EcoDegradable® and EcoBio® products have undergone full-scale landfill trials. In landfill trials, at ambient temperatures of 20°C to 35°C, EcoDegradable® modified plastic lost more than 95% of its molecular weight (Mw) in less than 10 months.

The EcoDegradable®and EcoBio® message is clear and proven. EcoDegradable® degradable products provide the performance of "ordinary" plastic in use. When modified with a proprietary additive, the natural oxidative degradation process of ordinary plastic is accelerated by several orders of magnitude. This causes the modified plastic to totally degrade and fragment in highly predictable and controllable time frames.

EcoDegradable® and EcoBio® Oxo-biodegradable products establish “controllable lifecycles” for commodity polyolefin products so that once used, they are safely returned to the natural bio-cycle as fragments of “organic carbon”. Carbon that can be colonized, ingested and mineralized by microorganisms in a natural biological process freeing up air space in landfills and helping to mitigate the problem of "accumulating" plastic litter in our environment and watersheds.

Our EcoDegradable® Garbage Bags have the same powerful benefits as the Doggie Bags marketed by PSCI.

EcoDegradable® Garbage Bags and Liners are engineered to provide the service and performance of ordinary plastic but will totally fragment and disintegrate in 12 to 24 months when disposed of in a landfill.

The EcoBio® message is clear and proven.

EcoBio® Oxo-Biodegradable Waste Collection Bags provide the performance of “ordinary” plastic in use while the proprietary additives accelerate the natural oxidative degradation process of ordinary plastic by several orders of magnitude, causing EcoBio® plastics to totally degrade and biodegrade in highly predictable and controllable time frames. What previously might takes decades to degrade will take only months.

EcoBio® Oxo-Biodegradable Waste Collection Bags and Bin Liners are engineered to provide the service and performance of ordinary plastic but will totally fragment and disintegrate in 90 to 120 days and 60% mineralize / biodegrade in a further 12 to 24 months when disposed of in longer term commercial compost facilities and in subsequent soil application.

EcoBio® Oxo-Biodegradable Waste Collection Bags and Bin Liners are application specific made in a variety of standard sizes, medium and heavy duty. Capacity includes, 4 and 13 gallon under the sink food and organic waste collection bags, 30 and 39 gallon lawn and leaf collection bags, and 39XL, 48 and 64 gallon bin liners.

e EcoSafe Kitchen Collector

EcoSafe® is pleased to support the Greater Seattle Household Organic Waste Diversion Program with our Compostable Collection Bags and our handy “under the sink” collection bin.

To learn more about the Seattle Collection Project, please visit...

Seattle Food Waste Collection Project

The Seattle Collection Project EcoSafe® is please to support the Greater Seattle Household Organic Waste Diversion Program with our Compostable Collection Bags and our handy “under the sink” collection bin. To learn more about the Seattle Collection Project, please visit Seattle Food Waste Collection Project Where to Purchase in Greater Seattle click here Also available online at: Cedar Grove Composting drugstore.com bangalla.com

EcoSafe® Promotional Program Supporting Seattle’s Yard and Organic Recycling Program March 30, 2009 What is happening in Seattle? City of Seattle Solid Waste Changes Better Recycling Program coming March 30, 2009 Program Includes: A new collection day for most households Weekly food and yard waste collection Meat, fish and dairy scraps can go in your food and yard waste cart More food/yard waste cart sizes to choose from More paper, plastic and metal items can be recycled, including cups, deli trays, aluminum foil and plastic plant pots Glass bottles and jars go in your recycling cart – no more separating Electronics, used motor oil and bulky items can be collected through special services All Seattle single-family households will begin weekly curbside food and yard waste service on March 30th 2009, unless they compost at home. Residents will be provided one 13 Gallon food and yard waste cart and billed monthly for this service. Collected food and yard waste will be made into compost for local parks and gardens. “It’s Not Garbage Anymore!” EcoSafe® Promotional Support $1.00 off coupon for any EcoSafe® trash bag product to be included in the city of Seattle’s utility bill to be mailed to 311,000 residents. Coupon available for download here. Reference to electronic coupon in Seattle Public Utilities print ads for solid waste changes. $1 off coupon for a box of compostable bags. Offer expires 7/31/2009. Ad will go out through 17 local community and ethnic newspapers to a circulation of approximately 230,000. 2.5 Gallon Mini-Kitchen Bins will be available for sale at: www.cedar-grove.com

EcoSafe 6400, EcoBio and EcoDegradable Plastic Product Description

There are several different types of biodegradable and compostable plastics that are made specifically for different purposes. Depending on planned use and intended disposal (landfill or compost) they are all better environmental options to ordinary plastics that can persist in the environment for decades.

Plastics Solutions offer three materials. Each is engineered to serve different purposes and all three degrade and biodegrade at different rates. They are environmentally safe and contain no heavy metals. Except for time frame, the biological processes are the same, returning the “organic carbon” in the materials back to the natural bio-cycle as a food source for microorganisms.

Plastics Solution's products include:

1. EcoSafe~6400™ Compostable Plastic Trash Bags

Compostable trash bags are specifically engineered to quickly degrade in 10 to 45 days and fully biodegrade in less than 6 months when disposed of in a commercial compost facility. All EcoSafe~6400 Compostable bags meet the requirements of ASTMD6400-04 and carry the United States Composting Council/Biodegradable Products Institute certification logo.

