Have you ever seen fairness cream advertisements and wondered at their marketing schemes? According to them, if your skin is a few shades lighter, you will rock that job interview. You might be a national level sports champion, but of course, you care more about how fair or dark you look. One particular advertisement goes so far as to imply that an ambitious woman is confident only if her skin is of a fair shade.
These advertisements are subtly ingraining in you that your confidence and prospects are directly proportional to the lightness of your skin colour. And for those of you who fall victims to this belief, some fairness creams are feeding another devil—steroids.
Fairness creams are guilty of using steroids like Beclomethasone, Betamethasone, Desonide etc. to affect the pigmentation of your skin. Aggressive use of these steroids leads to skin ailments or worse diseases.
Representational image of a fairness cream. Source.
Dr Kiran Nabar spoke to Mid-Day, about the consequences of using these steroids on your delicate skin. He said, “The usage of any cream with such a formula can cause several skin diseases, like thinning, pimples, and even a burning sensation. It also makes the skin vulnerable to sun exposure. In fact, girls can also develop facial hair that will be irreversible, even if they were to stop using the cream.”
Taking such side effects into consideration, Maharashtra’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had written to the Centre about the use of this unauthorised medication.
The widespread use of these creams and the ease of availability added to their concerns. You can get these harmful steroids for Rs 10 a tube, and the pharmacy or the brand does not notify you about their side effects.
With the consultation of Drugs Technical Advisory Board, the Central Government has categorised 14 steroids used in fairness creams in the Schedule H category of the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945. Schedule H prohibits the sale of drugs over the counter without a proper prescription. It includes over 500 drugs so far, and now includes the steroids found in fairness creams.
This means that, very soon, buying fairness creams in Maharashtra will soon require a medical prescription!
Pallavi Darade, the state commissioner of the FDA, told Pune Mirror, “A new list of steroids has been included in the Scheduled H drug list by the central authority. All chemists now have to maintain a register and record of these fairness creams sold to the customer. The records will be checked by the FDA similar to other Schedule H drugs.
From now on there will be a strict cap on the sales of these fairness creams by chemists without prescription. A steroid is a drug and should not be used without being prescribed by doctors. The move will help the public, and they should also act with caution.”
Explaining the process of distinguishing between creams that contain these drugs and those who do not, Amrut Nikhade, FDA Joint Commissioner (HQ) told DNA, “The schedule H steroid cream will have distinctive labelling. A red mark on the label will differentiate it. It will take time for manufacturers to label the creams accordingly.”
The decision is certainly a welcome move. Fairness creams play with our psychology, almost as much as they play tricks on our skin. Fairness creams strictly as prescribed medicines will help bring down the number of people using them extensively and risking their health to this “unfair” devil.
(Edited by Gayatri Mishra)
Featured image for representational purpose only. Source.
After banning plastic bags, straws and cutlery, Maharashtra is set to ban another tiny evil—and this is something that you think you have thrown out of your house but is in fact, a recurring visitor.
By the end of April 2018, the use of microplastics or plastic microbeads will be banned in Maharashtra.
Microplastics are found in your face wash, soaps, lipsticks, toothpaste and detergents. These tiny plastic particles can enter where you definitely don’t want them—your food!
Even after the dumped cosmetics go through wastewater treatment systems, the microplastics get through. These end up in the sea and are consumed by fish.
We all know how the food chain works, so these microplastics get transferred to bigger fish, and there is a genuine possibility that they might end up on your plate in the form of fish curry or fried fish!
Government officials have stated that by the end of the month, a notification will be sent out to officialise the ban of microplastics.
Satish Gavai, additional chief secretary, state environment department, told the Hindustan Times,
“Microbeads are substitutes for natural abrasives and are mainly found in cosmetics and washing powders, which are even more harmful than plastic bags for the environment.
Studies have confirmed they are a major source of cancer. These microplastics or toxic, coated beads are further consumed by fish and other marine life, which are ultimately consumed by humans.”
Maharashtra will be the first state in India to impose this ban, that is already in place in countries across the world.
The government is set to rope in the state pollution control board to inform and impose the ban on corporate firms and industries that produce these microplastics.
Our marine life is already under a severe threat from human-induced pollution, and a ban on microbeads might eliminate one form of danger.
The Maharashtra government deserves to be praised for taking an important step towards reducing the threat of plastics and protecting marine life.
Dheeraj Pipada, 44, a farmer and engineering graduate from Aurangabad, is on the hunt for a sustainable economic model for organic produce, along with 11 other farmers.
Dheeraj and his group of farmers are currently running the store Rich n Fresh in Pune, which is the closest they have come to a sustainable model.
Dheeraj considers it to be the first organic produce mall in Maharashtra. It has been running for over four years and has a solid base of 1,200 products and over 1,400 customers.
The Rich n Fresh store in Kothrud, Pune
“We created a mall with this pleasant ambience so that organic produce can get higher status,” says Dheeraj proudly.
Dheeraj started cultivating organic produce about 7.5 years ago. He was in an engineering business before this, and his land was lying fallow. “For a farm to start giving healthy organic produce, it takes at least three years from when the farmer stops using chemical fertilisers and pesticides. So I was spared the pain of land damage by chemicals!” he says.
But the sale of produce in the vegetable markets wasn’t yielding much profit for the group. So they decided to develop an alternate model. The 12 farmers from Nashik, Nagar, Pune, and Aurangabad districts in Maharashtra, formed the Mahasatta Agro Vision Shetkari Mandal in 2011.
Their organic produce was certified in 2013. Dheeraj was to head the marketing division of their organic agriculture venture, while the rest of the farmers would ensure his farm did well too.
Dheeraj knows most of the store’s customers by their first names.
Dheeraj Pipada with a customer
He recounts the story of one such customer, Radhika Joshi, whose husband was terminally ill. His condition improved by leaps and bounds when they started using organic produce. “Ms Joshi believes in us so much now that she contributed funds for this mall when we moved from the smaller premises next door,” beams Dheeraj, as he points at the organised store.
The store has both primary organic produce–vegetables, fruits, grains, and processed organic products–spices, snacks, cosmetics, and some apparel.
The treasure inside the store
However, Dheeraj believes that the absence of chemicals alone does not make the produce organic. “That is a very limiting definition. Very importantly, organic farming does not exploit the land, the animals, the environment, or the farmers,” he says.
While discussing his clean produce, he admits that there are cases of fraud sellers in the ecosystem, which makes customers suspicious.
One way around the issue of authenticity is certification. Dheeraj and his group have taken the Participatory Guarantee System Certification. “If even one of the farmers in the group is found to have contaminated produce, the entire group loses certification,” warns Dheeraj. This certificate has to be renewed every three years, although the officials visit every year. He believes that certification acts as a primary filter. “Customers should ask if the seller has a certificate,” he insists.
The other hurdle for organic produce is pricing, says Dheeraj. Customers expect organic produce to be cheap. The extra cost added by middlemen, shops, and packaging has to be borne by the customer. Dheeraj believes this will reduce if the customer buys directly from the farmer, which ensures that the farmer also gets a fair price. “If customers start buying more, the rates will go down,” he shares.
But anyway, Dheeraj argues, why should a farmer sell at a lower price? “There will always be a premium on organic produce, but the difference (between organic and inorganic) will reduce,” he believes.
Further, Dheeraj believes the bond between the end consumer and the farmer is more important than prices.
Customers are expected to leave their footwear outside the store
“If you form a bond with the farmer and see the condition he lives and works in, you will inevitably feel empathy. Right now there is no concern about whether the farmer is alive or dead. When the end-user bonds with the farmer, the farmer will also bond with them. When such a relationship is present, the farmer will give authentic produce. In fact, authenticity will be at its highest,” says Dheeraj, adding. “Like a family doctor, I think the concept of Family Farmer should come into play.”
During a meet-and-greet for customers and farmers in the mall, a customer profusely thanked one of the farmers Bapurao Korde for his chikoos. The customer said his son didn’t eat chikoos unless they came from Korde Guruji who was overjoyed to hear this. “In cases like these, money ceases to matter!” he says.
