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Towards Genuine Progress Viewed in a broad spectrum, progress in Capitalist parlance is construed as a good thing, manifest destiny, civilizing the uncivilized, elevating the poor inhabitants, taming nature, not being at its mercy, and having more time for leisure and the opportunity to be wealthy and comfortable. According to a study conducted by economists Betsey Stevenson and Justin Wolfers of University of Pennsylvania, there is a need to examine thus far unexamined assumptions because despite our push toward that sort of economic and social “progress”, most Americans are no happier today than they were in the 1970s. Despite some ‘Progress Milestones, in science, technology, transport, medicine, economy, telecommunications and other realms, the endless scramble for progress has brought forth environmentally destructive practices whereby more consumption means more pollution, more rainforests cut down to accommodate agriculture, more trees cut to manufacture paper for magazines

World Leprosy Day By Dr Arvind Kumar The 30th January - the anniversary of Gandhi assassination, also known as Martyrs’ Day, is also observed as World Leprosy Day in India. Gandhi wanted to eradicate leprosy and he nursed leprosy ulcers in the days when leprosy infected people were treated by the highly caste conscious society as untouchables. Leprosy is an age old disease that still exists. The objective of observing this day is to raise awareness of one of the most stigmatizing diseases known to humanity. World Leprosy Day was initiated by Raoul Follereau in 1954 and is celebrated yearly. The reason for observing World Leprosy Day is to make sure that people everywhere know that the disease still exists, there is a simple and effective cure and we can do something about it. Observance of this day aims to educate people on all aspects of leprosy, including disease control and elimination, rehabilitation and social problems experienced by leprosy affected persons. Proper care an

30th January Martyrs’ Day By Dr Arvind Kumar 30th January is observed each year as Martyrs’ day to pay homage to the martyrs who suffered and died for the freedom, welfare, and progress of the country. It was on 30 January 1948 that Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated a little before the sunset when he was going to attend his evening prayers and since then every year the Nation pays homage to the Mahatma and other martyrs on this day. On this day, the important political leaders and dignitaries gather at the Samadhi of Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat and lay wreaths on the Samadhi decorated with multi-colour flowers. The armed forces personnel blow the bugles sounding the Last Post. A two-minute silence in memory of the Father of the Nation and other martyrs is observed throughout the country at 11 a.m. At Rajghat, in front of the Samadhi of Gandhiji, all-religion prayers are held and bhajans dear to him sung. This day reminds us the sacrifices made by the martyrs at the altar of freedom t

Avoid Excess use of Antibiotics By Dr Arvind Kumar Recent medical research shows that wrongful or excess use of antibiotics has an adverse effect-causing the kinds of bacteria that these drugs can no longer destroy. The World Health Organization has cited antibiotic resistance as one of the three most serious public health threats of the 21st century. According to US-based the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), just in American hospitals, where between 5 and 10 percent of all patients develop an infection, about 90,000 of these patients die each year as a result of their infection. This toll is up from 13,300 patient deaths in 1992. Some percentage of these people has problems because of antibiotic resistance. Despite serous warnings, the fatality toll and the economic costs keep growing. According to Dr. Sidney Wolfe, the drug companies keep pushing drugs while investing too little in truly new antibiotics that can overtake resistant bacteria. Too many doctors sti

Dastardly Act By Dr. Arvind Kumar The dastardly act of burning to death of Additional District Collector Yashwant Sonawane by a gang of kerosene and petrol pilferers at Panewadi, near Manmad in Nashik district of Maharashtra, needs to be condemned in strongest terms. This shows deteriorating law and order situation in the country. This grisly incident proves the growing clout of the oil mafia which can even kill for carrying on its lucrative business. At the same time it demonstrates administration’s inability in dealing with growing clout of mafia groups which are thriving in different parts of the country. If this can happen to a senior bureaucrat, what protection does a common man have against the all-powerful gangsters? The state employees of Maharashtra have done right to protest against this incident and demand security. Criminals and gangsters are having a field day owing to the blessings of political patrons. The criminal-politician nexus is deepening its roots and governme

Quest for Real Wealth By Dr Arvind Kumar David Korten, a noted author, tells us about two kinds of waelth - real living wealth and phantom financial wealth. Real wealth entails intrinsic value which includes fertile land, healthful food, knowledge, productive labor, pure water and clean air, labor, and physical infrastructure. The most important forms of real wealth are beyond price and are unavailable for market purchase. These include healthy, happy children, loving families, caring communities, a beautiful, healthy, natural environment. Korten further avers that real wealth also includes all the many things of intrinsic artistic, spiritual, or utilitarian value essential to maintaining the various forms of living wealth. These may or may not have a market price. The phantom wealth or money is devoid of intrinsic value. The market generates money in astonishing quantities through accounting tricks, financial bubbles, and debt pyramids. It appears from nowhere and can disappear in