2. EcoBio Oxo-Biodegradable™ Plastic -

EcoSafe® Doggie Bags and other compost compatible bags are produced with premium materials that will degrade/biodegrade in landfill disposal, in some longer term commercial compost operations or if carelessly littered. Depending on available oxygen and microbial activity of the disposal site, the materials will quickly degrade within 3 to 4 months and fully biodegrade in approximately 24 months.

3. EcoDegradable™ Plastic Trash Bags

Are robust degradable trash bags that provide the same performance as ordinary plastic bags but totally degrade when disposed of in a landfill or if carelessly littered. Depending on available oxygen and microbial activity of the disposal site, the materials will degrade in 18 to 24 months and biodegrade in approximately 36 months.

Plastics Solutions Inc. is committed to using the best technologies for degradable, biodegradable and compostable plastics and will always offer consumers and commercial users the best value for performance in the marketplace.

EcoSafe~6400 Compostable Bags. "The New Standard for Brand Performance". These competitively priced products comply with ASTM D6400 Standard Specification for Compostable Plastic and carry the BPI/USCC Compostable Products logo.

Plastics Solutions Inc. produces and distributes EcoSafe 6400 Compostable Bags in both Canada and the United States. The assortment includes bin liners and yard waste bags in a wide range of sizes for industrial, commercial, and institutional applications as well as attractively boxed product for retail selling.

EcoSafe 6400 Compostable Bags are distributed in Seattle and Washington State and are used exclusively by Cedar Grove Composting as their "bag of choice". Visit Cedar Grove for more information.

For more information on this exciting new product, please click here

Plastics Solutions is seeking commercial distributors for EcoSafe~6400 Compostable Bags in the US. Please contact Dick Freeman at dfreeman@ecosafeplastics.com

For more product information contact pragan@ecosafeplastics.com

Visit http://www.bpiworld.org/BPI-Public/Approved/1.html to view the EcoSafe~6400 BPI certification.

The EcoBio® Oxo-Biodegradable Doggie Bag is a biodegradable plastic bag that the pet owner can use to pick up his or her pet’s waste. The bag and contents can then be deposited in the trash or in an appropriate receptacle, so it can be easily and safely transferred to the local landfill. There, the plastic in the bag will totally degrade into CO₂, water and humic matter. The Doggie Bag is made of the same EcoBio® proprietary materials as are the other EcoBio® Waste Collection, garbage and linen bags. (For a summary of the pertinent benefits of this material, please see the list under the waste collection Bags section).

The EcoBio® Oxo-Biodegradable Doggie Bag totally degrades when disposed of in a landfill. We use an ASTM D6954 Oxo-biodegradable technology. This is a major, proprietary difference. The selling price is directly affected too. Our Doggie Bags are competitively priced compared to other so-called biodegradable products. You’ll be delighted with the difference.

The EcoBio® Oxo-Biodegradable Doggie Bag is an environmentally-responsible product at its very best. If you own a pet, it’s simply the environmentally responsible bag to use.

This attractive, green painted, heavy gauge aluminum, lockable dispenser with the EcoSafe decal is ideal for the commercial dispensing of the EcoBio Oxo-Biodegradable Doggie Bag (CDB815MB). It has been in use trouble free for many years. The dispenser is 13" in length, 7" deep and 7" wide and can be mounted on any surface. The dispenser comfortably accommodates the commercial roll of 700 bags (9"wide, 6" in diameter)

The 12" X 18" 'Clean up after your Dog' sign features a waterproof plastic decal on heavy guage aluminum. It can be mounted on any surface and is a perfect companion to the dispenser.

28-year sugar high on Indian drought threat

The rally in sugar prices gathered momentum on Monday amid concerns about tight supplies and low stocks.

ICE October raw sugar, the global benchmark, jumped 4.8 per cent to 21.80 cents a pound, the highest level since mid-1981.

The market is viewed as being in uncharted territory, having traded above current levels only on two previous occasions. Both involved massive spikes. Prices surged above 50 cents per pound in 1974-75 and 1980-81.

Raw sugar prices have already risen 84.6 per cent this year as bad weather has affected output in Brazil and India, the world's two largest producers.

The latest weather reports from India, the world's largest sugar consumer, indicated no significant improvement in this year's monsoon and fears are growing that some of the country's key agricultural growing regions could face drought.

On Monday, Egypt said import duties on raw and white sugar imports would be suspended from August 15 until the end of the year to bolster supplies.

In London, Liffe October white sugar rose 4.1 per cent to $559 a tonne, up 75.9 per cent this year.

Sugar inventories are estimated to be at record lows as many producers and physical traders maintain minimal stock levels to reduce costs.

Analysts at Czarnikow, the sugar broker, published a revised estimate for global sugar stocks of about 20m tonnes, well below the range of current market estimates of between 30m tonnes and 70m tonnes. China, India, Brazil, Europe and the US account for 65 per cent of all stocks.

"Aside from Europe and China which are carrying surplus stock, most countries are running short of sugar," said Toby Cohen, director at Czarnikow. "This is the case even in the top five stock holding countries, as both India and the US need to increase imports in 2010 to prevent demand over-running supply."

Mr Cohen warned that India's stock position looked particularly vulnerable, with inventories on course to fall as low as 2.2m tonnes during the Diwali festival in mid-October, before new season supplies become available.