Dheeraj continues, “When it is a question of your health, why don’t you go to meet the farmer? You will understand his troubles when you walk in his shoes. You will get more than what you expect. You take one step forward; the reciprocation will be very high.”
Generating such awareness is a part of Dheeraj’s work–he considers it his duty to clear misconceptions and spread the right information among both customers and other farmers. He is now considering conducting seminars despite being wary of commercial ventures, as he doesn’t equate commercial growth with success.
For Dheeraj, success was when the gandhool (earthworm) in his farm survived in searing temperatures of 43 degrees Celsius.
(Written by Shatakshi Gawade and edited by Shruti Singhal)
About the author: Shatakshi Gawade is an independent journalist based in Pune.
The Manmohan Singh government had envisioned the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) Project to connect the two megacities of India. Work upon it has been underway for years, but now, the Maharashtra government has decided to hasten its development.
It also plans to finish constructing the Aurangabad Industrial City (AURIC)—billed to be India’s first integrated industrial green city—by 2022.
Speaking to The Indian Express, Maharashtra Chief Minister, Devendra Fadnavis, said, “India’s first smart industrial city with the concept of ‘walk to work’ is expected to bring investments worth Rs 70,000 crore and jobs to three lakh people.”
Located on the outskirts of Aurangabad, AURIC will be built on 10,000 acres of land. This new integrated industrial township will be a congregation of office spaces, residences, hotels, large and small format retails, schools, hospitals, parks, entertainment hubs and much more.
60% of the total land will be used for industrial purposes whereas 40% will be reserved for residential, commercial, institutions, open spaces and socio=cultural amenities.
Hyosung Corporation, the South Korean industrial conglomerate, committed an investment of Rs 3,000 crore in AURIC to build a factory for manufacturing spandex, and Fadnavis indicated this as having been an anchor for the project.
The group had signed the MoU with the state government during the Magnetic Maharashtra summit on February 20.
“The completion of the Rs 46,000-crore Nagpur-Mumbai Samruddhi Corridor and the Jalna dry port will also play a significant role in boosting the economic development of AURIC,” the CM added.
Some of the features of AURIC will be as follows—
• It is one of the eight nodes of the ambitious DMIC project.
• AURIC will be India’s first integrated industrial green city. An industrial green city is an underdeveloped area, where greater development is proposed, which allows it to develop into a city.
• To ensure that water isn’t wasted, the city will treat its sewage water and common effluent water, so that residents can use it for their needs. Thus, approximately 42% of the water needs at AURIC will be met through recycled water.
• The concept of ‘Walk to work’ which encourages housing options, workplaces, and shopping centres, to be developed in the vicinity of each other, will be implemented. This concept also includes walkable streets and blocks and reachable public spaces.
• The construction of AURIC is supposed to be an entryway for global investors, with the aim of boosting industrial growth and helping it go beyond Aurangabad, to its tertiary units in adjoining seven other districts surrounding Marathwada. Additionally, the tribal belt of Nandurbhar, Nashik, Dhule has been included in the project to enable industrial growth in the impoverished districts.
Clearing the UPSC entrance exams is an arduous task. But to do it as a visually-impaired candidate is a feat worth applauding.
A resident of Beed district, Maharashtra, Jayant Mankale lost 75 percent of his vision in 2014 when he was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a disorder that causes loss of vision.
His determination to clear the civil services exam did not falter. He continued his attempts without coaching and did not give up even when his father passed away. His mother and sister took up the financial responsibility for the family, selling homemade spices, pickles and other food items.
Despite his mother’s business, the family had financial troubles. His father’s pension of Rs 7,300 did little to contribute, and they could not pay off the loan taken for Jayant’s college education. So when he approached Pravin Chavan and Manohar Bhole for guidance for the exam, they offered it to him free of cost.
The family’s efforts paid off when Jayant secured the All-India rank of 923 in his fourth attempt earlier this year.
Jayant Mankale (left) is all smiles on clearing the UPSC exam
In an interview with Hindustan Times, Mankale said, “I could not afford audio books or a screen reader. Therefore, I started listening (to) various debates on the radio, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha TV. I took pictures of pages through my mobile and often zoomed in to read them. I have never read a National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) book, and I couldn’t use hand-written notes, which made preparation very difficult.”
A mechanical engineer from Amrutvahini College of Engineering, Sangamner, Jayant now hopes to land his dream job in the Indian Foreign Service (IFS).
The increase in temperature every summer means different things to different people. While some people travel to different places, others hibernate in air-conditioned rooms.
However, for wild animals living in forested areas near cities, these months are challenging, as their water sources dry up, and this forces them to migrate to other areas.
Increasing deforestation and excavation around Pune have resulted in natural water springs drying up. This leaves the animals with no choice but to search for water bodies away from their own territories. Most of these animals are mammals like blackbucks, chinkaras, wolves and even leopards.
Since the heat during daytime is almost unbearable and makes the animals take shelter under trees or other such cool places, they tend to search for water bodies during late night or early morning hours.
And this usually requires them to cross paths with humans in the most dreaded of all territories—highways!
As we move further from urban spaces, the interaction of wildlife and humans becomes imminent. If you have ever travelled on the Pune-Mumbai expressway, you will know how lush the road looks because of the forests on both sides. However, the risk of hurting wildlife comes along with this beautiful scenery.
Langurs are the most common sight on highways around Pune, as are snakes, jungle cats and in rare cases, wolves and leopards. There are several instances of speeding vehicles hitting these animals who attempt to cross roads, and this accounts for the accidental killing of snakes, rabbits, jungle cats etc. According to Pune Mirror, about three mammals and more than 100 reptiles are killed on highways every month in the Pune division.
Taking note of these high numbers, the Pune division of the state forest department has decided to undertake a unique initiative to stop roadkills—man-made waterholes!
These waterholes will essentially be ponds constructed on either side of the highway and will provide animals with a way to quench their thirst without having to cross the highway in search of water.
Speaking to the Pune Mirror, Mahesh Bhavsar, the Assistant Conservator of forests, said, “We had surveyed the area and found that the migration for water during the summer is the real cause of accidental deaths of wild animals. As an experiment, we decided to dig waterholes on both sides of the highway so that animals get the necessary water on their side only.”
The initiative will be flagged off on the Pune-Solapur highway in the Daund forest area. The experiment is by no means a way to stop the natural migration of wild animals or the expansion of their territories. It is just an attempt to help the animals get water.
Lokesh Bapat, the founder of Tellus Organisation, an NGO working to preserve biodiversity in and around Pune, said, “This is a good initiative; there is a need to have one waterhole for every 5 sq km of forest area. Because of rampant excavation on hills around the forest, natural springs have dried up. The forest department must keep vigil in the forest area and ensure that there is enough water storage inside the holes. Deforestation and human interference are other reasons for migration and subsequent deaths.”
(Edited by Gayatri Mishra)
Featured image for representational purposes. Source.
Farmers of Tarapur village, 129 km from Mumbai, are in a celebratory mood as their efforts at rainwater harvesting have been successful. They can now grow vegetables in large tracts of land, which were otherwise lying waste. After a long court battle, it is a dream come true for the villagers, as they could harvest rainwater in an expanse that used to be a salt-pan.
What was a repository of saline water brought in by the high tides of the Arabian Sea through the Tarapur Creek over three decades, is now a mammoth pond storing 156 million litres of rainwater. Dotted with villages on both sides, the pond has recently been named the ‘Tarapur Shrikrishna Talav’. It is spread over nearly 45 acres and is likely to be the largest man-made pond in the state.
The world came to know that a village called Tarapur existed off National Highway 48, in October 1969, when the country’s maiden nuclear plant, Tarapur Atomic Power Station (TAPS) was commissioned. Soon Tarapur became home to Maharashtra’s maiden industrial complex, the Tarapur Industrial Estate.
