E-Weekly-3/52
Green Earth Movement
An E-Newsletter for the cause of Environment, Peace, Harmony and Justice
Remember - “you and I can decide the future”
AN OCEAN OF CHANGE POSSIBLE
Three years ago, Mumbai church celebrated the ‘Year of Care for creation’. During
this year, Mumbai parishes, church groups and individuals have taken various
initiatives to make the ‘Year of care of creation’ fruitful. GEM (Green Earth
Movement) E-Newsletter was born in this ‘Year of Care for Creation’ as an
individual initiative. Initially, though GEM was mailed to small number of readers,
gradually its mail list increased. Today the GEM is reaching to thousands of
readers via direct email or as forwards by its recipients.
I must humbly admit that, GEM may not have made a revolutionary change in the
world or to its readers. The impact of GEM is just like a drop in the ocean.
However, if each one of the thousands of readers who receive this e-newsletter
adds one more drop, surely there would be an ocean of change.
In this selfish, consumerist and materialistic world, people do not have time or
inclination to think about the future of Mother Earth. They want to consume as
much as possible, accumulate as much as possible and want to make life as
comfortable and easy as much as possible. All this is being done at the cost of
exploitation of Mother Earth. Due to this selfish, consumerist and materialistic way
of living, we not only disrespect God who has gifted us this beautiful earth, but
also show our insensitivity towards the future generations, our own children and
children’s children.
GEM is doing its bit to bring awareness on various issues, especially connected
with environment. Peace, Harmony and Justice. These issues are linked to each
other, as Pope emeritus Benedict XVI says, “If you want to cultivate peace, protect
creation.”
The words of Pope Benedict XVI are very much true. Today, if there is so much
lack of peace, it is mainly because of human greed. The greed leads to exploitation
of God’s creation through myriads of ways (nature pollution, corruption,
communalism, exploitation of the weak and vulnerable, gender discrimination and
so on). The logical conclusion is that, when we protect creation i.e. when we
respect and love God’s creation, we cultivate peace (in our heart and in our
surroundings).
AS GEM celebrates the fourth anniversary, I would like to take this opportunity to
sincerely thank you for your keen interest, for your feedbacks and good words, for
your write ups and inputs, and most of all taking cue from the ideas published in
the GEM and putting them into action. With your blessing and collaboration, GEM
E-newsletter may inspire more and more to work for a cleaner and a greener earth
to make this world a better place to live in.
Fr Felix Rebello
Editor
 Priest pleads for pope to make the
environment a top priority
 GEM – Inspirational series
 Readers’ Letters
 BMC told to shelter rescued birds
 Vashi: NGOs push citizens to ditch
plastic
 Maharashtra: Rise of the green guards
 BMC clears building on ‘mangrove land’
 Encroachers use heavy diggers on
Belapur Hill, locals demand action
 PCMC standing panel’s work to go
paperless
 Supreme Court cancels Karnataka's all
49 mining leases
 Ban mining and thermal plants in 37%
of western ghats: govt panel
 Moily promises gas-based power to
twin-districts
 HC restrains govt from removing
trees in Chakganjariya for IT City
 Industrial waste polluting
Sundarbans ecosystem: Report
 US taken to court over Philippine
reef damage
 Thirty-three percent of world’s
poorest live in India
 Mobile apps bring youngsters closer
to God
 Karnataka Persecution Victims
Render Tales of Woe
 Car Pool for the Visually Challenged
persons
 Establishing Homelink of runaways
 Citing financial problems, Vatican
withholds election-year staff bonus
 REST IN PEACE FR SALU...
 Health Benefits of Consuming Dates
 Thank You : Soumya's family, three
others get Rs 12 lac help
 GEM PLUS – Appeals etc
 GEM LAUGH TIME
Thought for the week
Most of our behaviour comes from greed, lack of selfconfidence, lack of confidence in the nation, and lack of
respect for the society. To borrow Gandhi's words: There is
enough in this world for everyone's need, but not enough for
everyone's greed. Let us work towards a society where we
would do unto others what we would have others do unto us.
Let us all be responsible citizens who make our country a great
place to live.
Mr Narayana Murthy
(Read GEM Inspirational series later)
Priest pleads for pope to
make the environment a
top priority
From LA Times, courtesy: ucannews
As the shopkeepers in this capital city readied
for St. Patrick’s Day under typically
intermittent
rainy
skies,
Father
Sean
McDonagh’s attention was on the new pope’s
agenda. The Columban priest, whose order has
a long tradition of missionary work, has been
an outspoken critic of Vatican policies. With Pope Francis’ honeymoon period
underway he, like many, is waiting to see what issues will be at the center of the
new papal agenda.
McDonagh, 69, believes Francis needs to go green, making environmentalism the
No. 1 priority for the Catholic Church. And he’s willing to appeal to the sweet
tooth to make his point. “Do you like chocolate? You can almost be sure that in
your lifetime...the cacao plant that produces chocolate, will be extinct. It's a
rain forest plant and we are taking over the habitat.” said McDonagh, who sat
down this weekend with a group of USC students who are studying international
reporting on religion.