Global Summit on Poverty By Dr Arvind Kumar Global Poverty Summit has just concluded its meeting at Johannesburg in South Africa. The discussions at the summit were marked by skepticism on whether the Doha Development Round of negotiations at the World Trade Organization could help decrease the number of poor people in developing countries. The Doha talks, which began in 2001, are designed to reduce obstacles to market access throughout the world, with the development of poor countries at the heart of their agenda. They look at three main sectors - agriculture, intellectual property and services. Joseph Stiglitz, Nobel prize-winning economist, in his address to the summit, said that improving income levels did not automatically imply better lives for the poor in any country, as other factors such as the implementation of policies that benefit the poor within countries matter a lot more. While citing the USA as an example of where gross domestic product had grown substantially bu

Other Side of Globalization By Dr Arvind Kumar Detriments of globalization outnumber benefits. This is the recurring theme of the just published book The Dark Side of Globalization , edited by Jorge Heine and Ramesh Thakur. The process of globalization may not have brought ‘the end of history’ to a defining conclusion, it has brought "the end of geography" closer through the intensified exchange of goods, services, capital, technology, ideas, information, legal systems and people. For many, globalization is both desirable and irreversible, having underwritten a rising standard of living throughout the world. Others recoil from it as the soft underbelly of corporate imperialism that plunders and profiteers on the back of rampant consumerism. The editors contend that globalization has also let loose the forces of ‘uncivil society’ and accelerated the transnational flows of terrorism, human and drug trafficking, organized crime, piracy, and pandemic diseases. Globalizatio

20 Years of INSARAG By Dr Arvind Kumar The International Search and Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG) has completed 20 years of its establishment and provided a new dynamism to search and rescue operations in natural calamities, particularly to the earthquake victims. Prior to INSARAG, international search and rescue was ‘very chaotic’ and there was no commonality at all; the tools were totally inappropriate for the job, all to the detriment of the affected people. The international response to the Haiti earthquake was the largest ever. The search and rescue operation in Haiti allowed INSARAG to learn significant lessons. On 16 December 2002, General Assembly Resolution 57/150 endorsed the establishment of international standards and USAR capacity-building with the aim of improving the efficiency and effectiveness of international search and rescue operations, but a remaining challenge has been the certification of qualified international USAR teams. One measure that has already be

Relief for Drug Side-effects By Dr Arvind Kumar A recent report published in Japan Times reveals that there exists a system to provide relief for sufferers from drug side effects in Japan. Drug-induced suffering such as SMON (subacute myelo-optico-neuropathy) — caused by chinoform, a drug for intestinal disorders — as well as the births of thalidomide babies prompted the establishment of the relief system in 1980. According to this report, Sufferers can receive relief without filing lawsuits. Government subsidies and contributions from some 750 pharmaceutical companies support the system, which is administered by the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA). In the case of death from side effects, the bereaved family receives either a pension or a one-time payment. Sufferers of serious disability also receive a pension. Those hospitalized receive medical allowances. The relief is a sort of social welfare. The health ministry screens applications and decides on the appl

On Verge of Collapse By Dr Arvind Kumar Many experts feel that in the second decade of the 21st century the global community faces grave insecurities in three areas: the environment, conflict, and the economy. The intertwining nature of these problems makes them all the more severe; the beguiling view propagated by power-holders that they are temporary aberrations makes them all the more difficult to address. Environmental insecurity emanates from the epic flooding across Australia, Brazil, the Philippines and elsewhere. This inundation, in combination with several weather disasters of 2010, can plausibly be seen as part of an increasingly energetic global climatic system that reflects the absorption of more solar energy. This is very much a signpost for the much greater impacts that will follow from climate change. The insecurity from conflict is discernible from the ongoing war in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Even more significant is the degree of public support in Pakistan for Ma