Drug manufacturers, speciality chemical manufacturers, steel plants and a couple of textile plants set up their units in the complex, spread over 2,558 acres. With the industries providing job opportunities, the youth and the skilled workers stopped migrating to cities and found jobs in the industrial estate. The older generation continued to farm.
However, as land and water turned saline due to seawater ingress, making them unfit for cultivation, the villagers decided to reverse the situation. With the efforts of villagers and the support of a service organisation, the pond is now a remarkable feat of rainwater harvesting. Besides irrigating the fields in the summer months, it also recharges the wells.
Land turns saline
The pond in Tarapur, reclaimed from a saltpan, will enable farmers to grow vegetables. (Photo by Hiren Kumar Bose)
“Till the early 70s, besides growing paddy during the monsoon months, we grew vegetables, irrigating our crops with water from the big natural depression that turned into a pond with rainwater,” Sharad Save, a sexagenarian told VillageSquare.in. Given the apathy of the authorities, the bunds of the pond were not maintained, leading to seawater ingress. The neighbouring lands and groundwater turned saline.
In 1972, without conducting environmental impact assessment surveys, the Maharashtra government allocated 39 acres of revenue land to Garodia Salt Works (GSW) on lease, to set up salt-pans. The pond that the villagers were using for irrigation was part of the 39-acre allotment. The consequences were soon evident as the yield of the surrounding farms declined steadily and the salt water from the pans affected the subsoil water.
In 1978, the then state lawmaker from Bassein, Pandharinath Chowdhary, had alleged that in Tarapur and Chinchni villages, water in 175 out of the 200 wells had turned saline because of the salt-pans. Lok Ayukta, the local ombudsman court, validated the allegations after making an independent investigation.
Reclaiming saline land
After a court battle, the Khar Land Development Circle (KLDC), with the support of the local MLA and Tarapur Vegetable Growers Association, wrested the land from GSW in 1992. Though salt production stopped, the land lay waste as it had turned saline. After repeated appeals from the villagers to construct bunds to stop the ingress of seawater, the KLDC built an earthen bund in 2012.
The new embankment, about 540 m long, was meant to protect the total reclaimed land of 393 acres from summertime seawater ingress but failed to do so. For five years, the villagers worked on sealing part of the 393 acres by raising the level of the existing road that divided the area into two sections. The one on the village side was the smaller 39 acre erstwhile salt-pan.
The villagers decided to create recharge bores within the salt-pan area, to facilitate the entry of sweet water. To their surprise, they found that the groundwater was brackish. Then in September 2016, high tides followed by heavy rainfall led to submergence of the bund in some places, besides breaches.
Community initiative
“The villagers of Tarapur approached us in October 2016 expressing inability to raise funds to build bunds and also sought technical assistance,” Anant Kittur, a local industrialist and member of Tarapur Lions Club, told VillageSquare.in. The Lions Club took up the reclamation work as a Community and Climate Resilience Project.
The club approached water and ecology management expert Ajit Gokhale for guidance. He suggested plugging the breaches so that the bund could be salvaged for further improvement. He proposed concrete on the existing weir across the creek with slopes so that fish from the sea could breed in the paddy fields.
Meanwhile, the villagers raised Rs 1.25 lakh, with donations between Rs 50 and Rs 500 to repair the bund. Suneet Salvi, an entrepreneur who has taken to farming on leased land, contributed Rs 3.5 lakh.
The villagers approached KLDC through the office of the Palghar District Collector, seeking permission to undertake repairs of the bund and making the automatic gates of the weir watertight. “Having received the permission on 3 June, 2017, we engaged earthmovers to plug the breaches, and two days later the monsoon arrived with full force,” 58-year-old Dilip Save, chairman of Tarapur Vegetable Growers Association, a trade body of 150-odd farmers, told VillageSquare.in. With average annual rainfall of 1,955 mm, it took just four months, beginning June 2017, for the khar (tidal) land to turn into a pond brimming with water.
Though the villagers call the pond Shrikrishna Talav, officially it is called the Dedale – Kolavali Kharland Bund and presently holds 156 million liters of water, spread over nearly 45 acres. Tarapur, Kolavali, Dedale, Kudan and Chinchini villages, with a total population of over 15,000 likely to benefit.
Thanks to the stored rainwater, birds like seagulls, ibises and herons have started visiting the pond and one can even see water buffaloes wallowing in it.
Continued concerns
Villagers, led by water conservationist Rajendra Singh, performing puja at the lake, a community asset they have created. (Photo by Hiren Kumar Bose)
The rise in sea level and high tides are a cause of concern for coastal communities like those in Tarapur. According to India’s Second National Communication to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) estimates, sea level rise by 3.5 inches to 34.6 inches between 1990 and 2100 would result in salinity of coastal groundwater, endanger wetlands and inundate valuable land and coastal communities. The most vulnerable stretches include Mumbai, Khambat and Kutch in Gujarat, and parts of the Konkan coast.
“It’s time the authorities woke up and not remained apathetic to the demands of the locals,” Gokhale who specialises in participatory approach to water conservation projects, told VillageSquare.in. “The villagers of Tarapur have set an example through their conservation efforts and it needs to be applauded.”
Living in the so-called no development zone due to its proximity to TAPS, the villagers are not allowed to develop their landholdings commercially, which leaves them with no option but to continue with subsistence farming. Though dependent on rain for growing paddy, the villagers are looking forward to growing vegetables on the 2,500 acres around the pond area. “During the dry season we plan to use the water from the pond to grow vegetables and maybe even do fish farming in future,” said an exultant Save.
In a symbolic move to assert their right to the community asset they helped create, the villagers of Tarapur performed jal pujan (water worship) in January, in the presence of leading water conservationist and Magsaysay awardee Rajendra Singh.
Notwithstanding the celebratory mood, the villagers realise that the earthen embankment is unlikely to last forever. So they have appealed to KLDC to carry out the necessary works such as providing vented bunds on the upstream side, making the bunds impermeable and concretising at necessary places. According to KLDC, the works would cost around Rs 65 lakh. It remains to be seen if the state government would spend such financial resources on a water conservation project.
Hiren Kumar Bose is a journalist based in Thane, Maharashtra. He doubles up as a weekend farmer.
Adapted from an article originally published on VillageSquare.in. Subscribe to VillageSquare’s weekly update on thewebsite for more stories from rural India.
For 29-year-old Rajnikant Mendhe, education is of paramount importance. A resident of Pune, Rajnikant would travel about 50 km to the remote village of Chandar to teach 11 students. The last 12 km stretch of the journey was a mud road that would add to the challenge.
But he endured it for eight long years. In this period, most of the students dropped out from the school to pursue higher studies in a neighbouring village. Some girls even shifted to Gujarat to earn instead of continuing their education. Only one student, eight-year-old Yuvraj Sangale remained in the school.
And so, Rajnikant travels from Pune to Chandar every day, to teach one student. We have covered his story in detail, and you can read it here.
The dedication of Rajnikant has now become instrumental in bringing electricity to Chandar!
Rajnikant teaches Yuvraj in their Zilla Parishad school. Source.
Located in the Raigad district of Maharashtra, Chandar is a small hamlet of about 46 households and was almost entirely disconnected from other villages. Since Rajnikant did not let any of these challenges come in the way of teaching his student, the news made waves in Maharashtra.
The story of this lone crusader was shared across social media and WhatsApp groups, and finally caught the attention of Sanjeev Kumar—the Chairman and Managing Director of Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Ltd (MSEDCL). Kumar knew something needed to be done to help the student and his fellow villagers.
“I read the news report which was widely shared on the WhatsApp group of Maharashtra IAS officers.
I was moved by the story of this teacher and his lone student and felt that such unwavering dedication should be rewarded. So I told the Pune office to send our staff there and provide electricity,” Kumar told the Times of India.
Taking the orders from Kumar, officials from MSEDCL started installing line poles and distribution transformers, not only in Chandar but also in the neighbouring hamlets of Takewasti and Digewasti. It took the distribution company just seven days to bring electricity to around 70 households.
