“

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.”

“

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.”

“

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.”

“

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.”

“

Mohini Giri, women’s rights activist and former chairperson of the National Commission for Women (NCW) on Thursday gave up her Gymkhana Club membership to protest against the “”extreme class distinction“” visible at the elite club. “”I am proud to be an Indian where our constitutional entitlement is of equality. It is without any regret whatsoever that I am resigning from a club where I have been a member for the last 50 years. Life is always a learning experience. Now I know that we have to still walk a long path for true democracy,”” she wrote in her letter addressed to the Delhi Gymkhana Club Honorary Secretary Air Cmde (retd) Harjit S.Sassan.

Ms Giri along with the staff of her NGO Guild of Service had on January 18 been stopped by the Delhi Gymkhana Club staff from entering the Chinese Room saying that “”maids and drivers“” were not allowed inside the club. It was only after lot of persuasion that the staff was allowed inside. Ms Giri, daughter-in-law of former President V.V.Giri, had taken up the matter with media and it was widely reported. The Delhi Gymkhana Club management imposed a monetary fine on her for this action which she refused to pay. In her resignation letter Ms Giri said that the persons who were stopped from entering the Chinese Room were her guests and goes on to give the background of the guests with her. “”It shocks me to know that the Club is still suffering from a hangover of a colonial rule and carrying forward the unfortunate legacy of a class distinction in democratic country. At 78th year of my life I am learning that in India, despite democracy, to speak out against class bias and injustice invites punitive action. This is very clear from your action which smacks of petty revenge.””

“”I am afraid most Indian may not be able to meet the criteria of the Club. Clothes and general demeanor cannot be used as indicative of status. Had Mahatma Gandhi entered the club in his famous dhoti, he perhaps would have been thrown out too,”” she wrote.”

“

640px-Pakistan_China_Locator.svg.pngTop echelons of the Indian security establishment have conveyed their concern to the government over the recent Pakistani move to raise three additional brigades to protect the 3,000-km long China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), passing through Pak-Occupied Kashmir (PoK), that will connect the Gwadar port near Karachi to China’s Xinjiang region.

The additional troops, equipped with artillery and chopper support, have been raised to give protection to the CPEC by securing the highway that will pass through Pak-Occupied Kashmir (PoK) and the Gilgit-Baltistan region, the area also claimed by India. It is here that China wants Pakistan to upgrade the Constitutional status of Gilgit-Baltistan region that would also bring the CPEC under some kind of a legal umbrella as Beijing does not want to put huge investments in a region also claimed by India. Top government sources say that India’s concerns stem from the fact the China’s People’s Liiberation Army (PLA) is ready for involving itself on a long-term basis in the region and would take up strategic positions to protect the CPEC. In the past also, India has voiced its objection over presence of Chinese troops in PoK.

“”At present, we are keeping a close watch on developments relating to CPEC as well as observing situation in Gilgit-Baltistan region””‘ top government sources told theindiasaga.com.

Islamabad’s decision to set up the special force of about 10,000 troops to protect Chinese personnel and enterprises along the CPEC was also conveyed by a senior Pakistani diplomat who had visited Beijing recently. Beijing has expressed its security concerns as China is involved in more than 200 projects in Pakistan and nearly 14,000 of its engineers and technicians are working there.

Gilgit-Baltistan Region

Of late, local population in Gilgit-Baltistan region has expressed apprehension about reaping benefits of development even if CPEC becomes fully operational. Protests in the region have been broken with strength and brutal crackdown on the people by the police and Pak army. The CPEC, being funded by China with massive investment of nearly 46 billion dollars, is likely to be completed in three years. The corridor would be used to transport petroleum products from the Gulf region into China.

It was during his visit to Islamabad in April last year that Chinese President Xi Jinping had displayed Beijing’s bold approach to go to any extent to put the Sino-Pakistan relationship on a firm footing and protecting Pakistan’s interests even in international bodies and forums. Describing Pakistan as its only genuine ally in the region, China has indicated it would not shy away from altering equations in the region as long as it suits and furthers its national interests. Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper had noted in January this year that Gilgit-Baltistan region was frequently in the news these days for the much-touted US $46 billion CPEC that will pass through this beautiful province in the north to reach Chinese-operated Gwadar port in the country’s south. While there is hope it will transform the economy and help bridge Pakistan’s power shortfall, CPEC has also triggered concerns that the local people might be left out of the gains, the newspaper had said.

The 3,218 kilometre corridor will connect Kashgar in China’s western Xinjiang region to the port of Gwadar. “”Currently, nearly 80 per cent of China’s oil is transported by ship from the Strait of Malacca to Shanghai, a distance of more than 16,000 km, with the journey taking between two to three months. But once Gwadar begins operating, the distance would be reduced to less than 5,000 km,” the newspaper wrote. However, it noted local concerns as well. Quoting a development consultant from the area, it said that there was a feeling that thke CPEC “”is nothing more than a “black hole” as far as the people of the region are concerned.”

