongoing JNU issue?

For political reasons, Delhi Police and the Central Government have blown this issue out of proportion and if there was any thing or any sloganeering which was prejudicial to the Indian state, it should take action against those who have made these kind of statements. But, unnecessarily they have registered case against JNU students union President Kanhaiya Kumar even when there is no evidence.  In fact, even the so called CD they found turned out to be doctored and this is wrong. Now it is upto the Central Government to find out why Delhi Police has acted like this. It is for the central government to decide.

Q: What is your view of the repeated attacks on Congress leaders and vice president Rahul Gandhi by the BJP ?

We are happy. The Prime Minister is now again and again attacking our leader Rahul Gandhi and thus he is acknowledging his emerging power and emerging stature. As opposition, I feel happy that my leader is now giving some sleepless nights to the Prime Minister and now he is explaining the behaviour and conduct of the government. The prime minister had said that when he comes to power he would unearth everything that is black but now they have developed a scheme where everything is black.

Q: How is you party’s preparation for the assembly elections which are due in about ten to eleven months from now?

We are in a good position and I am confident that we would do well. We have another 10 to 12  months to go for elections and the way we are moving people are happy.

Q: What is your view on this ongoing debate about tolerance and intolerance?

Tolerance is part of Sanathan Dharma and  Hindu culture is known for its tolerance but some people feel they can impose their views on others. However, the moment you think you can impose your thinking on others than it means you are no longer tolerant and in parliamentary democracy intolerance has no place and everything should be tolerated. But now in this country, these people  think they are  only right and that they are the only persons who have any place in society.

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India-pakistan-flagThe passing of intelligence by Pakistan NSA Lt. Gen. Nasir Khan Janjua that certain LeT or Huzi operatives, which could include suicide bombers, have entered India has resulted in intense debate among the security experts whether this is just a ploy by Pakistan to score marks or is a genuine change of heart. The discussion has occupied the major prime time on TV channels has seen more sceptics then otherwise. Their belief and perception must be seen in light of the past chequered history of India Pakistan relationship. It is also not known as to what details have been shared and whether these are enough to trace the intruders. There is no official version available for either of the countries and the news of intelligence sharing has trickled down through sources.

The central issue, whether there is a rethinking in the political and military establishment in Pakistan in their approach to the terrorism which has been nurtured in the back yard as an instrument of causing social and economic destabilization in India, does not beget a simple and straight forward answer. It is no doubt that Pakistan has been a victim of home grown terrorism and has seen large devastation in terms of losing number of young innocent children and citizens. The public of Pakistan, which has borne the brunt of different hues of terrorism in its backyard, is no longer in sync with the anti-India policies as it has started hurting them. There is large section of right minded thinkers and army officers who have started questioning the purpose and role played by Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) in actively supporting the terrorist operations across the border. Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sarif has also to deliver the positive results of his overtures to India to the local constituents and world community at large indicating that it is he who is at the command of thing in Pakistan. On the other hand, Mr Narendra Modi Indian Prime Minister also faces a similar dilemma especially after his sudden halt at Lahore to wish Nawaz Sarif a happy birthday which was followed by Pathankot incident. The hawkish security experts in India continue to believe that these gestures provide only photo opportunities rather than anything in substance. They question the Modi’s policy towards Pakistan and often term it as confused and an example of flip flop.

One must remember that the two neighbors, who share the common heritage and many more things, have to live together and continuous bickering between the two, sporadic clashes at border, crossing of terrorist across border and LoC from Pakistan side would work as hurdles in their economic development with large amount of GDP being spend on defense and security expenditure. While it can be said that the change in conduct of Pakistan in passing this intelligence and registration of an FIR in Pathankot case and showing eagerness to investigate it may be due to pressure of American administration to do more on anti-terrorism front. But there is no harm in taking careful steps in continuing the dialogue and explore every possible diplomatic step in the fervent hope of better friendly relationship in spite of past setbacks. After all it is not a single initiative but a huge effort and vision on part of the political leadership of the two countries that will turn the dark page of history of bilateral relationship filled with bitter memories.

It may also be mentioned that given the past history of terrorist striking in parts of India with active support of the neighbor, we cannot let down our guard. The Central Government and law and order machinery of the States must be given full credit for taking all measures to ensure that no untoward incident takes place especially in the spring season of festivals.