Evolving Ecological Civilization By Dr Arvind Kumar Given the irresistible damage being done to the world’s environment and to its people, it is crucial to consider how we can evolve a truly ecological civilization—one that exists in harmony with natural systems—instead of trying to overwhelm and dominate nature. This is not just an ethical issue; it is essential for our survival as a species and the survival of many other species that we reverse the degradation of the earth’s life support systems that once provided dependable climate, clean air, clean water (fresh and ocean), bountiful oceans, and healthy and productive soils. There are several ways to approach and think about the massive damage that has been done to the environment. There is a need to pnder over the following: (1) the critical characteristics that underlie strong ecosystems; (2) why societies are not adequately implementing ecological approaches; and (3) how we might use characteristics of strong natural ecosyste

IMD Foundation Day By Dr Arvind Kumar 15 January marks the auspicious occasion of the 136th anniversary of the foundation of the India Metrological Department. During all these years of its existence, IMD has contributed tremendously for the development of science of meteorology over the sub-continent. The department has served the cause of safety and well being of the people of India against weather related hazards and to economic development of the country. It is heartening to note that the IMD regards 15th January as an opportune moment to highlight its achievements and pathway for future development. Recent installation of High Power Computing System (HPCS), having a top speed of 14.4 Tera Flops and has 300 terabytes of storage with a robotic retrieval system with separate servers at 11 other meteorological centres across India, the IMD would be able to able make high resolution global regional and local numerical weather prediction Models on 24X7 basis which will further le

Indian Army Day Dr. Arvind Kumar 15 January is observed as Army Day every year in India, in recognition of Lt Genl (later Field Marshal) K.M. Cariapa's taking over as the first Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army from Sir Francis Butcher, the last British commander, in 1949. The day is celebrated in the form of parades and other military shows in national capital as well as all 6 Army Command headquarters. Today India celebrates 63rd Indian Army day. This Day marks a day to salute the valiant soldiers who sacrificied their lives to protect our country and the people living in it. On this day in 1948 Lieutenant General K. M. Cariappa became the first Indian Commander-in-Chief. General Kodandera Madappa Cariappa shared a good bonding with both natives and Britishers and then succeeded General Roy Butcher of British Army to become the first Indian Commander in Chief of the democratic India. The Indian Army fights adversities on borders as well as with natural calamities.

National Youth Day By Dr Arvind Kumar 12th January is observed as the National Youth Day to commemorate the birthday of Swami Vivekananda, who was born on 12th January 1863. Swami Vivekananda in most of his lecutres and writings devoted plenty of attention on the overall development of youth. He wanted to incite plentiful youth associations, learning surrounds and overhaul assignments concerning the youth. It was in the year 1984 that the Government of India proclaimed that Swami Vivekananda birthday was to be renowned as ‘National Youth Day’ from 1985. The Government of India stated that the allusion ‘the attitude of Swamiji and the principles that he stayed alive and worked could be an enormous source of appreciation for the Indian Youth’. The National Youth Day is celebrated at schools and colleges throughout the country. On this day, the Educational institutions conduct the parades, speeches, narrations, songs, youth conferences, colloquium, Yogasanas, awards, contest in essay

Business, Media and Climate Change By Dr. Arvind Kumar Business-Media nexus is well known both in India and abroad because bulk of media is owned and controlled by business tycoons. Apart from safeguarding politico-economic interests of the business community, journos of the media are also made to skip over scientific truth which is regarded as detrimental to business interests irrespective of its human worth. W hile it is no longer surprising, it remains disheartening to see a blistering attack on climate science in the business press where thoughtful reviews of climate policy ought to be appearing. Of course, the underlying strategy is to pretend that no evidence that the climate is changing exists, so any effort to address climate change is a waste of resources. A recent article by Larry Bell in Forbes , entitled “Hot Sensations vs. Cold Facts”, has raised a barrage of obscure and marginal facts and fabrications that appear at first glance to cast doubt on the entire scientific

Future Migration Surge By Dr Arvind Kumar Surge in international migration over the coming decades has been predicted by International Organization for Migration (IOM) in its latest report. The current number of 214 million migrants globally, according to IOM, could rise to 405 million by 2050. Asserting that decisions taken by local authorities on land use, building regulations and access to health services probably affect migrants more than decisions taken nationally, the report says: “yet in most countries, migration policy is set at the national level with little attention to capacity-building at the local level, where policy is usually implemented.” According to the report, new trends in migration could be affected by varying rates of population growth (slowing in the developed world and prompting an even greater demand for labour); environmental change; and shifts in the global economy. International migration is likely to transform in scale, reach and complexity, due to g

