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October 28, 2001, Chandigarh, India
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BODY & MIND The Pune-based Rama Mani Iyengar Institute of Yoga has accepted the invitation of the Department of Indian Systems of Medicine and Homeopathy, Health Ministry, to hold a workshop at the Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga on Ashoka Road. The workshop will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on Sunday. Ms Nivedita Joshi, daughter of Union Human Resource Development Minister, Dr Murli Manohar Joshi, is co-ordinating the workshop and finds the response ``terrific.’’ The ashram founder B.K.S Iyengar’s children will join Nivedita in teaching yoga at the workshop. A post-graduate and an international scholarship holder in microbiology, 30-year-old Nivedita’s association with the ashram dates back to 1997 when she visited the place for a cure for spinal injury. Doctors everywhere had recommended a spinal surgery and she was disillusioned. ‘It took me only12 days in the ashram to get my confidence back.’’After three years of treatment and recovery, Nivedita has developed unshakable confidence in the Iyengar school of thought and yoga. She has been teaching yoga at Shishu Shikha Kendra on SP Marg here for the last six months. Asked to spell out the objectives of the workshop, Nivedita said, “The workshop is unique as it is about the Iyengar school of thought. It will attempt to focus on the real pulse of yoga which is the key to well-being.’’ The workshop operates at two levels. Anybody who registers himself for the workshop is required to attend classes regularly for a week to qualify for the next level. The duration of the first level is four weeks and ends on December 2. The second level is scheduled to begin in the fifth week on December 3 and ends on December 9. The fee for attending classes for a week is Rs 700 for both levels. The workshop will offer four classes daily - 7am to 8.30 am, 9 am to 10.30 am, 6 pm to 7.30 pm and 8 pm to 9.30 pm.
False alarm Following the anthrax scare, the National Institute of Communicable Diseases in North Delhi is saddled with test samples of white powdery substances. Recently, two envelopes containing suspected anthrax were mailed to the Union Home Minister and to the private secretary to the secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. False alarms of this kind have led experts to believe that the white powdery substance may be chalk or talcum powder. Although anthrax scare has dominated the health scenario for some time, there is much more happening. A look at some promising developments.
New drug Persons suffering from rheumatoid arthritis can now try Arava (leflunomide), an oral drug recently launched by Aventis Pharma. The availability of the tablets throughout the country, in dosages of 10 mg and 20 mg, has raised the hopes of physicians and about 10 million persons said to be suffering from this disease. The timing of the launch of the drug seems perfect, given that the World Health Organisation has declared this the bone and joint disease decade. According to Dr B.N. Malviya, former Head of the department of Medicine and Chief of Rheumatlogy and Immunology Services at AIIMS, rheumatoid arthritis is one of the most disabling diseases known to human beings. It shortens life span by seven years in men and by ten years in women. It mostly affects women in the reproductive age group. Methotrexate, the most widely used drug for rheumatoid arthritis, is likely to get tough competition from the new tablet. Methotrexate is very cheap and has to be taken only once a week. Only it has been stigmatised for being called a drug for cancer. The Indian Rheumatology Association is of the view that the efficacy of the new drug is convincing and comparable to the standard disease-modifying drugs available globally so far.
Safe injections Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Dr C.P. Thakur, recently stressed the need to strengthen immunisation services and develop a national strategy for injection safe. He has indicated the willingness of the ministry to undertake a study to document existing injection practices in the country. This would be the foundation for a meaningful Safe Injection Policy.
Dental college The All India Institute of Medical Sciences has started the process of earmarking space for setting up a dental college. The institute’s proposal to start a college recently got the nod from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the Expenditure Finance Committee. AIIMS Director, Professor P.K. Dave, disclosed that the institute plans to offer a bachelor’s degree in dentistry. Those wishing to pursue a course in dentistry in Delhi will now have another option besides the Mualana Azad College.