“The government has not engaged with us; we do not know exactly how much or what Gilgit-Baltistan’s role will be in CPEC or how we will benefit from it,” the consultant said, fearing when the region opens up, it will give short shrift to the locals.”

“

Flag-Pins-India-Nepal_1Neighbors need to rework their positions. Implementing the provisions of the Constitution very difficult.Nepal PM says document progressive without discrimination.Madhesis claim Oli’s visit to India not successful.India and Nepal must have cordial relations with each other.Impartial observers believe Oli government unlikely to last long.Efforts are on to overcome the trust deficit between India and Nepal which had hit rock bottom following the economic blockade as the Madhesis or plains people demanded a more federal framework in the Himalayan nation’s new Constitution. Irritated by the economic blockade for nearly five months Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli contemplated visiting China rather than sticking to the tradition of coming to New Delhi first.At the end of it all Oli’s first sojourn overseas for a week after being four months in office was to this country. He made it clear that he had come to mend the ties and remove misunderstandings. In an interface with intellectuals and think tanks, Oli said the Constitution promulgated by Nepal is inclusive and that the document is progressive without any kind of discrimination.

He admitted the Constitution might not satisfy everyone since it was a compromise reached between divergent people and groups.His Indian counterpart and host Narendra Modi affirmed that India desires a strong, stable and prosperous Nepal for itself and the betterment of South Asia. Similarly, when external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj called on Oli she made it clear that India considers itself Nepal’s elder brother and certainly not its “”big brother”” which is resented by the neighboring country.

No less than nine bilateral agreements were signed. Oli concluded his week long visit to India on a high in the third week of February. He specially acquainted himself with the reconstruction work connected with the massive earthquake in Gujarat and met captains of industry in Mumbai impressing upon them to invest in Nepal which will be mutually beneficial. After resisting the amendments to the Constitution, Oli relented to incorporate some of the demands of the Madhesis. This led to the easing of the blockade after the protesters backed by India called off the stir.

The standoff had an adverse effect on India’s goodwill which had rendered prompt assistance to Nepal in the wake of the devastating earthquake in 2015.Nevertheless, the Madhesis insist that Oli’s visit to India was not a success. The amendments to the Constitution leaves much to be desired in ensuring the rights of the Madhesis. On the other hand RJD’s vice president Raghuvansh Prasad Singh stressed that the Nepal government is trying to “”blackmail India”” by playing the China card. Kathmandu reacted promptly calling it a “”brazen interference in Nepal’s internal affaris.”” Most political parties including those critical of Oli ended up criticizing the Madhesi Front for taking their politics beyond the border.Impartial observers believe that the Oli government is unlikely to last long with New Delhi continuing to be seen as a destabilizing factor.

This has necessitated the two neighbors to re-calibrate their positions. Being a landlocked country Nepal’s economic dependence needs no elaboration. This stood out starkly during the economic blockade as 70 per cent of the supplies came from India. Â Kathmandu looked towards China which expressed its inability to bridge the gap because of the extremely difficult terrain by the land route to Nepal. Given the exigencies of the situation, Kathmandu and New Delhi must have cordial relations with each other which is in their own interest. In case of political instability in Nepal, the spillover effect is bound to have an adverse impact in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh having an open border with that country. At the same time India and Nepal have to reset their priorities encompassing the direly needed reconstruction assistance assured by India.

On his part Modi acknowledged that the conclusion of the Constitution writing process is an important achievement. At the same time New Delhi underlined the need for consensus through dialogue with dissenting Madhesis about their concerns on Federalism. The onus is clearly on Oli and his Communist party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) without alluding to any brinkmanship which which can have an adverse impact in the long run. New Delhi should learn lessons from the recent deterioration in bilateral relations. Tension between the two neighbours also reverberated in the United Nations. New Delhi should be well aware that Beijing will try to capitalize on every friction it has with Kathmandu to wean away the southern neighbor from India. Considering the deep historic and cultural ties, Kathmandu remains a more convenient neighbor economically and politically. Nepal and Oli have to come to terms with a Federal structure by taking India into confidence. Even as he had refused to visit India without the blockade being lifted, Nepal watchers assert that the Constitution is a problematic document in many ways even though it was voted in favor by 85 per cent in the Constituent Assembly which amounted to 78 per cent of the electorate being in favour. Â As the rights based Constitution has been drafted by politicians rather than a committee of jurists, it will be a difficult document to implement because of the promises it makes including expanding the scope of fundamental rights to cover a whole slew of economic, social and cultural rights. Any number of outstanding issues remain including the citizenship for foreign husbands of Nepali women. It was adopted on September 20 last year.Fortunately, the blockade ended before the much feared possibility of a hill-versus-plains communal flareup proving once again that the people have more sagacity than the overlords.