Czarnikow said low stocks were not only a problem in the developing world as the US stocks-to-consumption ratio could fall to 10 per cent this year, suggesting higher imports would be required.

Crude oil prices weakened, with Nymex September West Texas Intermediate closing 33 cents lower at $70.60 a barrel and ICE September Brent off 9 cents at $73.50 a barrel.

In Chicago, trading in grains and soyabeans was cautious ahead of tomorrow's US Department of Agriculture August crop report.

CBOT September corn rose 5 cents to $3.27 a bushel while CBOT September wheat added 8 cents at $4.97½ a bushel, but CBOT August soyabeans dipped 10 cents to $10.74½ a bushel.

The consensus view is for the USDA to revise its 2009/10 corn production forecast from 12.29bn bushels to 12.508bn bushels, helped by higher yield estimates, up from 153.4 bushels an acre to 157.5.

The USDA forecast for the 2009/10 soyabean crop at 3.26bn bushels, a record, could be trimmed to 3.225bn bushels.

WHAT IS GLOBAL WARMING?

Carbon dioxide and other gases warm the surface of the planet naturally by trapping solar heat in the atmosphere. This is a good thing because it keeps our planet habitable. However, by burning fossil fuels such as coal, gas and oil and clearing forests we have dramatically increased the amount of carbon dioxide in the Earth’s atmosphere and temperatures are rising.

The vast majority of scientists agree that global warming is real, it’s already happening and that it is the result of our activities and not a natural occurrence.¹ The evidence is overwhelming and undeniable.

We’re already seeing changes. Glaciers are melting, plants and animals are being forced from their habitat, and the number of severe storms and droughts is increasing.

	The number of Category 4 and 5 hurricanes has almost doubled in the last 30 years.2
	Malaria has spread to higher altitudes in places like the Colombian Andes, 7,000 feet above sea level.3
	The flow of ice from glaciers in Greenland has more than doubled over the past decade.4
	At least 279 species of plants and animals are already responding to global warming, moving closer to the poles.5

If the warming continues, we can expect catastrophic consequences.

	Deaths from global warming will double in just 25 years -- to 300,000 people a year.6
	Global sea levels could rise by more than 20 feet with the loss of shelf ice in Greenland and Antarctica, devastating coastal areas worldwide.7
	Heat waves will be more frequent and more intense.
	Droughts and wildfires will occur more often.
	The Arctic Ocean could be ice free in summer by 2050.8
	More than a million species worldwide could be driven to extinction by 2050.9

There is no doubt we can solve this problem. In fact, we have a moral obligation to do so. Small changes to your daily routine can add up to big differences in helping to stop global warming. The time to come together to solve this problem is now – TAKE ACTION

¹ According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), this era of global warming "is unlikely to be entirely natural in origin" and "the balance of evidence suggests a discernible human influence of the global climate."
² Emanuel, K. 2005. Increasing destructiveness of tropical cyclones over the past 30 years. Nature 436: 686-688.
³ World Health Organization
⁴ Krabill, W., E. Hanna, P. Huybrechts, W. Abdalati, J. Cappelen, B. Csatho, E. Frefick, S. Manizade, C. Martin, J, Sonntag, R. Swift, R. Thomas and J. Yungel. 2004. Greenland Ice Sheet: Increased coastal thinning. Geophysical Research Letters 31.
⁵ Nature.
⁶ World Health Organization
⁷ Washington Post, "Debate on Climate Shifts to Issue of Irreparable Change," Juliet Eilperin, January 29, 2006, Page A1.
⁸ Arctic Climate Impact Assessment. 2004. Impacts of a Warming Arctic. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. Also quoted in Time Magazine, Vicious Cycles, Missy Adams, March 26, 2006.
⁹ Time Magazine, Feeling the Heat, David Bjerklie, March 26, 2006.