Rajnikant told The Better India, “Initially when the news was published, they (MSEDCL) contacted me through Mr Konde, their wireman, and I gave them all the information they wanted about the village and its condition. I would like to mention that the team of officials, workers and labourers worked very hard, and the villagers also helped out.”
That said, it wasn’t an easy task for the officials to get water supply and the poles to a hamlet that has no rudimentary roads. Nishikant Raut, a public relations officer with MSEDCL, said, “The last 15 km of the track to Chandar was crumbling raw soil—impossible for any vehicle to travel over.
Only a jeep that too after it was packed with ten people was able to reach close to the hamlet. The rest of it was covered on foot.”
Getting electricity to Chandar, Takewasti and Digewasti took 60 skilled workers, three supply lines and 65 line poles. The primary school where Rajnikant teaches Yuvraj was among the first structures to get electricity.
Most of the houses in these hamlets are simple and made of mud and bamboo. So, the distribution company will be required to take extra precautions to electrify the village.
Sanjay Taksande, the regional director of MSEDCL in Pune said, “Proper measures are being taken to install the power meter and service wire to the remaining houses. The villagers will also be told about power safety measures. All the houses will get electricity in the next 15 days.”
This story of a teacher’s dedication is certainly inspirational, and goes to show how one good deed will eventually lead to another. Rajnikant cannot find words to express how he feels about this development. “It has been eight years since I have been working in Chandar, and I never thought that this would happen,” he told The Better India. On a lighter vein, he adds, “Finally, Thomas Edison is feeling peaceful in heaven as electricity has reached Chandar.”
In March 2018, Mumbai newspapers carried a report saying that the State forest department has given its nod allowing the BMC (Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation) to transplant close to 87 acres of mangrove from Malad to Thane, to make way for the Malad Sewage Treatment Plant (STP). The project is expected to cost Rs 2,000 crore.
This sent shock waves among environmentalists and citizens alike. Mumbai has been facing the wrath of monsoon floods year after year. People the world over have realised that the more one depletes mangroves, the more unsafe the adjacent land becomes.
In the past, mangroves on a large stretch of Mumbai’s coastal land have been acting as a buffer against the natural calamity. But in the guise of development, this precious eco-system is getting eroded.
The vast stretch of mangroves at Charkop, Mumbai. Photo Source
“Because of our long stretch of mangroves, the tsunami that affected Chennai coastal line in 2004 or even the recent cyclone Ockhi in 2017 which destroyed many coastal areas in South India and Srilanka, didn’t affect us. We have decided that we won’t allow anyone to destroy our mangroves,” state Shweta, Gautami, and Jhanvi Hule, the fisherwomen of Vengurla, Sawantwadi in Maharashtra who have formed a Swamini self-help group of women. They operate a mangrove safari for visitors of the area and fiercely protect their mangroves.
But Mumbai citizens, busy in their daily struggles, seem to have become apathetic to this announcement by the BMC.
“No doubt treatment of sewage is one of the most urgent needs of this burgeoning metro. But relocating mangroves to reclaim the land isn’t the solution at all, as the existing sewage plants in different parts of the city aren’t functioning to even 50% of their capacity. But we will keep an eye on the relocation process to see how successful it will be. Till now, the relocation of the mangrove hasn’t been done properly,” says a very concerned Debi Goenka, an environmentalist and founder member of CAT (Conservation Action Trust). Goenka has led many campaigns to protect the natural environment and to save mangroves.
The importance of mangroves, a large group of trees and shrubs habituating the coastal inter-tidal zones, is recognised by UNESCO. To propagate the urgent necessity of saving this innocuous cluster of trees, since 2015, July 28th is being observed as the International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem.
The world body underlining the importance of mangrove ecosystem states, “Mangroves are a unique, special and vulnerable ecosystem, providing by virtue of their existence, biomass and productivity, substantial benefits to human beings, providing forestry, fishery goods and services as well as contributing to the protection of the coastline and being particularly relevant in terms of mitigation of the effects of climate change and food security for local communities.”
Mangroves found in the tropical regions are found in 123 nations and territories. Finding mangrove forests is very rare. The world’s biggest mangrove forest is at Sundarbans, on the delta of river Ganga between West Bengal and Bangladesh.
Pichavaram mangrove in Tamil Nadu is the largest mangrove forest in India.
The Pichavaram Mangrove in Tamil Nadu. Photo Source
But with all this, according to UNESCO data, the entire area of mangroves on planet Earth is hardly 1% of all tropical forests and less than 0.4% of the total global forest estate.
Unfortunately, the importance of this precious gift from nature is not well known to humankind. They disappear three to five times faster than the global forest. According to the World Mangrove Atlas, approximately one-fifth of the world’s mangrove ecosystem has been lost since 1980. However, since 2000, there has been a slight decrease in this damage.
Highly concerned about BMC’s decision, Dr Arvind Untawale, a senior scientist, Mangrove Consultant and the Executive Secretary of Mangrove Society of India, Goa, says, “Replanting of mangroves isn’t possible. The highly complicated root system of mangroves, which spreads over a vast area can never be done properly. Every pneumatophore or the breathing roots of the mangrove can’t be successfully uprooted. The BMC should consult some scientists before undertaking this step!’’
Dr Untawale has been involved in the research and development of mangrove conservations and management process for many years.
Stalin D of Vanashkati, who was earlier associated with the Save The Mangrove Initiation of CAT, says, “The arbitrary decision by the BMC without involving any concerned scientists in this costly affair is wrong. We all agree that there is an urgent requirement for sewage treatment. But if citizens are consulted and asked to treat sewage in every housing society, then this kind of catastrophic step needn’t be taken at such huge cost!’’
Mumbai based NGO Vanashakti, works for the forest, mangrove and wetland protection, besides conducting scientific investigations into local environmental degradation. The NGO aims to make people aware of what is being done to our surroundings and the environment.
All the environmentalists, activists and concerned citizens feel that it’s time for citizens to wake up and save the mangroves. At stake in Mumbai alone are 87 acres of mangroves and the safety of the city against the monsoon fury. Elsewhere too, the destruction is on. This is the Clarion call!
Going a step ahead of “Ironman”, IPS officer Krishna Prakash has now completed the “Ultraman” race in Australia!
If you’re curious about what makes a race participant an “Ultraman“, it is–swimming in the Pacific ocean for 10 km, running for 84.3 km and cycling for 421.1 km!
Be informed, dear reader, that running and cycling are not on a plain but through the hilly terrains of Australia!
Krishna Prakash, who had earlier shared the stage with Milind Soman to win the Ironman title, has now become the first Indian Civil Servant to become the Ultraman!
Krishna Prakash at a cyclothon earlier this year. Source.
“It is aptly defined by its tagline- Anything less is just a qualifier,” Says Krishna. ” Your good wishes, blessings and unstinting support helped me achieve this grand, daunting and humanly impossible looking feat. I dedicate my race to “Bharat ke veer”- India’s braveheart–an initiative of Central Home Ministry for Central Armed Police Forces Jawans to financially help the families of [the] brave hearts who have sacrificed their lives in the lines of duty…” he adds.
We Congratulate IPS officer Krishna Prakash on becoming 1st Indian Civil Servant to achieve this feat. He swam a grueling 10 km in pacific ocean waters, cycled 42.1 km over many hills & ran 84.3 km over 84 hours between May 12-14.
How frustrating is it when you are in a hurry to go somewhere, are frantically looking for an auto-rickshaw and everyone blatantly refuses to take you? The destination is either too close for them, too far or in the opposite direction. And if by your good fortune, a rickshaw driver agrees to take you, he will want a fare as per his wishes, not determined by the meter.
Several such reasons have made cab aggregators like Uber and Ola much-preferred options. But that hasn’t resolved the issue with rickshaws.
The Thane Traffic Police and RTO have come up with a possible solution for this issue. Firstly, they identified the reason rickshaw drivers refuse a rider. Certain parts of the cities do not offer them the possibility of riders. And even if auto drivers accept all the fares that come their way, they don’t get any incentives other than the meter fare.