Noble mission The Sadhu Vaswani Mission, a non-profit organisation has decided to observe November 25 as international meatless day and animal rights day. The mission has been observing the day in a unique manner since 1986. The
campaign is aimed at sensitising people to the concept of reverence for life as the first step to world peace. |
Rifle federation misusing import licence, alleges Arjuna
awardee New Delhi, October 27 Arjuna Award-winning shooter Gurbir Singh, in letters to the Union Finance Minister and the Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports, has charged the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) of "hoodwinking the Ministry of Commerce by misusing the import licence for importing non-target shooting equipment by filing false declarations that 'it is required by shooters for competitive target shooting events'." Gurbir Singh cited "two specific cases" to buttress his charge - the import of telescopes for fitting on rifles, and import of round, soft-nose 0.3006 calibre rifle bullets. He said the import of telescopes fitted on rifles are "prohibited" in competitive target shooting events and yet, "the NRAI has imported and sold them to all and sundry". Similarly, import of round, soft-nose rifle bullets "cannot and are not used in big bore rifle target shooting events anywhere in the world, and yet the NRAI has imported them abundantly over the years and sold them to everyone". Gurbir Singh alleged that: "Over the years, the NRAI has made huge profits and amassed assets and bank deposits amounting to crores of rupees by selling imported arms and ammunition to individual members, national/international shooters and affiliated units." He pointed out that "whereas the NRAI has been granted 100 per cent customs duty exemption by the Union Ministry of Finance with the sole objective of promoting the sport, the NRAI has been illegally profiteering by charging more than 100 per cent profit on the sale of such imported equipment". In his letters, Gurbir asked: "Whether the customs duty exemption of the Ministry of Finance be misused for profiteering and amassing assets? And can such equipment which got customs duty exemption be sold at an exorbitant profit as this negates the very purpose for which the ministry grants the exemption?" He said such practices by the NRAI amounted to "fleecing and unethical profiteering" of the national and international shooters who serve and bring glory to the country. He said the NRAI, whose "avowed aim and objective is to promote the sport of shooting", was making the already expensive sport costlier to make it beyond the reach of even the very rich. To put in simpler terms, Gurbir Singh explained that a cartridge for trap shooting, which costs around Rs 4.50 in the international market, should not cost more than Rs 6.50 when it is supplied to the shooters in India, after the NRAI takes its cut to recover the handling and other charges. "But the NRAI, instead, charges something to the tune of Rs 18 per cartridge, thus earning a cool profit of Rs 12 per cartridge!". An NRAI official dismissed Gurbir's charges as "unfounded". He said the NRAI dealings were all above board, and the shooters were supplied equipment virtually at the same cost at which it had been purchased in the international market The NRAI is not the only federation which imports equipment and then supplies them to the sports persons. The Indian Golf Union, the Badminton Federation of India, the Table Tennis Federation of India, and the All-India Tennis Federations are some of the other sports federations which import sports gear and equipment. Sources said on some special occasions, when national camps for international events were held, the government allowed the federations to import equipment and gear. Over 75 per cent of their cost was paid by the government and only the balance 25 per cent had to be paid by federation concerned. Even then, these federation would charge 18 per cent as handling charges from the sport persons, sources said. They said if the import was financed by the government, a law should be laid down that not more than two per cent of the total cost should be charged as "handling charges" as the federation's sole objective should not be to make profits, but to promote the sport. |
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Mukesh putts
across Vivek, leads in Noida Open New Delhi, October 27 Mukesh bettered Bhandari's course record, a seven-under 65, set in the opening round of this very tournament two days ago. The ninth leg of the 2001-02 Hero Honda Golf Tour, the tournament is being played at the par-72 Noida course. Bhandari is now placed second at 14-under 202, one stroke behind Mukesh's 15-under 201. Kanpur's Shiv Prakash played well for his four-under 68 but had to settle for third position at nine-under 207. Kolkata's Basad Ali was fourth at 211 while another Kolkatan, Indrajit Bhalotia, was tied fifth with Delhi's Rohtas Singh at 212. The duo of Uttam Mundy (Kolkata) and Digvijay Singh (Meerut) were tied seventh at 213. “It feels great to break the course record. This is the best round of golf I have ever played", said Mukesh. However, this was not his best ever round in terms of figures. Not even his best round this season. Bahuguna takes lead:
Scores (after 54 holes): 201-Mukesh Kumar, 202-Vivek Bhandari, 207-Shiv Prakash, Basad Ali, 212-Indrajit Bhalotia, Rohtas Singh, 213-Uttam Mundy, Digvijay Singh, 214-Harmeet Kahlon, 215-Arjun Singh and Vijay Kumar. Amateurs: 222-Saurav Bahuguna, 225-Vikram Chopra, Simarjeet Singh. |
Robin Singh wins little hearts Robin Singh was in Delhi today, captivating young children and their parents at the Modern School ground, with his talent and charm as part of the "Atlas Cricket-Team Up with Robin Singh" programme. DSA soccer finals today Shooting Ball tourney ends |
Agreement on cable
rates Faridabad, October 27 According to the agreement, which comes into force with immediate effect, no cable operator will charge more than Rs 150 per connection, per month. Only Rs 35 will be allowed to be paid extra to the operator if a connection was used for an additional TV in a house. The new rate has been decided by the committee headed by SDM, Mr Jitender Dahiya. Representatives of leading cable operators, District Public Relations Officer (DPRO)Ram Kumar and Office-bearers of the confederation of resident welfare associations of Faridabad have been included in the committee. The Deputy Commissioner set up the committee after a meeting of various representatives about two months ago. The agreement would remain applicable till December 31, 2002. The operators themselves will have to bear the extra charges or costs, if any channel hike its rates or goes as pay channel in this period. It was decided that all those connection which were disconnected due to differences over rates, will be reconnected without any additional charge. The committee also decided that every cable operator will deposit an amount of Rs 1,000 per month to the Municipal Corporation as pole charges. |
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