Environment Pollution – Impact and Remedies

Environment Pollution – Impact and Remedies

There are two types of environment – related pollution. The first type of pollution arises due to violation of the environmental laws by business houses, hospitals, industries, municipal authorities, various nursing homes and the general public. The second type of environment pollution is the result of the nature of the law and other problems arising from the environmental deterioration. First kind of pollution is easily understood but second type of pollution certainly requires more elaboration to understand. This can be best understood from the tragedy of gas leakage at Bhopal. We all know that although more than a decade has elapsed but no worthwhile measures have been taken so far to remove the grievances of thousands of affected people.
In other parts of the world also, similar environmental pollution hazards have occurred such as in Chernobyl in Russia, mercury poisoning in Japan, Eire Lake in the United States becoming dead and so on. The most recent is the air pollution disaster of unprecedented magnitude in South – East Asia caused by a combination of drought and the deliberate burning of forests in Indonesia. But what needs to be appreciated is that they have until now more serious consequences from the angle of criminal offenses in poor countries like India.
On environmental pollution, there are many areas of conflict in our country. These conflicts are between the tribal population and the local government. These are towards construction of big dams, electricity power plants, acquiring of forest areas, mining and quarring activities, import of toxic wastes and several urban environmental issues. All such issues are required to be solved with due considerations to the culture and tradition of the local population and the local environmental related problems. Otherwise social tensions are bound to increase. We should not forget the great ‘Chipko’ movement which was started by Chandra Prasad Bhatt in 1973 to save the trees and it clearly depicted the strength of the local population.
The increase in the environment pollution has adversely affected the growth in food production during the present decade the world over wherein India is also no exception. Laster R.Brown in his latest report entitled “The Agricultural Link : How Environmental Deterioration Could Disrupt Economic Progress” has brought out one of the most interesting phenomenon. According to this report, food prospects are affected by all global trends of environmental degradation including deforestation, building up of greenhouse gases, soil-erosion, acquitter depletion over – fishing, air pollution and loss of plant and animal species.
Due to massive overpumping, there is an acute shortage of water in major food producing areas including many parts of India like in Punjab which is considered as the Bread Basket of India. Many factors such as industrialization and increasing population are responsible for this poor ecosystem resulting in an era of food scarcity. The wheat prices have gone up more than fifty percent over the last three years. The doubling of the food grain prices would not affect the rich class but what about the majority of the population of India which is considered below the poverty line. It may happen that they would come on streets due to hazards of environment pollution.
There is a need to search for remedies to reduce the impact of effects of such environment pollution. In this regard, many High Courts in India and even the Supereme Court of India have recently came out with many judgements towards reducing the impacts of environment pollution and thereby stop environmental degradation. In one of the judgements, the Supreme Court of India directed that all industries located in particular industrial zones in Delhi and about seven hundred tanneries in the State of Tamil Nadu to set up common effluent treatment plants. Further the Court has also banned all construction activities within a zone of 500 meters of sea beaches to safeguard the fragile ecosystem of our decaying beaches and thereby save the earth from warming up further due to environment related pollution.
Further, the hospitals and various municipal bodies should be asked to install incineration plants for management of toxic wastes in their respective areas, the handling of which mostly affect the poor. The Central Pollution Control Board and State Pollution Control Boards should be provided with more powers so that they can enforce the environment laws to reduce pollution effectively. Also the corrupt and inefficient people related to enforcement of environment pollution control and who give clearance for industrial projects without really foreseeing the implications on environment, should be punished and kept away from such duties.
The measures to be taken as a remedy for control of environment pollution are many. But the real thing to be noted is, whether all these remedies are followed to check the pollution. In fact, the existing environmental laws need to be made more stringent. Those committing environmental offenses should not only be heavily fined but also sent to prison in case of serious violation. Non-implementation of any orders in this regard from the authorities or judiciary should be viewed as a contempt of court and more & more harsh actions must be taken. Finally, for increasing general awareness about the hazards of environmental pollution and to involve the general public in this mission, crash programmes must be started and organized at various levels.

Environment and Population

Population plays a great role in effecting the environment of a city or a country as a whole. There exists a strong linkage between environment and population. The greater the population, the higher will be the impact on the environment. Every environmental problem is caused by the everyday increasing human population and its increasing level of consumption. There are two ways in which humans affect the environment: they consume resources like food, water, energy, wood, oxygen etc., and wastes like garbage, effluent from the production, exhausts from modes of transportation etc., are produced. All these adversely affect the environment from these disastrous effects.
A lot of concern is being expressed about the worsening environment such as massive air pollution, undisposed heaps of garbage, fast increase in lung diseases, shortage in portable water, spreading of slums in many cities, decrease in level of ground water and ailments effecting eyes. But, hardly we find any ecologist who is trying to co-relate the above problems of worsening environment with the massive and rapid increase in population of most of cities of India. The rate at which population of major cities like Delhi is increasing is really alarming. The rate is almost 5 percent per year which means almost doubling of population in fifteen to twenty years. And this is the most important cause of majority of environmental problems in the present days and in coming times.
Actually in India, we are not taking the strong linkage between population and environment seriously. Neither any private nor any government agency has come out in this regard. We must do something serious to control our rapid population growth to save our worsening ecology. The realization must dawn upon the people, the ecologist and the government that every city environment cannot be saved from decay if its rapid population growth is not checked. All plans and strategies to check deteriorating ecology will prove to be futile of; not supported by an effective population control programme. And this is true for most of the cities and villages in India.
There are some experts who think that the ultimate factor limiting the growth of development will be water. All of us India except perhaps those living in the North – Eastern States are fully aware of the growing water scarcity for both drinking and irrigation. Over exploitation of ground water is emerging as increasingly serious problem in many places. The number of tubewells in the country has increased from about a thousand in 1947 to more than 3 lakhs in 1969 and to about 60 lakhs in 1997. The availability of renewable fresh water per capita in India fell from around six thousand cubic metres per year in 1947 to around 2300 cubic metres by the year 1997.It is true that better site management will help to some extent, but the impending water famine cannot be averted for long if the rate of increase of population is not controlled. The massive of pollution of water bodies is a major water problem in countries like India. The main cause of this water pollution is increased population.
In general, there are two groups of environmentalists in India. First group follows the Western thoughts that the ecological problems can be solved by technological measures irrespective of the lifestyle of people and level of consumption. The second group thinks on Gandhi an philosophy that, the cause of environmental decay is the consequence of not following the Gandhian model of simple living and cottage industries. However, both these groups fail to link the relation between the population and the environment. The first group does not realize that unlike in the West, the levels of industrialization and consumerisation in India are quite low and hence are not the cause of environmental problems. The average standard of living in India is one of the lowest in the world but irresponsible use of technology or deployment of obsolete or faulty technology in India is partly contributing to our environmental degradation. It is merely a coincidence that the environmental concern has come before that of the over-population.
The low per capital rate of consumption in a country with high population density as in India could be as dangerous for the global ecology as the high per capita rate of consumption in the western countries where the population density is comparatively low. It is important to realize that the impact of population on environment is a function of the number of people multiplied by the effect of the average person. It is a matter of great importance that we in India are doing our best to solve the problems of population increase, whereas, the people in the developed countries are reluctant or even not accepting to lower their level of over-consumption. Surely it is just not the level of affluence of an average person the environment but also the number of people that matters. Hence the population growth is the real cause of our country’s ecological problems and we should bear in mind that environment cannot be saved from decay if rapid population growth is not checked.