If they have to spend that fare on fuel anyway, what’s in it for the drivers?
Representational image. Courtesy: TBI
Ho rickshaws–the pilot project that will guarantee that riders get a ride to their destination, will also give incentives to participating drivers. ‘Ho’ in Marathi means ‘yes’. Apart from the support from Thane Traffic Police and the RTO, the initiative is supported by Apna Bhandar- a local departmental store and Ascend Adcom- an advertising agency.
From the first week of June, all participating rickshaws will have stickers saying “I am a responsible rickshaw driver. I will never say ‘No’ to the passenger”.
If a driver refuses a client even then, citizens can call the Thane RTO or a dedicated helpline number which will be launched shortly.
Speaking about what’s in store for the drivers, Nikhil Ballal, a sponsor of the campaign told the Mid-Day, “So many times, rickshaw drivers say no to people, even if it’s a senior citizen or a pregnant woman. We thought if we give them some incentives, they might change their attitudes.” He continues, “We will felicitate five best ones (drivers) every day and give them free groceries provided by Apna Bhandar. Whichever driver we receive a complaint against, will be out of the campaign, and action will be taken against him as per traffic and RTO rules.”
Deputy Commissioner of Police, (Traffic) Amit Kale explained, “The aim is to bring rickshaw drivers to say ‘Ho’ from no… I think this campaign can motivate at least some rickshaw drivers to change their attitude.”
The Ho rickshaws are good news for passengers as well as drivers! Now even if rickshaw drivers have to drive too far or too near, they’ll know something is waiting. The promise of incentives might help improve competition and productivity among them.
You go to a restaurant, promising yourself that you will stick to your diet and resist all temptation, but the delicious aroma of fresh, buttery pav-bhaji or deep-fried potatoes is incredibly difficult to resist and just lures you into ordering some for yourself, right away.
And there you have it—several hours of exercise, diet and self-control gone down the drain with just one order!
Well, fret not. According to the Pune Mirror, the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is planning to help you count your calories as you consume them!
In a world where most lifestyles are sedentary, and we have effortless and cheap access to high-calorie junk food, the risk of obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, hypertension etc. is always at a high, and this is why FDA Commissioner Pallavi Darade came up with a plan to make restaurants mention the calorie content of each dish on the menu cards.
The plan has been put in place so that concerned citizens can make an informed decision at eateries.
“People are getting more conscious of their health, but are still not aware of the calories they consume while eating out in a restaurant,” said Pallavi to the Pune Mirror, adding that “Also, this way, the hotel industry will also be more aware of the calorie content in their dishes. While it will not be the exact amount, patrons will still know their approximate calorie intake and can make an informed decision while placing an order. ”
Soon, the FDA officials will hold meetings with representatives from various industries like food and packaging, health, and restaurants to decide the final proposal, but the suggestion is already winning applause from experts.
“There is a major rise in the number of people suffering from obesity, which includes young children. This is a cause for genuine concern and this decision taken by the FDA will enhance public awareness.”
There are still some concerns about having restaurants mention the calorie content of each dish on the menu. One is that they may not have the necessary technology to count calories. The second concern is that not every meal, even if made by the same person, will have a consistent calorie intake every time it is cooked.
However, once these issues are resolved, the move will promote healthy eating and help people make informed decisions about what they are consuming. Borude explained, “I cannot stress this enough—calorie consciousness is low among common people, even parents. Hoteliers should take this as a positive step and support the FDA. In fact, I had suggested some time ago that some food chains should carry a statutory warning on junk food, which notifies consumers about the number of calories they are consuming.”
Yavatmal district in the Vidharbha region of Maharashtra has been suffering from a terrible fate for a few years. The area has been drought-stricken, causing many farmers to take their lives.
What could a lone farmer do when the rain Gods decide to give their villages a miss for years?
Even when it did rain in Yavatmal, intensive deforestation and soil erosion caused the water to slide off the hills, not giving the farmers an opportunity to store it for a rainy day (sense the paradox?).
Devendra Fadnavis, Chief Minister, Maharashtra, told said, “The area under Rabi and summer crops shrunk sharply due to mere 66 percent of the average rainfall during the Kharif season in 2017.”
The district with primary occupation of agriculture found itself in a tough position until recently. According to media reports, an innovative form of irrigation was introduced.
6,000 ‘Farm Pools’ were built under the ‘farm pool on demand’ scheme that started in February 2016.
Under this scheme, a pit is dug up at regular distances that can store and harvest rainwater for future use. This ‘protected irrigation’ restricts rainwater from flowing away to be used on dry days. It will increase the groundwater levels too.
How did the Yavatmal farmers get the farm pools and how will the farmers benefit from them?
Rajesh Deshmukh, Collector, Yavatmal, told the publication that about 10,518 farmers had applied for this scheme online, out of whom 8,355 applications were found to be technically eligible. “Out of these, the construction of around 6,200 farm pools has been completed in about six months,” he added.
These farm pools will result in 6,000 hectares of land protected under the irrigation method.
Representational image of a Maharashtrian farmer. Credits: Yogendra Joshi.
Although the authorities saw resistance from contractors initially, farmers assured them that they would pay for the pools as soon as the government transferred the required amount in their bank accounts set the wheels turning. Madan Yerawar, Minister of State for Tourism, said, “We guaranteed that farmers will pay the bills to machine-holders after the money gets credited to their accounts. Hence, contractors also agreed to get involved in the work.”
The farmers who have applied for the farm pools would be preferred for silk farming, Deshmukh said that they would also be given benefits of diesel engines and electric pumps that they would require for it. According to Deshmukh, they will also be provided with drip irrigation systems to take benefit of the farm pools under the Prime Minister’s Agricultural Irrigation Scheme.
The farm pools promise a year of better irrigation and consequently, better crops for the farmers of Yavatmal. With 6,200 pools being dug up before the monsoon, let’s hope that the rainy season is generous this year, helping farmers cultivate crops to their optimum capacity.
“Had I completed my education beyond grade X, my life would have been completely different today,” says 60-year-old Lata Jadhav from Tilwani village in Maharashtra’s Kolhapur district.
Two decades ago, Lata embarked on a journey of freedom. A journey which made her attempt suicide twice!
A victim of patriarchy and domestic violence, Lata went on to become the first woman in Tilwani village to start her grocery shop.
A life of struggle
Lata’s mother was an Anganwadi teacher and an agricultural labourer. After spending three years in the military, her father returned to the village and began work at a grind mill unit in Kolhapur city. For seven months, Lata accompanied her mother to the Anganwadi in Kolhapur’s Wadange village, but neither of them was paid for the work. Eventually, the Anganwadi shut down.
Her father passed away battling cancer, and the family’s responsibilities fell on Lata’s mother. “It became difficult for my mother to educate all seven children, but she tried her best,” Lata says.
The beginning of injustice
“After completing my grade X, I got a marriage proposal. I wanted to study further, but my family didn’t allow me to,” she says. Soon, Lata got married, which brought in the years uncalled for.
For eight years, Lata worked as an agricultural labourer in the field owned by her father-in-law. For her back-breaking labour, she wasn’t paid any money. “My father-in-law would keep saying that he had to pay for the damage caused [to the villagers] by my alcoholic husband,” she shares.
Her husband, Balaso Jadhav, worked both as a farmer and an agricultural labourer. He would go sugarcane cutting in the nearby villages of Sajani, Rui six months every year. Alcoholism coupled with physical violence changed Lata’s life for worse.
With tears in her eyes, she narrates, “Every day my husband would beat me with every possible thing [sickle, stick] he could find. He didn’t like my habit of reading books. He broke my glasses thrice so that I couldn’t read the books. After I started the grocery shop, he would come here and pull my hair dragging me outside the shop. This was followed by the swearing and bad mouthing. Everyone in the community saw this violence, but no one tried helping me. At times, I used to lock myself up in the shop for safety. He used to take paan masala from the shop every day and would steal even the bare minimum I earned.”