Caring for Forests By Dr Arvind Kumar According to FAO's Global Forest Resources Assessment 2010, The world's forest biodiversity is threatened by a high global rate of deforestation and forest degradation as well as a decline in primary forest area. In many countries, however, there is a continued positive trend towards the conservation of forestbiological diversity via dedicated conservation areas. Globally, around 13 million hectares (ha) of forests were converted to other uses (including agriculture) or were lost through natural causes each year between 2000 and 2010. That is down from around 16 million ha per year during the 1990s. A high rate of deforestation is causing damage to forest biodiversity. More than one-third of all forests are classified as primary —accounting for 36 percent (1.4 billion ha) of the world's forest area but their area has decreased by more than 40 million ha — at a rate of 0.4 percent annually — over the last ten years. South America

Global Food Prices By Dr Arvind Kumar The latest figures released by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) show that global food prices are at their zenith since the 2008 crisis. International food prices reached their highest level in mid-2008 during the past three decades, igniting one of the worst food crises in recent times, toppling at least one government and pushing more than a billion people into hunger. According to Abdolreza Abbassian, secretary of the Intergovernmental Group on Grains at FAO, the global average price of food – including cereals, cooking oil, meat and dairy products – was 25 percent higher in December 2010 than in December 2009. Although the average prices of cereals such as maize, wheat and rice were 39 percent up from December 2009, they were still 13 percent below the peak reached in June 2008. Food prices began to climb in the second half of 2010; photo courtesy Erica Silverman/IRIN . The second half of 2010 witnessed propelling in food p

'G-Zero' – As Greatest Global Risk By Dr Arvind Kumar G-Zero or a world without a clearly defined superpower is being perceived as at top of the geopolitical risk scale for 2011. According to a forecast report recently released by Eurasia Group, a New York-based political consultancy firm, this new political reality will intensify all other top risks for 2011, including the potential for an uncontained economic crisis in Europe, reluctance by China to respond to growing international pressure, and provocations from North Korea. Ian Bremmer, head of Eurasia Group, in a recent interview, said: “Now, we look at where the world is, and we realize it is in indeed a new world order in a dramatic way, in a way that when the Soviet Union collapsed it wasn't a new world order. The Soviet Union's [collapse] led to the G7+1, which was a speeding-up of globalization. There were some new countries to invest in, it was Europe getting stronger, but it was globalization that had

India’s Burgeoning Population By Dr Arvind Kumar India is likely to surpass China as the world's most populous country in 2025. Accordig to the US Census Bureau forecast, released in the last week of previous month, India would have 1.396 billion people in 2025, surpassing China, whose population growth is more modest. China’s one-child policy since 1980, thogh controversial, has created a more sustainable populaion. However, the population policy in India has been a neglected sector. The sceptre of Emergency excesses in implementing family welfare programmes and the resultant electoral reversals in 1977 still haunts almost all political parties thereby preventing them from taking stringent measures to curb uneven growth in population. Keeping in view the finite resources and shrinking natural resources and exigencies of climate change, some one has to bell the cat some time. India can learn from the Chinese experience in population control. The average Chinese woman now has

Peace and Arms in Middle East By Dr Arvind Kumar Efforts for establishing permanent peace in the Middle East have remained elusive because of unresolved issue of Palestine and Israeli intransigence to vacate occupied Arab lands. The arms acquisition spree by some Arab countries, particularly by the GCC countries, in recent years has literally ignited a sort of arms race in the region. According to a recent study by SIPRI, the United Arab Emirates was the largest market for conventional arms in 2005-09. During this period, the United States dominated defense sales in the Persian Gulf in and delivered 54 percent of the Middle East's military hardware, including advanced systems that had been denied Arab states because of Israeli objections. SIPRI reported that U.S. defense companies won 60 percent of contracts by value awarded by the federation of seven emirates, a key oil producer and a member of the Gulf Cooperation Council, with Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and Bahrain.

Empower the Weak By DrArvind Kumar On this auspicious occasion of New Year eve, let’s work for empowering the poor and down-trodden. Almost all religions emphasize on helping the poor but we seldom pay heed to sane advice. Undoubtedly, there is need for practical global change in 2011 to take place at the highest global institutions – but also among the world's most needy. Example of Mr. Attali, a free-market entrepreneur and a prolific author, is worth emulating. Mr. Attali advocates a union of the G20 and the UN Security Council, but he also wants to help the world's poor through microfinancing and loans. Attali works on these issues daily. Along with Nobel Prize winner Mohammed Yunus, he founded PlaNet Finance – helping people in poor nations get a start. He believes two areas need attention in 2011. The first is developing nations. He calls for ‘answering the demand of poor people in the form of microfinancing’ – helping motivated individuals in developing countr