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Kisan Divas By Dr Arvind Kumar Plight of farmers in India has become very critical in recent decades. Small farmers are reeling under appalling debt and many of them commit suicide for being not able to repay the debt. 23 December is celebrated as Kisan Divas or Farmers’ Day to commemorate the memory of Chaudhary Charan Singh, whose life reflected his peasantry background and he understood problems of the farmer and did his best to help them. The plight of farmers in India has been very miserable in present-day India and they have always been at the receiving end since Independence. Their hard toil fetches them nothing except fake assurances from the dispensations at the helm. It’s sad and unfortunate that people who are indispensable for the growth of nation have been left to their fate. This is quite evident from the suicide cases in Maharashtra, Andhra and other parts of the country including West Bengal. In state like UP middlemen and Mandi officials ensure that the farmer...

Letting the Planet Doom! By Dr Arvind Kumar It is a historical irony that in the wake of global financial crises agreements to bail out banks happened in days – but even deciding to bail out the planet is taking decades T hey bailed out the banks in days. Nicholas Stern estimated that capping climate change would cost around 1% of global GDP, while sitting back and letting it hit us would cost between 5 and 20%. One per cent of GDP is, at the moment, $630bn. It was revealed by Bloomberg that by March 2009, the US Federal Reserve had committed $7.77 trillion to the banks. That is just one government's contribution: yet it amounts to 12 times the annual global climate change bill. Add the bailouts in other countries, and it rises several more times.This support was issued on demand: as soon as the banks said they wanted help, they got it. On just one day the Federal Reserve made $1.2tr available – more than the world has committed to tackling climate change in two decades. ...

Misperceptions of Migration By Dr Arvind Kumar The International Organization for Migration (IOM), in its World Migration Report 2011, states that about 214 million people were living and working outside their home country in 2010, and international migration has continued to grow despite the global economic crisis, but in many countries negative attitudes towards migrants are also rising. While focusing on the importance of communicating more effectively about migration, the Report notes that such attitudes stem in part from misinformation and misperceptions about migration that have been fuelled by opportunistic politicians and poor media reporting. It further observes: "Few areas of public policy are subject to greater misrepresentation... yet more influenced by public opinion, than international migration," write the report's authors. "Accurately informing relevant stakeholders and the wider public about migration may be the single most important policy ...

Human Rights Day By Dr Arvind Kumar In order to safeguard human rights and make people aware of their rights world wide, 10th December is observed annually to mark the United Nations' (UN) Human Rights Day anniversary of the presentation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Events focused on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on and around December 10 are held worldwide. Most of these events aim at educating people, especially children and teenagers, on their human rights and the importance of upholding these in their own communities and further afield. The ocassion may also include protests to alert people of circumstances in parts of the world where the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is not recognized or respected, or where the significance of these rights are not considered to be important. Cultural events are also organized to celebrate the importance of human rights through music, dance, drama or fine art. Having been drafted between January 1...

International Anti-Corruption Day By Dr Arvind Kumar Rampant corruption afflicts almost all societies. 9th December is desgnated as International Anti-Corruption Day by the United Nations. The avowed objective of this decision is to raise people’s awareness of corruption and of the role of the United Nations Convention against Corruption in combating and preventing it. All the member-states of the UN and competent regional economic integration organizations are urged to sign and ratify the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) to ensure its rapid entry into force. UNCAC is the first legally binding, international anti-corruption instrument that provides a chance to mount a global response to corruption. International Anti-Corruption Day is a time for political leaders, governments, legal bodies and lobby groups to work together against corruption work by promoting the day and the issues that surround this event. On this day anti-corruption advocates organize eve...

Explosions at Munitions Dumps According to media reports, the rate of accidents at munitions storage sites has risen to unprecedented levels in 2011, despite a growing international commitment to assist countries in managing their weapons and ammunition stockpiles. As per data available with the Small Arms Survey (SAS), a Geneva-based NGO monitoring small arms and armed violence, "During the first ten months of 2011, the average number of explosions has incr eased to more than three per month - the highest rate recorded in a calendar year. It is unclear whether the problem is getting worse or reporting of incidents is improving. What is clear is that the number of explosions is not decreasing despite efforts to address their causes." Almost all countries have one or more facilities for the storage of weapons and ammunition, which require constant surveillance by a technically skilled workforce, careful monitoring of the humidity and temperature levels of the stockp...

Need for New Ways to Grow Food By Dr Arvind Kumar According to a recent report released by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and reported by IRIN News agency, in coming four decades many parts of the world will have run out of water for farming and people will probably need to have enough money to buy food. The report that is said to be the first-ever authoritative analysis of the state of the world's land and water resources, looks at land and water from a food security perspective. Considering 75 percent of the population in developing countries is poor, lives in rural areas and depends on agriculture for income and food, the report states that it is now estimated that more than 40 percent of the world's rural population lives in river basins that are physically water scarce. To feed a burgeoning global population, estimated to hit nine billion by 2050, we will have to produce another one billion tonnes of cereals and 200 million extra tonnes of livesto...

Bleak Prospects at Durban By Dr Arvind Kumar The 17th Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP17) opened in Durban, South Africa, on 28 November this year without much fanfare. About 195 countries, including India, are taking part in it. The focus of discussions is on what to do after the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, the only binding climate agreement at present, expires at the end of 2012. The Kyoto treaty imposes greenhouse gas emission cuts on developed countries, with the commitment period set from 2008 to 2012, among other provisions. Undoubtedly, the COP-17 continues through Dec. 9, but it is not expected to produce a long-term comprehensive framework requiring both developed and developing countries to cut emissions. Among the developing countries, however, there are calls for revising the protocol to create a second commitment period for reduction efforts by developed countries that are party to it. While opposing such a revision...

Building Flood-Resilient Cities According to a news report recently released by IRIN news agency, there are about 3,000 low-lying cities vulnerable to frequent floods in the world. Asia accounts for more than half of the developing world's cities most vulnerable to flooding, according to UN-HABITAT. Nine of the top 10 coastal flood-prone cities by 2070, including Bangkok, are in Asia, according to a recent World Bank report. As per UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR), since the 1980s, the risk of economic loss due to floods in Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development countries has increased by more than 160 percent, outstripping the growth of GDP per capita. Adri Verwey, an urban flood expert at Deltares, a Netherlands-based water management think-tank, has opined: “A master plan capturing the city's development visions, priorities and vulnerability is the first step. Cities need to decide the levels of security that they want and which a...