Each time, her call for help would fall on deaf ears, as the community members would say, “Why should we interfere in someone else’s family issues?” She even tried approaching the Panchayat for help, but they never responded to her.
Lata alleges that her husband married thrice. “After I was married to him, a few women told me about his first wife who had left within a few months of the marriage,” she says.
On and off, Lata would visit her mother’s place in the Wadange village of Kolhapur, but there was no one to help her battle this. “During one such time, he married another woman, claiming I was dead. My friends told the woman about his marriage with me. Immediately, she left him,” adds Lata.
Now, Lata had taken a firm decision to leave Balaso alone. For two years, she did not return from her mother’s place. Balaso then went to the Government school in her village and took the son with him, leaving behind the daughter. “He said at the school that I left him,” says Lata.
Within two years, Balaso came to Lata and tricked her into returning to the village. The same cycle of alcoholism and physical violence haunted Lata again.
Suicide attempts
One morning, in the late 70s, Lata was walking towards the nearby well, which was more than 60 feet deep. “The community members were aware of the violence I faced every day. Two women from the community knew my intentions, and they immediately pulled me back even before I could jump into the well,” she remembers. They took me to the house, made me drink water and consoled me.
On 15th August, close to three decades ago, Lata made another attempt. “I couldn’t bear the violence anymore. I jumped in the nearby lake and was about to drown. My son [three and a half years old at the time] saw this and ran to my husband. Somehow, he managed to save me,” she recollects.
Forthwith, Lata went to her village Wadange for three days. However, she had to return because of societal pressure.
Road to Empowerment
Lata’s son would always support her in this fight against patriarchy and violence. “When he grew older, he started supporting me,” she recalls.
Soon, her son had set up a cycle repairing shop in the central part of the village. However, he started selling country liquor, something which Lata detested.
It was during this time [the late 90s] when Lata decided to start her grocery shop and shift her son to agriculture.
Lata Jadhav was content when she had finally opened her grocery shop. Lata’s decision met with tremendous resistance from her husband. However, Balaso realised that Lata wasn’t willing to give up on her dreams of being independent.
Lata became the first woman in Tilwani village to run a grocery shop without male interference. “I haven’t faced any problems in this business because everyone knows my struggle. All the suppliers and the villagers respect me a lot today,” she says, smiling.
Balaso, in his late 60s, passed away in a road accident on the outskirts of Tilwani village in 2017. “During the last two years of his life, Balaso didn’t beat me once. I always think about what changed in these two years,” says Lata, as she closes her shop for the day.
Backbreaking labour
Lata’s day starts at 6 am when she has to milk the cows and buffaloes and collect the dung. This collectively takes nearly three hours, in the morning and late afternoon. She then goes to the grocery shop, where she works until 1 pm. Later, Lata has to walk at least 4 km back and forth to Sajani village, thrice a week, to collect fodder for the animals. She resumes her grocery work from 6 pm until 9.30 pm, every day.
A proud feminist, Lata says, “Now, everyone in the village respects me. The supply side in this grocery business is male-dominated, and I want all the women to fight for their rights, for their freedom.”
The villagers look at Lata as their role model, and a lot of women discuss their problems with her.
A confident farmer, Lata also looks after her half an acre of agricultural land in Sajani village, 2 km from her village.
He is a brilliant strategist, an able analyst and now, a chess prodigy!
Raunak Sadhwani, a resident of Nagpur, has recently secured the title of an International Master (IM)! You’d think that this powerhouse of talent has had several years of training, practice and experience in championships, but Raunak is only a 12-year-old boy!
Raunak is the youngest IM from Maharashtra and the second IM from Nagpur. The first IM from Nagpur is Anup Deshmukh, who secured the title in 1999.
But what is IM and how did Raunak secure this title?
An IM title requires a player to clear three norms—high-level performance in a chess tournament—and to maintain an international rating of ‘Elo’ points.
Securing the IM title is no easy task. Credits: Raunak Sadhwani.
Elo, named after its creator Arpad Elo is a method to calculate the relative skill levels of players in zero-sum games.
Raunak started his journey to clear these requirements at the age of 11 years and 7 months. During the Felix Cup tournament held in Romania from May 25-28 2018, he completed all three requisite norms to become an International Master.
Speaking to the Times of India about this fantastic achievement, Raunak said, “I am glad about my success. This IM title has given me a lot of self-belief and confidence.
But I don’t want to stop here, and will work harder now as my next aim is to become Grand Master soon and represent India in prestigious International events.”
Raunak is trained by two Grandmasters, Swapnil Dhopade and Amonatov Farrukh. Dhopade, incidentally, is the only Grandmaster from the Vidharbha region of Maharashtra. Speaking to TOI, he said, “Raunak came to me when he was 10. I realised that he is extremely talented and hardworking and has a bright future. To become an IM at such a young age is an amazing achievement. He worked really hard for this.”
Balancing school and his training to maintain an international rating must undoubtedly be quite a challenge for Raunak. Elaborating on the support that Raunak receives from his parents, Bharat and Heena Sadhwani, Dhopade said, “A huge credit to his parents who always remained hopeful of his future. Parental support is the most important thing for [a] sportsman, and Raunak’s parents have always been there for him. I feel he will achieve greater things in life. The next step is the Grand Master title.”
Based on the way Raunak’s career is shaping up, it wouldn’t be far-fetched to say that he will definitely achieve the GM title. Young talents like Raunak have consistently made India proud, and we hope that his incredible success in a relatively short span of time will help the young prodigy soar higher.
On Tuesday, as reported in Nagpur Today, the Maharashtra cabinet approved a Concession Agreement, for the Rs 46,000 crore Mumbai-Nagpur Super Communication Expressway, also known as the ‘Samruddhi Corridor.’
The agreement addresses issues like mitigation and unbundling of risks, allocation of risks and rewards, and symmetry of obligations between principal parties. The State Government, and the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), have signed the agreement. The latter now has to achieve financial closure by June end.
This expressway is an ambitious project, and here are some interesting facts about it.
The Mumbai-Nagpur Super Communication Expressway will reduce travel times considerably, amongst other things. Representative image only. Image Credit: Rohit Patwardhan (Wikimedia Commons)
1. The expressway is an 8-lane road project, which will cut the present travel time between Mumbai and Nagpur (16 hours) by almost half.
2. The project is known as the Samruddhi Mahamarg, or Prosperity Corridor.
3. The expressway will run through 10 districts, 26 tehsils, and 390 villages. It will connect Nagpur, Buldhana, Amravati, Wardha, Washim, Thane, Aurangabad, Akola, Bhiwandi, and Nashik with Mumbai.
4. The state government plans to develop 24 nodes or prosperity hubs, including truck terminals, commercial sites, knowledge cities, IT industries, manufacturing units, etc., to boost the economy of the region.
5. The expressway will have underpasses, flyovers, and interchanges, at major road intersections. The route will avoid major cities and will provide for vehicular and pedestrian underpasses, at every village and town it goes through.
6. The project aims to be green and sustainable and will use solar lighting to ensure energy efficiency.
7. Traveller amenities like telephones, food plazas, restaurants and shops, that will be positioned every 5 km will help commuters. There will also be trauma centres, truck terminals and bus bays.
8. The expressway aims to set standards in safety, and CCTV cameras will be placed along the entire route.
9. The expressway is a functioning Maharashtra State Highway but is being built using National Express Highway standards.
10. The highway will have an alarm system, which will attract firefighting and first-aid groups to the site of a mishap, immediately.
The expressway will not only improve connectivity within Maharashtra but also boost the economy by creating job opportunities and attracting investments in the districts it will pass through.
(Edited by Gayatri Mishra)
Like this story? Or have something to share? Write to us: contact@thebetterindia.com, or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.
NEW: Click here to get positive news on WhatsApp!
It is the pursuit of knowledge that takes a man from darkness to light, and it is said that no matter how much knowledge you have, it is never complete or enough. Dr Shrikant Jichkar was someone who followed a similar school of thought, and you will be baffled with his educational qualifications—the man had acquired 20 degrees!