Mr. T R Ramachandran is a senior journalist and commentator. Views expressed are personal.”

“

Srimathumitha_getting_a_prize_From_M.S.Subbulakshmi_Amma””Who am I, a mere Prime Minister before a Queen, a Queen of Music,”” said India’s first Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru  about M.S. Subbulakshmi while Lata Mangeshkar called her Tapaswini (the Renunciate), Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan termed her Suswaralakshmi (the goddess of the perfect note), and Kishori Amonkar labelled her the ultimate eighth note or Aathuvaan Sur, which is above the seven notes basic to all music. The great national leader and poet Sarojini Naidu called her “”Nightingale of India””. But, right through she remained the simple Tamil lady with the shining diamond nose ring and which connoisseur of music can ever forget her many famous renditions of bhajans including the chanting of Bhaja Govindam, Vishnu sahasranama (1000 names of Vishnu), Hari Tuma Haro and the Venkateswara Suprabhatam (musical hymns to awaken Lord Balaji early in the morning).

The current year marks her birth centenary having been born on September 16, 1916, in Madurai  which was in the than Madras Presidency  to veena player Shanmukavadiver Ammal and Subramania Iyer. Her grandmother Akkammal was a violinist. Madurai Shanmukhavadivu Subbulakshmi  popularly known as M.S. was the first musician ever to be awarded the country’s highest civilian honour Bharat Ratna in 1998. Yet another honour bestowed on was that she was the first Indian musician to receive the Ramon Magsaysay award, often considered Asia’s Nobel Prize  in 1974 with the citation reading “”Exacting purists acknowledge Srimati M. S. Subbulakshmi as the leading exponent of classical and semi-classical songs in the carnatic tradition of South India.”” Known affectionately as Kunjamma to her family, Subbulakshmi had her early training in Carnatic music under the tutelage of Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer and subsequently in Hindustani music under Pandit Narayanrao Vyas.

Her musical interests were also shaped by regular interactions with renowned carnatic musicians like Karaikudi Sambasiva Iyer, Mazhavarayanendal Subbarama Bhagavathar and Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar. A child prodigy, Subbulakshmi gave her first public performance, at the age of eleven in  1927,  at the 100 pillar hall inside the Rockfort Temple, Tiruchirappalli. In 1936 she moved to Madras (now Chennai) where she made her film debut in Sevasadan in 1938 opposite F. G. Natesa Iyer who had introduced her as a child prodigy to the world of Carnatic music a decade earlier, in Tiruchirappalli. M.S. Subbulakshmi began her Carnatic classical music training under her mother Shanmugavadivu and later in Hindustani classical training under Pandit Narayan Rao Vyas. Subbulakshmi first recording was released when she was 10 years old.

Two years after her performance at Tiruchi, Subbulakshmi gave her first in Madras at the prestigious Madras Music Academy in 1929,when she was 13 years old which was a break from the tradition followed by the Music Academy and her  performance was described as spellbinding and earned her many admirers and the moniker of musical genius from critics. By the age of seventeen, Subbulakshmi was giving concerts on her own, including major performances at the Madras Music Academy. She travelled to London, New York, Canada, the Far East, and other places as India’s cultural ambassador. She was among the select Indian vocalist to sing at the UN General Assembly on UN day in 1966. After the death of her husband Kalki Sadasivam in 1997, she stopped all her public performances till she passed away on December 11, 2004 at the age of 88.”

“

He was the man who introduced a new sensibility to many slowly and steadily cultivating a serious film culture. He had mapped Indian cinema with utmost precision. Paramesh Krishnan Nair, India’s film archivist and founder-director of the National Film Archive of India (NFAI),  who passed away on March 4 at Pune aged 83,  single-handedly salvaged and restored several films, including nine from Indian silent era, which would have never seen the light of the day. For Nair, films were dear to his heart. It was as if he was haunted by the sight of the negatives. He acquired over 12,000 films, including 8,000 Indian movies, and the rest foreign and began a task of preserving them, reel by reel. Nair, who won the epithet ‘celluloid man’  for his impressive work as founder of NFAI, always remained an eager student who visited and revisited the black and white reels of cinema history. The year was 1969. Nair traveled in pre-dawn in a tempo from Pune to Nashik that was to deliver newspapers to the mofussil region.