The writer, an IPS officer, recently retired as Director General of Bureau of Police Research & Development and has earlier served for long years in CBI & NIA. The views expressed are personal.“

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It has turned out to be yet another case of one who flew over the nest of investigating agencies, bidding good bye to them in the midst of an ongoing probe. Vijay Mallya, who loved to call himself “”The King of Good Times””, liquor baron who headed the UB group and was also a Rajya Sabha member, left the country on March 2 even as a lookout notice against him had been issued. The wilful defaulter owes Rs. 7,000 crore in loans to 17 state-owned banks. In last July, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had registered a suo motu FIR against Mallya, his now defunct airline Kingfisher and its chief financial officer, alleging that the loans were sanctioned in violation of norms regarding credit limits. One such loan of Rs. 900 crore was given to him in 2009 by state-owned IDBI Bank despite a memo, stating that his company had failed to meet compliance. Other public sector banks in line to get their money back include biggies like the State Bank of India, Punjab National Bank, UCO Bank and Bank of India. The banks wanted his passport and travel frozen but little did they know that Mallya had flown away to safety.

The Supreme Court was told on Wednesday by Attorney-General of India Mukul Rohatgi that Mallya had left the country on March 2. He asked the court to demand his return. As all high-profile economic offenders do, Mallya too followed the script to the dot. A day before, he planned his flight abroad, Mallya was reportedly seen in Parliament House, meeting his friends in political circles. Though his exact whereabouts are not known, it is likely that he is in England where he has good number of assets. Even British liquor giant Diageo had recently cut a sweet heart deal with him worth Rs. 515 crore of which Rs. 269 crore has been paid to him but in a setback to him, the Debt Recovery Tribunal (DRT) has ruled that he cannot withdraw $ 75 million payment which he had received from Diageo. Mallya had stated that he had directly invested Rs. 4000 crore in Kingfisher Airlines which now stands fully impaired, terming it a bad business venture owing to the economic situation then and government decisions in civil aviation sector. The high-profile airline, named after the popular brand of beer which his company makes, shut shop in October 2012, driving thousands of employees in despair and leaving them without jobs.

A cursory glance at recent high-profile offenders would reveal that they were able to turn a blind eye to India’s legal process and had managed to flee – be it Union Carbide chief Warren Anderson, a U.S. national, who was arrested in 1984 only for a few hours after a deadly gas leak from Carbide plant in Bhopal had killed thousands. Using his connections, he was able to fly out of India never to submit him to the legal process in India or be it Ottavio Quattrocchi, an accused in Bofors payoffs case, who was allowed to slip away in 1993, three years after the CBI had registered FIR in Bofors case. He could never be extradited back to India.

It took two years for the CBI to arrest Nirmal Singh Bhangoo, a little known businessman and chairman of Pearl Group, early this year who launched a ponzi scheme, managed to allegedly con about five crore people in a scam that runs into Rs. 50,000 crore, by far independent India’s biggest financial scam. He gave land guarantee to lure investors who paid a certain amount of money. He also has massive investments in Australia and his land pool runs into lakhs of acres spread across a dozen States and for the last decade legal battle went on to ascertain if any case was made out against him or not! The CBI would need massive resources to probe the scam threadbare with voluminous documents, 1300 bank accounts already frozen. His influence in political class was said to be widespread and his Pearl group was also a co-sponsor of IPL team Kings XI Punjab.

It is only under the Supreme Court scanner that Sahara group chief Subrata Roy has been lodged in Tihar jail in the Capital for the last one and a half years as his group failed to come up with refunds to the regulator SEBI. It would be a test case for the Modi government, the CBI and Enforcement Directorate (ED) which has registered a money laundering case against Mallya to track him down and make him submit to the legal process. The track record of the investigation agencies indicate that they are most likely to falter and a big, influential and powerful accused like Mallya would continue to dodge them on one pretext or the other. Economic offences, termed as serious which affect the nation’s financial health by the Supreme Court, will continue to be treated with kids’ gloves.”

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MildronateThe use of meldonium—the substance taken by tennis star Maria Sharapova—is widespread among elite athletes, reveals research published online in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. The findings, which draw on information volunteered by athletes and individual medical teams, and lab data on anti-doping tests from the Baku 2015 European Games, indicate that up to 490 athletes may have been taking meldonium during the competition. Maria Sharapova had admitted earlier this week that she had tested positive for meldonium after the introduction of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) ban.

The research, which was carried out on behalf of the European Olympic Committees, contributed to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) taking the decision to ban the use of meldonium in competitive sport as of January 1 this year. The research highlights that at the time of the Baku 2015 European Games at least 13 medalits or competition winners were taking meldonium while 66 athletes had tested positive for this substance. The Journal said meldonium was detected in athletes competing in 15 of the 21 sports.