The Pollution

Pollution has become the hallmark of the present day discussions. On ever so many platforms we hear ever so many people talking about this ogre of Pollution. So much is being talked about it that, not a single day passes without this being the topic touched by all papers and all magazines. I think in this regard we must first clearly understand what is meant by the word pollution. As per the dictionary meaning of the word, pollution means the destroying of the purity or sanctity of a particular thing. To make a thing foul or filthy is what pollution is all about.
The pollution is the gift of all modernities, in all aspects of life. Most commonly we are found to be discussing the pollution of the air. The cause for this is obviously the manifold growth in our transport system. The faster we move, the more mechanically we move and thus the more chances there are of spread of the dragon of pollution.
The air is polluted by the smoke emanating from thousand of vehicles plying the roads daily, a rich gift of modernization in movement. Now, it is also said that, it is the industries that are responsible for polluting the air. Yes, this is quite correct but, let us remember the industries were not established within the precincts of the townships but it was the towns that kept on spreading their wings to the areas of the industries. Now then, it will not be at all fair to ask the industries to be removed.
Where were our town planners when the township continued to expand without any control? It is the town planners who need to be ticked for this and not the owners of industries, and their thousands of workers.
The air pollution has same how been brought under control by converting petrol/diesel driven vehicles in CNG run vehicles. Besides the air pollution in the cities another hazard is noise pollution. Noises emanating machines of small industries, lathe machines, stamping machines and from the horns of vehicles which give out gases is a double attack on the public.
It seems that the drivers of these vehicles are just adept at creating noise with the horns in their control, they blow horns just because the horns are there. For example it is amazing why people blow their horns, when the light is red. Pray, where do they expect the vehicles in front of them to go when the light is red? Shocking are our attitudes which bely any norms of decency and discipline. The noise created by loud speakers is no less on the roads, in the colonies and elsewhere. These noises in different areas of the town are simply deafening.
Another novel method of spreading pollution at least here in India is by making mountains of rubbish get accumulated at all crossroads, in all colonies and all public places. It would be quite wonder when we Indians would really learn the art of keeping clean. We have learnt to keep ourselves clean and shining but friends who will come to clean our neighbourhood? We obviously seem to feel that we owe no responsibility towards our environment. Each one of us is contributing to the dirtying of, and polluting of our environment.
So much for physical pollution, but it is rather astonishing that, we have never on any platform discussed about the pollution of our thinking and mental attitudes. We are becoming just filthy in our attitudes, behaviour and thinking that, we surely need a cleansing spree for this also. This again is the gift of modernization and Westernisation. In the garb of the so called progress, India is losing her high ideals of thought and behaviour, and as we stand to-day, we find ourselves at the threshold of absolute pollution of our thinking processes, and behaviourial norms.
This country which was once the abode of great thinkers, philosophers and rulers is now a filthy conglomeration of criminals and adulterists. Is this not the pollution of the mind? I do wonder why, no well meaning speakers, writers and thinkers of to-day have not yet spelt out anything on this aspect of pollution.
It is now high time that we consider mending our ways for, if we are allowed to get further polluted, a complete annihilation of the original and true Indian is not far to seek. The Indian is fast getting merged with the filth around him, all this in the name of progress. I really do wonder if there can be no progress, no modernization without this pollution of the thinking processes. Let us ponder about it and try to maintain both progress and a clean ethical and moral mind. I am sure great as the country and its people are, we CAN DO IT.