Nair hardly knew he was going to encounter history, He reached Nashik after midnight. Dadashaeb Phalke, the father of Indian cinema, showed him some print kept by the family in memory of the legend. Those were the prints of  Kaliya Mardan, a  1919  Marathi film, of Indian silent era. Back in the NFAI in Pune, Nair opened the can to find the print cut in several parts. Fortunately for him, the box also contained a worn notebook with sequence of the reels. Nair then began piecing the six reels together with the help of the notes. The rest was history in Indian cinema. Nair was determined to preserve some of India’s rich but totally ignored and lost film heritage that existed across the country with producers, distributors, the kabadi wallahs. Many stories are abound how, the archivist, collected rare films. A cow-shed in Kolkata, a kabadi-wallah in ‘chor bazaar’ at Mumbai, the family of a producer in Chennai– there was no place that was not visited by Nair if it could yield a fragment of the country’s film heritage. Nair was closely associated with critics and film luminaries like Marie Scton, Vijaya Mulay and Satish Bahadur.

The nine Indian slient films now extinct were salvaged by Nair. In a country, where 1.700 silents movies were made in 31 years, from 1899 to 1930, nine may seem like nothing but without Nair, the country might not have even those. Nair is the man responsible for managing the NFAI. Having joined the Films and Television Institute in Pune as Research Assistant in 1961, from 1965, when he was appointed Assistant Curator till 1991, when he retired nearly a decade as its Director, Nair acquired 12,000 films. The movies included, the works of legendary film maker, such as Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak, Mirnal Sen, V Shantaram, Raj Kapoor and Guru Dutt. Then there were films of international stalwarts like Ingmar Bergman, Akira Kurosava and Miklos Janeso.

Nair stood on top of the pyramid of the cinema of the country which produces the largest number of films in the world. Nair, who lived his work, legendarily, screened and watched films from the late to the wee hours. He was never found in the theater without his small torch and a notebook, in which he meticulously recorded reel by reel the content and condition of every single film print.”

“

jsa-logoThe Jan Swasthya Abhiyan (JSA) has described as disappointing Rajasthan’s budgetary allocations for health sector in the State Budget for 2016-17 presented last week. The Budget has few things to be happy about and more things to be worried about. The CM in her opening statement about health budget stated “”Healthcare to all at affordable rates”” and if this is true then it is highly problematic and diametrically opposite to what the Union Finance Minister said, the health activists have said.

The Union Finance Minister talked of “”Health Protection”” which is completely missing from the budget speech of the CM Rajasthan. It is the sovereign duty of the government to provide health protection to all the citizens through several measures including free health care services as a measure to reduce out of pocket expenditure on health care, therefore, an emphasis on “health care at affordable rates” means that the government does not intend to provide health protection to people and patients would be forced to shell out money and continue to be trapped into poverty, a statement issued by the Jan Swasthya Abhiyan said.

“”The Chief Minister laid good deal of emphasis on Bhamashah Swasthya Bima Yojana and there’s a whopping amount of fund which has been allotted to the scheme this year, almost double as compared to last year. Such great emphasis on health insurance is a clear sign that the government is only going to upscale its strategy of insurance/PPP in health care by bringing about more and more private hospitals at State’s expenses. This is quite unfortunate that the funds which could have been used to strengthen the public health  system, are being diverted to strengthen private public health institutions. It should be noted that already 60% of the inpatients and 80% of the outpatients are seeking care from the private health facilities and these schemes would further enhance this trend much to the discomfort of the majority of the citizens. There is also an issue of the capacity of the private health system which has very haphazard growth. In reality, private health system does not exist in areas where it is required most which are remote and difficult areas,”” Chayya Pachauli of JSA said.

The very crucial free medicines and free diagnostics schemes already operational in the state hardly had any mention in the budget speech. While the budget for free medicines scheme remains almost the same as last year (Budget estimate 2015-16 – 367 Crores, 2016-17 – 360 crores), there’s a slight reduction noted in budget allotted for free diagnostics scheme (Budget estimate 2015-16- 117 crores, 2016-17 – 105 crores). But, it seems the focus of the government is to push health insurance as a vehicle of health care delivery which has been an issue under intense debate among public health experts and the government.

The budget of the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) has also been marginally slashed this year (from an budget estimation of 1810 crores in 2015-16 to 1598 crores for 2016-17). This essentially means that all the community based health processes including strengthening of Village Health Sanitation and Nutrition Committees (VHSNC), Village Health and Nutrition Days (VHNDs) etc are going to be affected. Overall there is hardly any increase in health budget this year as compared to last year (from a budget estimate of 9416 crores in 2015-16 to 9537 crores for 2016-17). The per capita expenditure on health care remains the same and reduced in real terms after adjusting for inflation, the statement further said. Increasing reliance of the government on private health care sector and health insurance model as saviours of public health system is a dangerous sign. In a nutshell, an analysis of the health budget clearly indicates that the health care in the state would continue to function with the same dearth of resources and an increasing dependency on private providers to meet all the health care needs of the 7 crore population.”