A substance is considered for inclusion on the Prohibited List of WADA determines that it meets any two of the following three criteria:

• There is medical or other scientific evidence, pharmacological effect or experience that the substance or method, alone or in combination or methods, has the potential to enhance or enhances sport performance;
• There is medical or other scientific evidence, pharmacological effect or experience that the use of substance or method represents actual or potential health risk to the athlete;
• That the use of the substance or method violates the spirit of sport.

Meldonium is used medically in patients for the treatment of myocardial ischaemia with effects reported to include improved systolic function, inhibited hypertrophy and dilatation of the myocardium, improved peripheral blood circulation and increased stress tolerance. Consequently, the use by athletes enhanced personal performance and a shortening of the recovery period after physical activity. Adverse effects reported by the manufacturers include headache, agitation, tachycardia, allergic skin reaction and dyspepsia. Meldonium is reported to be registered for medical use in 7 Eastern European countries which competed at the Baku Games including Latvia, Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, Azarbaijan, Belarus, and Moldova. The number of athletes from these countries represented 23 per cent (1306 of 5632) of the entire athlete population at the Games.

The research “”Meldonium use by athletes at the Baku 2015 European Games”” was done by Stuart, Mark Campbell; Schneider, Christian; Steinbach, and Klaus.”

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365px-Subrahmanyam_Jaishankar_2014About three weeks ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s planned visit to the U.S., Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar is wrapping up his two-day visit to Washington during which he held a series of meetings with top U.S. officials, discussing bilateral ties and cooperation against terror groups, mainly operating from Pakistani soil. Dr. Jaishankar has had a meeting with U.S. National Security Adviser Susan Rice. “”Rice and Jaishankar affirmed their commitment to deepening bilateral cooperation on climate change, trade and defence, and noted preparations for the upcoming Nuclear Security Summit,”” according to a White House statement by Ned Price, spokesman of National Security Council.

They also discussed US-India collaboration against Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed and other terrorist threats,”” he said adding: “”Building on their leaders’ commitment to make the US- India partnership a defining relationship for the 21st Century, they agreed to deepen their already close collaboration on these issues.””

India and the US have discussed ongoing “collaboration” against Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed and similar threats, and reviewed other aspects of the relationship. Sources in diplomatic circles felt that Washington realizes the growing threat from terrorism and it will continue to mount pressure on Islamabad to take credible action against terror groups operating from Pakistani soil. U.S. officials, including its ambassador in New Delhi Richard Verma, have stressed that the U.S.-India security relationship is of a fundamentally different nature than the U.S. cooperation with any other country in the region, including Pakistan. President Obama had called upon Pakistan to grab the opportunity to show that it was serious about delegitimizing, disrupting and dismantling terrorist networks.

India has also voiced its displeasures over the Obama administration’s decision to sell eight F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan on the ground that Islamabad needs the combat jets for counter-terrorism operations. With terror attacks by Pak-based terrorists like the one on an air base in border town of Pathankot, India is highly skeptical of Pakistan’s intention. With mounting global pressure, Pakistan has of late shared intelligence inputs with India and also announced its decision to send its investigation team to Pathankot, a move not rebuffed by India. Though it is not on the cards, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif may have an encounter during the Nuclear Security Summit (NSS) in Washington DC. The NSS is likely to be attended by the leaders of about 50 countries. Mr. Modi will travel to Belgium, US and Saudi Arabia between March 30 and April 3. In Belgium, he will attend the India-EU Summit, then head to the US and on his return leg pay a visit to Saudi Arabia on April 2 and 3.”

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WINBuilding on the success of the inaugural India WINConference in 2013, the empowering conference is back in New Delhi. Women achievers from corporations, government, civil society and media will add knowledge, colour, and bling to the upcoming two-day Women’s International Networking Conference or WINConference starting March 17. The well-known women achievers who will attend the conference include Naina Lal Kidwai, Chairman, Max Financial Services and Senior Advisor, Advent; Rekha Mody, President, Streeshakti; Selja Kumari, former Cabinet Minister and Congress’ Rajya Sabha MP; Mia Lundstrom, IKEA India; Sonam Kalra, Singer, Composer & Founder of The Sufi Gospel Project among several others.

Organised by Women’s International Networking or WIN, an independent global women’s leadership organization, the WINConference is one of the largest global women’s network organised in more than a dozen countries providing communities, companies and individual leaders the possibility to grow and contribute to the world. It features plenary sessions, practical workshops, benchmarking forums and coaching. Kristin Engvig, founder and director of WIN (Women International Networking) explains: “”WIN promotes and models the values of a global mind-set, authentic contribution and the feminine way of leadership, collaboration and sustainability. The WINConference is the most innovative event entirely dedicated to women’s leadership and proven to not only develop women in business but also nurture them as individuals.”” “By joining WIN, companies and professionals embrace the key mix of female values, creativity and efficiency, so sought after in business and society today,” adds Kristin.