Yes, that is true. Dr Jichkar was a scholar in a variety of fields ranging from journalism to medicine! While he began by pursuing and completing an MBBS degree, once he received it, he realised that apart from medicine, he was just as interested in other fields. And this is how he began his educational pursuits.
Dr Jichkar completed his MBBS, LLB, MBA, DBM, Bachelors in Journalism (B Journ at that time), and his MA degrees are in Public Administration, Sociology, Economics, History, English Literature, Philosophy, Political Science, Ancient Indian History, Culture and Archaeology and Psychology.
Is it a surprise then, that he had an in-house library of about 52,000 books?
Dr Jichkar’s thirst for academic knowledge did not end here. He even secured a D Litt in Sanskrit—the highest educational degree one can acquire in the subject. Later in life, he single-handedly established the Sanskrit University in Maharashtra and served as its Chancellor.
Born in 1954 near the Nagpur district of Maharashtra, Dr Jichkar’s journey towards attaining these degrees began when he was just a 19-year-old. Between 1973-1990, he spent his summers and winters appearing for University exams.
In 1978, Dr Jichkar appeared for the Indian Civil Service examination. Needless to say, he passed and was selected for the Indian Police Service (IPS).
However, he had loftier aims, so he resigned and reappeared for the exams—and hit the bulls-eye this time as he got selected to the Indian Administrative Service (IAS).
Jichkar with a Limca book of records trophy. Source.
After four months of serving as an IAS officer, Dr Jichkar contested the general elections and was elected to the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly in 1980. He was just 26 years old, and became the youngest MLA in the country!
Regardless of his young age, it was evident that Dr Jichkar was an able administrator and was assigned 14 portfolios in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly where he served from 1982–1985. The next year, in 1986, he started his term in the Maharashtra Legislative Council and served there till 1992. That year, he was elected as a member of the Rajya Sabha.
In 1999, when Dr Jichkar lost the Rajya Sabha elections, he turned his focus to travelling. He had always been an artist at heart and enjoyed painting, photography and performing in plays. He travelled to various parts of the country to speak about health, education and religion. At the same time, he also represented India at UNESCO.
In his mid-forties, he was diagnosed with cancer in his adrenal glands. Although he battled the disease, life had other plans for him.
On the fateful night of 2nd June 2004, Dr Jichkar was driving his friend home from a farm in their native district of Nagpur when a bus slammed into their car. That night, Dr Jichkar passed away at a young age of just 49 years.
Although he had a relatively short life, it is evident that the doctor, lawyer, IPS and IAS officer and politician lived a full life. His name has been immortalised in the Limca Book of Records as the most educated man in India. If there is any inspiration we can take from Dr Jichkar, it is that we should follow our passion and heart, as this decision will undoubtedly lead us towards greater achievements.
I vividly remember my moment of epiphany. It was a balmy afternoon in early 1996 in Warora, a small township in northern Maharashtra. I was posted as a manager of my bank’s branch, dealing mostly with rural clients. I was busy trawling through the day’s mail and marking papers for concerned desks.
Although transactions had not commenced, there was, as usual, an undisciplined crowd of customers waiting for the main door to swing open.
I was distracted by the yells of customers and the clumping of heavy boots of clients from the military barracks when my assistant interrupted me, saying that a group of women wanted to meet me.
At first, I hesitated, but my instincts suggested otherwise. I agreed. I beckoned them to sit. Their leader didn’t waste much time and said they had come to seek a loan to set up a business.
Three women who would go on to be part of the Women’s Collective.
They answered my next questions confidently. Finally, I fired a fast one, “How will you repay the money? It is not a government dole. Every pie has to be returned. What can you offer as security in lieu of this loan?” The women turned to each other, for answers. The chirpiest in the group was the demure and petite Veena Raut, a commerce graduate, who later assumed the stewardship of the group.
The content of their pitch was that if I trusted them and gave them a chance, they would live up to my expectations. These women represented the aspiring generation that was trying its luck with innovative development strategies that were being aggressively promoted, both by the government and the banking sector.
This was also the time when, if you asked somebody about the most promising innovation for women’s development, the answer would invariably be ‘microcredit’.
Microcredit had emerged as a powerful tool for shaping the entrepreneurial impulses of the impoverished–particularly women. It was based on the extension of small loans (microloans) to a group of people, who typically lacked collateral, steady employment and verifiable credit history; yet they could ensure hundred percent repayment by using peer pressure.
Group loans to women were highly popular, and we had received good results in rural areas. They had already given us a hint of their potential.
The idea had excited me a great deal, and I was keen to try it with women in urban slums.
Members of the Priyadarshini Mahila Udyog.
I visited these women in their homes and was impressed by their determination and solidarity. Their cautious approach could be mistaken as a lack of confidence, but with time, I understood them better.
After a few meetings, in which I addressed all their queries, the group was formally launched.
With the help of the district administration, I secured a grant for a two-week Entrepreneurship Development Programme (EDP) for development of relevant business and managerial skills; business planning; technical training related to the production of goods; book-keeping and inventory management; preparation of business plans for loans; and storage and warehousing. This incubation helped them refine their overall confidence and interaction skills.
The group was christened Priyadarshini Mahila Udyog. I decided to devote each Sunday for a month, to help the group establish its business.
The nearest industrial township in Nagpur assisted them in designing their gadgets and machinery. We would travel to Nagpur by jeep in the morning and return to Warora in the evening. A few visits helped crystallise our plans.
We decided to purchase scaled-down versions of the equipment used for manufacturing food items for schoolchildren.
One of the industrial units supplied a modified popcorn-manufacturing machine suitable for local needs. It could be operated on petroleum gas.
The unit also introduced us to a local printer who agreed to supply polythene packets in bulk with the group’s logo branded on them.
A candle manufacturer had one standard mould. He later helped us acquire several moulds from Mumbai, for fancy candles which won the unit a strong brand in the district.
The Municipal Council of Warora solved the marketing issue with bulk orders for chalk sticks, candles and broomsticks. The local grocers offered to serve as retail outlets for the unit.
The Hindustan Petroleum Corporation provided priority connection for LPG, and the Municipal Council provided a shop in its commercial complex at a fair discount. The State Electricity Board provided a priority electric connection.
Veena later graduated to become an assistant in the government’s development administration and is now a Village Officer heading the administration of a large village in Yavatmal district.
The group has since been shepherded by Minakshi Wankhede, who also doubles as a home guard with the local police authorities. Her association with the local police has boosted the business in various ways. Minakshi’s leadership augured well for the group. She lacked Veena’s capabilities, but the consolidation of business took place during her leadership.
As the group’s capital increased, it decided to diversify, acquiring a machine for making vermicelli and another for camphor balls. In their spare time, the women would engage in tailoring work, the most popular being the stitching of pico falls.
Soon, a flood of accolades followed.
The group, represented by Minakshi Wankhede and Shashi Narole, was felicitated by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at a special function in Mumbai, on June 4, 2005.
Felicitation of the Priyadarshini Mahila Udyog.
The group also bid and won the tender for supplying mid-day meals to school children.
Earlier these contracts were being cornered by underlings of local political leaders. The unit now supplies mid-day meals to over thousand children, ensuring dignified employment for a dozen women.
Cooking begins at 9 am in the industrial kitchen, which is a tarp hung on four posts, jabbed into an empty patch. An all-female crew prepares giant vats of savoury rice and lentil porridge. Workers cook several kilograms of rice, curry and vegetables in giant steel pots. They stir curry with paddles the size of oars. Amidst the sounds of clanging metal, I often found the women hard at work.
During one of my visits to the schools where these ladies served the meals, the teachers complimented me for the excellent quality of food. Earlier, they had to throw away half the supply on account of its insipid taste. Now, there were no leftovers. Children also brought tiffins to take some food to their homes. When they ate nutritious food, their attendance also improved.
The group’s latest success is the sanction of an outlet of the Public Distribution System (PDS), the government programme that supplies subsidised food grains to the poor.