Problems Of India Today

Problems Of India Today

To-day, I’d say, India is a conglomeration of problems galore, some problems are of an indegenos mature while some others are imported. Some of our problems defy all solutions, at Least for the present, some can be solved but are not allowed to be done so. While still some others can be very simply solved with just a Little bit of thinking. Thus, India to-day is a kaleidoscopic picture of problems a many.
Let us first consider some of the indigenous problems, i.e. problems of our own creation. This quality of problems ate found in all spheres of our existence, political, social, national and international. On the political side our main problems is that, for the last fifty years India has a continuity of not only a bad Government but, absolute lack of governance. This problem is of an indigenous mature as, riles are ours, Constitution is ours, the ruled are ours, and the rulers are ours, yet, there is complete lack of governance. For this misfortune the reasons are not far to seek. The rulers have lost the caliber and character through the last few decades and a decadence of the Government has taken its toll. Basides, the rulers are not only incapable but are also corrupt. All these years, the Government has only meant biting into the public exchequer. Those who are in top positions are busy making money and this has meant the money making spree spread to the lowest level of the working class. So, this problem of our own maiing has resulted in complete decadence of the Government machinery and absolute halt of the Government machinery. There is not a single department of the Government that is not flourishing on double and triple incomes.
On the social front we have created haoc for ourselves. In our craze for going the Western way, we have destroyed our biggest social asset of the past ages the family. India has been known throughout the world for its most lovable institution the family, in which the elders found solace and the children found a fountain of love. In our attempt to modernize we have ourselves dealt a death blow to our institution of family. Elders are no more a part of the family, they are just discarded people to be dispensed with, at the earliesr opportunity. While the children of the family, who have always been the apple of the eyes of the elders are now seen languishing in crèches, from the tender age of one year or two years. The commendable strides we have taken in the education and upliftment off women has rendered the little child bereft of love and care of a mother.
In society, we already had ills like the system of dowry, sati, treatment of women as slaves, and, with our own hands we have added another evil of the breakup of the family, in our zest to import problems which were never ours. Education of women has undoubtedly given our women more liberty, knowledge and jobs but it has cost us very dear. In this bargain we also created a now, never talked of section in our society, the section of senior citizens. Senior citizens always existed with the younger generation of any given time, but, never were they a problem for the society at any time. On the role and position of senior citizens, a number of debates are being held, and the problem defies all solutions. This is because the problem is alien to us. This problem is also an offshoot of imports from the western world.
In our society, the stigma of belonging to the Scheduled Class still remains, though it is an indigenous problem, we have added to its magnitude by our zeal for providing equality for all. The equality never came but the Scheduled Class has become a pampered lot, always on the demanding side and adding to the country’s problems. This class has become. Such a problem that by being pampered, they have started feeling that, they can ask for anything and get away with it, and if their demands are not met with, they know that they can hold the country to ransom.
On the social horizon, our population belies all solutions. When ever this problem is taken up seriously, it causes hiccups to all and sundry. If this continues, I think by the first decade of the 21st Century we will find it impossible to cope with the multi crore population.
Besides this, the society in India is very sharply devided between the Haves and the Have Nots. With all the wealth of the country getting so accumulated in a few hands the rest of the populace find it difficult to even make two ends meet. Such a magnum gap is not visible between Haves and Have Nots anywhere else in the World. On the Economic front, India has numerous problems the very obvious being the distribution of wealth which is too uneven for the feeling of any general progress. We are in debt, our economy is running in deficit and our trade has come down.
With these enormous though basic problems to be solved, we have several small ones to be solved. These are not very much less than the magnum problems just mentioned. Our education is shockingly lacking in quality and quantity. The education is lopsided and not at all suitable for the country. This education leads us on to another major problem, one of unemployment in the country. The unemployed youth besides being frustrated create another Herculean problem i.e. of drug addiction, then to producing robbers, and terrorists and smugglers. All these are taken up mostly in place of a job, which they fail to secure.
Together with these problems at home, we are not too comfortably placed in our relations with our neighbours. Pakistan, an organ from India’s body only, is forever ready for about with India, with its guns forever targeting India. China and Ceylon are also not very much more friendly with us.
We find some solace in the midst of this storm of problems in our growth of Scientific and Technology fields. However, here also, our progress is held to ransom by the corrupt officials involved in the various projects. We import sophisticated machines only for the people involved in purchases to make some money. These machines lie idle, and are allowed to become junk, we do not have the know how nor the will to get them to work. This problem I would say we have imported for, if we cannot deal with an item and use it to the optimum we should not at all import it, and then just make it into junk.
Above all these problems is India’s biggest problem, one of the complete bankruptcy of character and morals. This is a problem which is, I feel a mixture of the indigenous and the imported problems. It is of our own making to some extent, and the glitter of the West has added fuel to the fire of our ambitions. This country which was once known for its sages is now known as being one of the toppers in corruption.
Looking to the medley of problems in India’s kitty to – day, whether of Indian origin or of quality, we see that India is not in a very enviable position. Most of the problems just discussed I feel are at a stage of defying all solutions. This is because the people who matter have allowed these problems to become magnum. This must have been to their benefit that is why the problems were allowed to grow. Moreover, seeing the typical Indian psyche I feel that since we are not united, no problem can be discussed threadbare and a solution sought. It is not that there are no solutions but it is that we have so many diverse interests that all solutions become impractical – Diverse views with no malleability, problems remain insoluble, and thus the future remains bleak.
We can only hope to solve these problems if we forget ourselves and intelligently work together towards the benefit of the Nation only. Only by doing so, from the labyrinth we can seek an oasis of relief and happiness. It will also do a lot of good if, for at least for sometime, we stop ogling at the west and try to sincerely improve ourselves. Then, I am sure we will be able to solve even the most insoluble problems. For this goal, we have to sacrifice ourselves improve ourselves and only think of what is good and relevant for India.
Except for technological progress, I do not think we at all need to look at the west, for this peculiar admixture of East and West is converting us into a heap of real nothingness. Let us all tighten our girdles and sit together to solve the basic problems that India has to face. We should not only debate upon them, and forget about them, there should be constant follow up action and monitoring of what ever we do.

Indian Police - Changes Needed!! Reforms Needed!!

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Hi All,

I wanted to post this thread in mains generas discussions, but did not had access so i am posting it here.

Guys I feel the police and investigating agencies are far below in terms of modern tactics and equipments and mainly in terms of thinking..

The following article depicts a bitter reality of indian police.

There is a growind need of bringing some reforms in the system.

Kindly contribute your ideas and views as to what are the porblems, than the hinderences and the possible or say feasible solutions to the problem.