India WINConference aims to update participants on emerging trends and the latest on the current global and Indian business environment. The conference also identifies the opportunities that lie ahead for both women and men alike, championing a more inclusive business environment in India and worldwide. WINConference helps prepare a company for the future where women are arising and where companies accelerate the learning and understanding on how to better attract, retain and inspire the fastest growing talent on the planet – women, on their terms and in a way that nourishes them.

The India WINConference will witness companies sharing and exploring the global picture to understand the context in which we live and work, what they are doing to embrace women in business and how women are impacting business models and bottom lines. Participants will get to hear from women achievers whose careers stand out and discover how their courage, perseverance and feminine touch have helped them move ahead, paving the way for others. The conference would give delegates an important networking opportunity with other women leaders, social change makers and entrepreneurs. In addition, the conference is also slated to provide groups of employees with a unique development opportunity accelerate your personal journey and create an optimal balance.”

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RTE.pngDelhi topped in filling 44 per cent of the seats reserved for underprivileged students under the Right to Free and Compulsory Education Act (RTE) while in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Orissa, Uttar Pradesh and Mizoram the percentage of seats filled was less than one per cent. According to a new report, “”State of the Nation: RTE Section 12(1)(c)”” brought out by the RTE Resource Centre at the Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad, Central Square Foundation, Accountability Initiative and Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy only 21 per cent of the schools mandated to fill the seats actually did it.

Section 12 (1)(c) of the RTE Act mandates 25 per cent reservation for children from economically and socially disadvantages sections in private unaided non-minority schools. According to data compiled by the report in 2014-15, roughly 3.46 lakh seats were filled out of approximately 22.9 lakh seats available under Section 12 (1) (c), resulting in a fill rate of 15.12 per cent. This is a slight improvement from 3.2 lakh seats filled out of 21.8 lakh seats (14.66 per cent) in 2013-14. The top-performing State were Delhi (44.61 per cent), Rajasthan (39.26 per cent), Tamil Nadu (37.75 per cent), Chhattisgarh (32.94 per cent), and Uttarakhand (31.96 per cent).

The worst-performing States had fill-rate less than 1 per cent with Andhra Pradesh at zero per cent, Telangana (.01 per cent), Mizoram (0.21 per cent), Uttar Pradesh (0.79 per cent) and Odisha (0.97 per cent). In 2014-15, out of 2.17 lakh schools only 45,996 schools had taken at least one student under this provision. In2013-14, there were 44,158 participating schools out of total 2.06 lakh schools. Nationally, Andhra Pradesh (0 percent), Telangana (0.01percent) and Mizoram (0.17 percent) had the lowest school participation while Delhi (51.84 percent), Tamil Nadu (51.24 percent) and Rajasthan (47.88 percent) had the highest school participation rate.

Apart from discrepancy, the report also highlights other challenges that impede effective implementation of this provision like most of the States have either unclear rules or guidelines or are not implementing this provision, says Ashish Dhawan, Founder and Chairperson of Central Square Foundation, adding that awareness was still patchy, especially in rural areas. “”Once children enter the school system, provision of supporting and child tracking is almost non-existent.””

Concurring with this, Dr. Ambrish Dongre, Senior Research Fellow at Accountability Initiative, Centre for Policy Research, and Fellow at Centre for Policy Research says, “”Of the 1466.5 crore that States require for Section (1) (c) implementation, only 250 crore was approved by the Centre. Only six States – Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Odisha and Uttarakhand received assistance from the Centre indicating that the States need to do lot more. The report concludes by providing guidelines for enhancing implementation of RTE Section 12(1)(c) through clarity on State rules, notifications and guidelines, especially in areas such as definition of economically weaker and disadvantaged sections, age criteria and entry level class, neighbourhood criteria, items included under free education (uniform, stationery, textbooks) in addition to large scale awareness campaigns through TV, newspapers, radio should be ensured to make potential beneficiaries aware of the process of admissions.

Transition from an offline paper and pen mode of application to an online end management information system (MIS) provides for a transparent admission and reimbursement process, along with post admission processes such as tracking attendance and performance of children was needed. Streamlined and prompt reimbursements to the private schools and addition of these children into state assessments for better tracking and monitoring of performance, the report suggests.”