The honesty of the group members is reflected in the happiness of consumers; they get the full eligible ration on time and at fair rates. This has helped other PDS outlets too. As in all spheres, benchmarking improves ethical practices.
Fast forward to 2018
Supplying subsidised food grains to the poor is one of the group’s successes.
Twenty years has been a long period for women from varying religious, linguistic and caste hues to remain under a common umbrella. Life for them has changed in other ways too. They recall those days when they were rag-pickers and made a scant living by segregating and selling papers, plastics, metal and other scraps. They suffered scorn for being in a contemptible profession, but even in today’s better times, they face displeasure, the reason now is more modern–economic envy.
The younger members left the town after getting married, while some retired. Of the original group, only three members remain–Minakshi Wankhede, Shashi Narole and Zaibun. Though age has mellowed them, the youthful glint is palpable. They now have improved dwellings; their children lead better and healthier lives, and they have investments in the form of bank deposits and plots of land.
The group’s journey has great lessons for me, as for the larger society. By tenaciously plotting the contours through the vicissitudes of time and negotiating rigid social norms, the group has shaped a heroic trajectory. It is a compelling and inspiring story of resolute perseverance and dignity inspired by the struggle to escape the enduring grasp of poverty.
Putting the right supporting structures in place can make the ecosystem for female entrepreneurs more congenial, fostering a culture of equality. Entrepreneurship is a powerful path to reducing poverty and empowering women. It creates financial independence which is modern society’s strongest currency.
In the words of Nobel Laureate Prof Mohammad Yunus, “Credit is one door through which people can escape poverty. Many more doors and windows can be created to facilitate an easy exit. It involves conceptualising about people differently; it involves designing a new institutional framework, consistent with this new conceptualisation.”
Celebrating World Food Safety Day, in a first-of-its-kind attempt in the country, Maharashtra’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) kicked off a rating system for restaurants.
Under this system, restaurants will be rated on a scale of zero to five stars on several parameters that emphasise hygiene and customer safety.
In the first phase, the FDA carried out the rating for 30 restaurants. These included 15 in Mumbai, 10 in Pune and five in Nagpur, which got their star ratings at a public function by officials on Thursday.
Pallavi Darade, Commissioner, FDA, spoke to The Times of India, highlighting the purpose of the unique rating system.
She said, “The food hygiene rating given will reflect our inspection findings. The purpose of this scheme is to allow consumers to make informed choices about the places where they eat out. The aim is to reduce the incidence of food-borne illnesses and associated costs to the economy.”
So how does this system help you and me? Let’s find out!
The restaurants will have to complete an online self-assessment for hygiene, which would be later followed by FDA inspectors inspecting the restaurants.
The parameters that these restaurants will be rated on include cleanliness, design and facilities, availability of water and soap, non-toxic fittings, walls free of flakes, window nets, sufficient light and air, food thawed hygienically, proper reheating, use of good oil etc.
The FDA will also use a scoring system to rate how well a food business is run. While the best restaurant will get five stars, the worst will get none.
Another unique way these assessments will benefit restaurants is the opportunity to earn a tag that identifies them as a “responsible place to eat”. The only way to be rated on this parameter is if the staff maintains hygiene and undergoes periodic health checks, every six months.
The staff will also have to ensure that the surplus food at the restaurant is not wasted but donated and that their beverages are made in potable water, and cooking methods are hygienic.
These eateries and joints will also be rated on the advice they give out to customers, whether it is about maintaining a balanced diet or minimising their sugar and salt intake. They can create awareness through posters, display screen, menu etc.
Restaurants will also receive brownie points if their kitchens are open to consumers who want to check if the food handlers and cooks wear protective gear.
Eateries that have an effective consumer redressal mechanism in place including WhatsApp numbers and emails will be considered too.
These are some of the 20 parameters that will be used to examine restaurants.
This system was carried out on a pilot basis. If put into place, it can go a long way in ensuring food security and safety across India.
When Aurangabad-based Omkar Deshpande’s sister, Pooja, was to marry Devendra Pathak, the pressure on the traditional family was huge. It was the first wedding in their home and the last few months had been particularly difficult for the family due to the death of a loved one and serious health issues of the others.
Naturally, both families wanted to have a smooth wedding ceremony.
Speaking to The Better India, Omkar says, “During ecstatic moments like a wedding, the guests offer blessings to the newly-wed couple. But do we ever think about the practical outcome of these oral blessings and prayers? It may give psychological satisfaction but does it ensure the happiness and prosperity of the couple?”
With this in mind, the family decided to try innovative ways to give meaningful blessings to the couple, all in an environment-friendly way.
1. Plant Parenting
Using the concept of child adoption in an environmental setting, the family distributed 50 saplings and asked their guests to grow them with the same love and care they would show while raising a child. Apart from sowing and watering it daily, the guests were requested to spend small amounts from their own pockets to build fences or protection around the budding plant to protect them.
“We have a population of 132 crores. Even if each of us pledges to become parents to one sapling, we could make the nation a greener place. Ours was only a small attempt at raising awareness about the concept. Instead of giving the newly-wedded couple a verbal blessing, we thought we would request guests to show it through their actions. Secure them and their future kids with cleaner air, water and a greener environment. All it would take is–planting a sapling and raising it like a child,” says Omkar.
2. Blood donation
One blood unit can save three people as it is separated out into plasma, RBCs, and leukocytes. The blood bank made each of the guests aware of the benefits of donation. When asked about why the blood would have to be sold when we were donating it for free, the authorities explained that every unit has to be tested for any blood transmitted diseases (aids, malaria, TB), which requires resources. Besides, the blood bank worked as a Trust and would require a certain profit margin to run.
The family was a bit reluctant at the start since the wedding was in the noon, and they were sceptical about the guests volunteering to donate blood during the summer. But the blood bank assured them that they were equipped to handle such instances.
At the venue, over 16 guests complied by donating blood. Omkar carried out the donation drive with the assistance of the city-based Dattaji Bhale Blood Bank.
3. Organ donor registration
As part of his research, Omkar had visited Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, (PGIMER), Chandigarh, which housed an eye donation centre. The idea of donating his eyes appealed to him, and he registered at the centre at the time.
He decided to create awareness about the concept at the wedding too. “Organ donation is just as important as blood donation. We should see organ donation as an opportunity to live in this world even after death,” shares Omkar.
They had over 20 organ donation registrations, including the bride and groom. The Zonal Transplantation Coordination Committee (ZTCC), Aurangabad, assisted them in this cause.
4. Other green initiatives
Further, the usage of plastic cutlery for consumption of beverages water was minimised. These were served in steel glasses and cups instead.
A popular Hindu tradition ‘akshata’ where the rice grains are showered on the couple as a metaphor for ‘blessing’ was alternated with flower petals. “There are millions of people who don’t have enough to eat.. So why to waste or disrespect the food, by wasting it?” asks Omkar.
To avoid food wastage, they had a buffet system where placards were put up requesting guests only to take the portion they were confident they could finish.
They discarded the tradition of donning turbans as these are disposable ones made out of non-degradable pieces of cloth and are later burnt adding to environmental pollution. Additionally, they also avoided bursting firecrackers or playing high decibel music.
Omkar now hopes to create a WhatsApp group for all the guests through a unique initiative called ‘selfie-with-saplings’, where plant parents will be encouraged to send selfies at regular intervals to ensure the saplings grow into trees.
“I have a rough plan to celebrate the wedding anniversary as birthdays of the saplings with all the plant parents in a separate function by next year,” he beams.
It is thrilling to see couples and their families, redefine the quintessential Big Fat Indian Wedding. The initiative was a success, as not only the bride but also the groom and his family extended their unconditional support.
Omkar concludes, “Most people think if they want to bring about a positive change in this world, they need to be in an influential position. But that’s not true. At individual levels, each one of us can step forward and do our bit.”
Amen, to that.
If Omkar’s ideas inspired you, get in touch with him on 9422709920 or write to him at omdeshpande227@gmail.com