Source – BBC (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8183158.stm)

Police in India are guilty of widespread human rights violations, including beatings, torture and illegal killings, a new report alleges.
The US-based group Human Rights Watch says India's policing system facilitates and even encourages abuses.
It says there has been little change in attitudes, training or equipment since the police was formed in colonial times with the aim to control the population.
It says the government must take major steps to overhaul a failing system.
There was no immediate response from the Indian authorities.
'Shocking'
The BBC's Damian Grammaticas in Delhi says the catalogue of abuses by India's police detailed in this report is long and shocking - arbitrary arrests, beatings and torture to force confessions, even the cold-blooded gunning down of innocent people.
"[M]y hands and legs were tied; a wooden stick was passed through my legs. They started beating me badly on the legs with lathis [batons] and kicking me," the report quoted a fruit vendor in the city of Varanasi as saying.
"They beat me until I was crying and shouting for help. When I was almost fainting, they stopped the beating... Then they turned me upside down... They poured water from a plastic jug into my mouth and nose, and I fainted," he said.


Human Rights Watch spent a year investigating claims of human rights violations to compile the 118-page report, entitled "Broken System: Dysfunction, Abuse and Impunity in the Indian Police".
It says the report is based on interviews with more than 80 police officers of varying ranks, 60 victims of police abuses and numerous discussions with experts and civil society activists.
The report says that "abysmal conditions for police officers contribute to violations".
Ill-equipped and under pressure to fight crime, police officers often take the law into their own hands, it says.
"Low-ranking officers often work in difficult conditions. They are required to be on-call 24 hours a day, every day. Instead of shifts, many work long hours, sometimes living in tents or filthy barracks at the police station.
"Many are separated from their families for long stretches of time. They often lack necessary equipment, including vehicles, mobile phones, investigative tools and even paper on which to record complaints and make notes."
Human Rights Watch says that as India has modernised fast, its police have been left behind.
"India is modernising rapidly, but the police continue to use their old methods: abuse and threats," said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch.
"It's time for the government to stop talking about reform and fix the system."
The authorities require a major overhaul - otherwise the beatings, torture and illegal killings will continue to stain India's democracy, the report adds.

2008 Pre: One-liners for Current Affairs

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• Malabar Naval Exercise is the Naval Exercise between Indian Navy and US Navy

• Radcliffe Line became the border between India and Pakistan on 17 August 1947 after the Partition of India. The line was decided by the Border Commissions chaired by Sir Cyril Radcliffe, who was to equably divide 175,000 square miles of territory with 88 million people.

• Durand Line is the term for the poorly marked 2,640 km (1,610 mile) border between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Durand Line is sometimes referred to as the "Zero Line"

• Pink House - official seat of the executive branch of the government of Argentina. (i.e President palace during work)

• India’s /Asia’s fastest super computer - Tata supercomputer is called EKA, the system uses 14240 Intel’s high-speed (3 giga hertz) ‘quad-core’ Clovertown (Xeon 53xx) processors in nearly 1,800 computing nodes put together on a Hewlett-Packard Cluster Platform 3000 BL460c system.(In world – 4th fastest)

• First Cabinet of free India – on 15 Aug 1947

Jawaharlal Nehru - Prime minister; External Affairs & common wealth-relations; Scientific research
Sardar Vallabhbahai Patel - Home, Information & Broadcasting ; States
Dr.Rajendra Prasad - Food & Agriculture
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad - Education
Dr.John Mathai - Railways & Transport
R.K.shanmugham Chetty- Finance
Dr.B.R.Ambedkar- Law
Jagjivan Ram - Labour
Sardar Baldev Singh - Defence
Raj Kumari Amrit Kaur - Health
C.H.Bhabaha - Commerce
Rafi Ahmed Kidwai - Communication
Dr.Shyam Prasad Mukherji - Industries & supplies
V.N.Gadgil - Works, Mines & power
Passing of the 1807 Slave Trade Act made UK the first nation to prohibit slave trade.

Right to Education Bill

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Hi Folks,

As most of you may or may not know, Parliament passed the historic “Right to Education Bill”. This Bill will provide every child between the ages of 6 to 14 years the right to free and compulsory education. For your information, here are the excerpts regarding the “Right to Education Bill”

Right to Education Bill

(source: www.ilpnet.org/education.nic.in)

What is the bill about?


· The Bill seeks to achieve ten broad objectives which include free and compulsory education, obligation on the part of state to provide education, nature of curriculum consistent with Constitution, quality, focus on social responsibility and obligation of teachers and de-bureaucratisation in admissions. The Bill also provides for building up of neighbourhood schools in three years by the states.
· Every child between the ages of 6 to 14 years has the right to free and compulsory education. This is stated as per the 86th Constitution Amendment Act added Article 21A. The right to education bill seeks to give effect to this amendment
· The government schools shall provide free education to all the children and the schools will be managed by school management committees (SMC). Private schools shall admit at least 25% of the children in their schools without any fee
· The National Commission for Elementary Education shall be constituted to monitor all aspects of elementary education including quality.

Why is the Bill important?

The Bill is important because it is the first step in the direction of the government’s active role in ensuring implementation of the Constitutional Amendment. And as important, the Bill:
· Legislates provision of free and compulsory elementary and secondary education
· Provides for a school in every neighborhood
· Provides for a School Monitoring Committee – elected representatives of the community to ensure proper functioning
· Mandates that no child in the age group 6-14 shall be employed

All these are right steps to lay the foundation for the development of a common public school system that can provide quality education to all the children, thus preventing exclusion of socially and economically disadvantaged population.


