SWINE FLU VERSU KALA-ZAR

NO HUE AND CRY FOR POOR MAN'S DISEASE

The first death due to swine flu in pune in which one girl Rida Sheikh died has created an unprecedented panic across nation with all newspapers and news channels are flooded with pictures, reports and articles. It seems that this disease is going to kill all in one stroke and no one will be alive. It reminds the sconce which was created when plague broke out in Surat city of Gujarat.

It is the first official death and till date there are 558 cases of H1N1 infections in India. Pune, the hub of educational activities is perhaps the worst affected because so far Maharashtra state has reported 147 cases of H1N1 cases across the state.

As far as the global scenario is concerned, according to WHO 1154 deaths due to this pandemic has so far been reported from 168 countries. Altogether 162,380 cases of infections have been reported across the world. The WHO states and to which majority of doctors also agrees that the death rate in swine flu is only 0.01%.

It appears that the whole nation is put on maximum alert and there is an unprecedented panic. The people in Pune have queued up for tests in the hospitals.

The cost of one such test goes some where near 10,000 Rs and a Swine Kit costs roughly 3000 to 4000 Rs per kit.

Oseltamivir or Zanamivir drug is administered in confirmed case of Swine flu.

Now the hysteria is in full throttle, the medicine companies which make drug and kit are in boom. It is a god sent opportunity for them. The sale of Kit has gone up several times the normal condition and many Medicine companies are all set to manufacture generic version of the drugs. In nut shell this disease hysteria and fear psychosis has come as a blessing in disguise. Does it not appear that there is some rat smells in this media hype? Is it not possible that perhaps market is being prepared and sell is being boomed by creating such panic across the world?

KALA-ZAR AND MALRIA; THE POOR MAN’S DISEASE- kala-zar is known as silent killer disease. It is also known as Black fever or dumdum fever. Kalazar was diagnosed in 1822 in Purnea district of Bihar for the first time. Till then more than it has spread into as many as dozens of districts in the state. About 2.5 Million cases are detected globally annually for Kalazar. In India alone, bo

Baittulah is dead; who is next

END OF A CHAPTER IN HISTORY OF TERRORISM

Baitullah Mehsud was killed in a CIA missile attack on Wednesday, the 5^th July itself in drone attack in which his second wife was reported to have been killed. This news was deliberately not leaked into the media for simple reason, because Mehsud’s aide wanted to bury him and not let his body be handed over to Pakistani or US authorities.

Kafayut- Ullah, a close aide to Mehsud reported to have had told some foreign media that Mehsud has been killed in Wednesday’s missile attacks in south Waziristan and has been buried in Nargosai village in Zanghara area of south Waziristan. According to some reports, Mehsud was suffering from kidney ailment and was lying sick with intravenous medical equipment in a farmhouse of his father in law, where he was hit by a hellfire missile fired by drone, a pilotless plane notorious for such attacks.

Mehsud, the most dreaded and notorious commander of Taliban came in lime light when Benazir Bhutto was assassinated allegedly by him, an allegation he never accepted. Baitullah got his title mehsud because he belonged to the tribe mehsud who hails from South Waziristan. Since 9/11 he gained in strength and grown in stature. He is said to have organized and set up one Tahrike- Taliban of Pakistan (TTP) in 2007 and raised some 20,000 hardcore militants who are ready to do any thing for the sake of his master’s voice. Mehsud took shelter and made South Waziristan as his hideout because areas like Ladha, Sararogha, Angoor adda, Shakai, Wana. Jandola etc in South Waziristan are safe heavens for militants and the writs of the Pakistani government do not run in these areas.

Mehsud came to world wide media and government attention when red mosque of Islamabad was besieged by his militants. Fierce fighting took place leaving hundreds of civilian and security forces dead. In recent times his notoriety had gained such proportions that US special envoy Richard Holbrook had treated him as the most dreaded militant of the region. Some people believed that he had become more powerful than Osama-bi-Laden and Mullah Muhammad Omar themselves.

The reports coming from Pakistan suggest that TTP militants have cordoned off surrounding Makeen area and group’s top leaders are meeting to elect successor of Baitullah Mehsud. Reports also suggest that one Hakimullah Mehsud, a hardcore and trusted commander of Baitullah, is likely to be elected as the new chief of TTP. Hakimullah is also from mehsud tribe and hails from Orakzai tribal region in South Waziristan.

With this chapter coming to an end, now Pakistan must prepare itself for much more vigorous retaliation because these Terrorists are not going to allow, what they call ‘kurbani’ or sacrifice of their leader Mehusd, in vain.

The matter that is not coming out in media is that drone reapers or predators hit targets on the basis of some concrete information. There are apprehensions that some militant leaders had become jealous of Baitullah Mehsud due to his ascendency in the ‘terror ladder’. 5 million USD bounties on his head is the testimony that USA regarded him most dreaded. His unprecedented and meteoric rise in the world of terror had made several enemies in the Islamic Jehadi world also; therefore possibilities of leakage of some information to USA leading to US drone attack cannot be ruled out. If this theory has some facts, there may be some more specific drone attacks and some more killings of Taliban commanders.

RIGHT TO EDUCATION ACT; TOWARDS A SILENT SOCIAL REVOLUTION

GIVE A CHANCE ; HE CAN DO WONDERS TOO

The Parliament passed the historic Bill called The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Bill, 2008. The Bill (no- LXV of 2008) which was originally introduced in upper House on December 15, 2008 and was sent to the standing committee on Human Resource development headed by Janardan Dwidi. The committee submitted its reports and recommendations within three month and the Upper House passed this Bill on 20^th July, 2009 and subsequently it was sent to Lok Sabha for passage of the same.

This Bill is fragmented into 37 sections which are categorized into seven chapters and one schedule.

The 86th Constitution Amendment Act, 2000 passed by the Parliament which amended Article 21A of the Constitution had necessitated enactment of such law because the said amendment had made obligatory on the part of the government to provide free and compulsory elementary education to children.

The Bill is likely to get President’s assent within a couple of weeks from now and will become a law. It is a historic legislation because the objectives and duties of the state as enshrined in the Directives of State Policy in the Constitution are going to be fulfilled through this law.

This law seeks to provide free and compulsory elementary education to children from 6 to 14 years of age by the government. No child shall be expelled and required to pass board examination until the elementary education level.

The objectives and preamble of the law as stated in the Bill is that ‘crucial role of universal elementary education for strengthening the social fabric of democracy through provision of equal opportunities to all has been accepted since inception of our republic.’

Tasks Ahead- merely passing of the law is not going to fulfill the desired goal. Now huge responsibility has been bestowed upon the central as well state government to create infrastructure and open new schools in large numbers especially in rural areas to meet the demand because the number of elementary schools in rural areas are hopelessly very less. The law has bestowed responsibilities on the local authorities for establishment of elementary schools in every neighborhood so that every child gets admitted in the school near by. This Act however has not provided any penalty for either the state government or central government or for that matter, local authority, if they fail to admit the child as required under the law.

It has however; made provisions for the private and aided schools to take at least 25% admissions of the poor children but again no penal provision has been made if this provision is violated by these private schools. Keeping in view the tract record of private schools in India, this philanthropy is not expected to be fulfilled if their screws are not tightened. It is hoped that amendments shall be brought in future based on experience in due course of time. There is not denying the fact that if this law is translated into reality with letters and spirit, will bring about a silent but big revolution in socio-politico tapestry of the Nation