Why is the chosen age group 6 - 14?


The bill focuses on providing primary to high school education compulsorily to all children and also the education given in this age group would be the ground work for their future.

Even though there's lot of scope to improve the approved Bill; I think, this is one of the best reforms so far in the Indian Education sector that will enable the government to achieve the goal of universal elementary education.

Educational problems of women in India


In spite of certain outstanding examples of individual achievement of Indian woman and a definite improvement in their general condition over the last one hundred years, it remains true that our woman still constitute a large body of under - privileged citizens. Women of course do not form a homogenous group in class or caste terms. Nevertheless, they face distinctive problems that call for special attention. The Backward Classes Commission set up by the Government of India in 1953 classified women of India as a backward group requiring special attention.

The ministry of Education clubs girls with Scheduled Castes and Tribes as the three most backward groups in education. Ram Manohar Lohia considered the lot of women to be similar to that of Harijans. Realizing the enormity of the problems of Indian women the Government of India has appointed a separate committee on the Status of Women in India, The social backwardness of Indian women points to the great hiatus between their legal status which is more or less equal to that of men, and their actual position in society, which is still far from the ideal which exists on paper. The educational, economic, political and social backwardness of women makes them the largest group hindering the process of rapid social change.

It is inevitable that when this ‘backward’ group has the major responsibility of bringing up future generations the advancement of society cannot be rapid or take any significant form of development. In the report of the committee appointed by the National Council for Women’s Education it was emphatically stated that what was needed to convert the equality of women from de jure to be facto status was widespread education for girls and women and a re-education of men and women to accept new and scientific attitudes towards each other and to themselves. A changing society and a developing economy can not make any headway if education, which is one of the important agents affecting the norms of morality and culture, remains in the hand of traditionalists who subscribe to a fragmented view of the country’s and the world’s heritage. The differences between the positions of men and women in society will not lessen; leave aside disappear, as long as there are differences between the education of men and women. Inadequate education or no education is the most important factor contributing to the backwardness of our masses, especially our womenfolk. It is the low literacy among women which brings national literacy figure so low.

This gap which exists between the literacy rates of the two sexes also exists between the enrolment of girls and boys at all levels of education. Right from the primary school to the university, we find that the number of girl students is considerable lower than the number of boy students. According to Article 45 of the Constitution, universal compulsory and free education until the age of 14 was to be achieved by the year 1960. Looking at the present condition of primary education in villages, it seems doubtful that 100 per cent enrolment of girls can be achieved by the end of this century. There is no doubt that we have made great headway in the education of women in the last century. It is unfortunately true of our society that children are sent to school not according to their intelligence or aptitude but according to their sex. Such attitudes need to be changed without further delay if we want to achieve 100 per cent enrolment of the primary school-going children. Although the disparity between the enrolment of girls and boys has been lessening in the urban areas, the gap between their enrolments is still very wide specially in rural areas. The reasons for this are both economic and social.


The economic structure of rural areas is such that children, especially girls, are required to help in household work and perform their chores. Young girls have to look after their younger brothers and sisters, have to get water from the well, have to carry food to the father in the field, etc. Since there is so much to be done at home, they cannot be spared for the luxury of attending a school. The resources of the poor farmer are so limited that he does not have anything to spare for the education of his children. If there are resources available it the boy who is sent to school first. Parents also do not see the value of educating their children specially daughters who would get married after all and be only housewives. Since they cannot see any direct relationship between education and economic betterment, they have very little motivation to send their children to school. It is still not being realized that there is definite connection between education, good motherhood and efficient house management.

The management of millions of household and the upbringing of millions of children in thus is the hands of illiterate women. It is here that a change is required if our democratic and socialistic intensions are not to remain a mere pretence. People can be motivated to have their children educated only if educational system is directly linked with economic and social development. As long as our education remains oblivious of the felt needs of people to solve their immediate problems and on the contrary, actually alienates them from their natural, social and cultural surroundings, they will rightly resist sending their children to school. It is the area of primary education, especially in rural areas, which should be given maximum attention. Primary education for both girls and boys is what we should be concerned about while planning our policies and allocation funds. It is this sector of our education structure that gets neglected in favor of all sorts of institutes of ‘higher learning’ and ‘research’ of a kind that are neither relevant nor pertinent to our pressing problems. The role of women outside home is becoming an important and even essential feature of our present day reality.

Unplug!

Take a walk around your house and take note of how many items are plugged in. Are you using those items right now? What about when you are at work or on holidays? As long as electronic devices are plugged in they are using energy. Unplug them! Make it easy by plugging TVs and stereos into power bars and using the on/off switch.

What about black boxes that power phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs) and rechargeable tools? Unplug them, too! Plug in your electronic devices only when they need charging or when you want to use them.

Light Up Efficiently

Turning off lights as you leave a room and/or allowing the sun to light your home will definitely save energy. But what about those times that you need your lights on?

Regular light bulbs waste 90 per cent of their electricity on heat whereas the new fluorescent (spiral) bulbs are 75 per cent more efficient. They can easily replace your existing light bulbs as they fit in standard sockets. Be sure to check for the lowest energy consumption (watts) while purchasing the brightest light (lumens).