But McDonagh said he doubts Pope Francis will embrace environmentalism.
“Rome isn't open to it,” he said. “It's deaf and blind.” How big a role religion
plays in environmental issues is unclear. A September 2010 Pew study found that
only 6% of American churchgoers said their religious beliefs are the biggest
influence on what they think about tougher environmental laws. Those surveyed
said education and the media had more influence in how they formed their
opinions.
While the Vatican has taken firm positions on social issues such as gay marriage
and abortion, less attention is given to the church’s record on environmental
work. Under Pope Benedict XVI, solar panels were installed on the Holy See's
ancient buildings and the Vatican made plans to off-set carbon emissions with a
yet-to-be planted forest in Hungary.
Benedict’s predecessor, Pope John Paul II, also touched on environmental issues
in his tenure, calling the ecological crisis a “moral issue” in his 1989 World Day
of Peace message. Still, Dublin's Archbishop Diarmuid Martin, 67, said he believes
Rome’s role lies not in environmental advocacy but in education. “I believe the
principle commitment of the church to social justice isn't in being a lobby
organization,” he said, “but being a body which educates its members to be
responsible in society.” He spoke to USC students about the selection of the
new pope at the library at his residence, where thousands of books lined the wall
from floor to ceiling. Martin said Catholics should apply the values they have
learned at Mass and from understanding “creation is God’s creation” to build
consensus on environmental issues and put their faith in action. The idea of
putting the message into motion reminded Martin of an old Irish saying: Paddy
Murphy went to Mass, and never missed a Sunday. But Paddy Murphy went to
hell, for what he did on Monday!
GEM INSPIRATIONAL SERIES
Mr. Narayana Murthy does not pull his punches. This is one the most incisive and factually true
speech that I heard. Every Indian should read this. If you feel the same, please send it to all your
friends.
E-forward by
mario miranda <mirandablr@gmail.com>
Western values are usually seen in India as not worthy of emulation. Narayana Murthy
on values to emulate for Indians. Interesting speech rather than uniquely perceptive.
Narayana Murthy on Western Values
Ladies and gentlemen:
It is a pleasure to be here at the Lal Bahadur Shastri Institute of Management. Lal Bahadur
Shastri was a man of strong values and he epitomized simple living. He was a freedom fighter
and innovative administrator who contributed to nation building in full measure. It is indeed a
matter of pride for me to be chosen for the Lal Bahadur Shastri Award for Public Administration
and Management Sciences. I thank the jury for this honour.
When I got the invitation to speak here, I decided to speak on an important topic on which I
have pondered for years - the role of Western values in contemporary Indian society. Coming
from a company that is built on strong values, the topic is close to my heart. Moreover, an
organization is representative of society, and some of the lessons that I have learnt are
applicable in the national context. In fact, values drive progress and define quality of life in
society.
The word community joins two Latin words com ("together" or "with") and onus ("one"). A
community, then, is both one and many. It is a unified multitude and not a mere group of
people. As it is said in the Vedas: Man can live individually, but can survive only collectively.
Hence, the challenge is to form a progressive community by balancing the interests of the
individual and that of the society. To meet this, we need to develop a value system where
people accept modest sacrifices for the common good.
What is a value system? It is the protocol for behavior that enhances the trust, confidence and
commitment of members of the community. It goes beyond the domain of legality - it is about
decent and desirable behavior. Further, it includes putting the community interests ahead of
your own. Thus, our collective survival and progress is predicated on sound values.
There are two pillars of the cultural value system - loyalty to family and loyalty to community.
One should not be in isolation to the other, because, successful societies are those which
combine both harmoniously. It is in this context that I will discuss the role of Western values in
contemporary Indian society.
Some of you here might say that most of what I am going to discuss are actually Indian values
in old ages, and not Western values. I live in the present, not in the bygone era. Therefore, I
have seen these values practiced primarily in the West and not in India. Hence, the title of the
topic.
I am happy as long as we practice these values - whether we call it Western or old Indian
values. As an Indian, I am proud to be part of a culture, which has deep-rooted family values.
We have tremendous loyalty to the family. For instance, parents make enormous sacrifices for
their children. They support them until they can stand on their own feet. On the other side,
children consider it their duty to take care of aged parents.
We believe: Mathru devo bhava - mother is God, and pithru devo bhava - father is God.
Further, brothers and sisters sacrifice for each other. In fact, the eldest brother or sister is
respected by all the other siblings. As for marriage, it is held to be a sacred union – husband
and wife are bonded, most often, for life. In joint families, the entire family works towards the
welfare of the family. There is so much love and affection in our family life. This is the essence
of Indian values and one of our key strengths. Our families act as a critical
support mechanism for us. In fact, the credit to the success of Infosys goes, as much to the
founders as to their families, for supporting them through the tough times. Unfortunately, our
attitude towards family life is not reflected in our attitude towards community behaviour. From
littering the streets to corruption to breaking of contractual obligations, we are apathetic to
the common good. In the West - the US, Canada, Europe, Australia, New Zealand - individuals
understand that they have to be responsible towards their community.
The primary difference between the West and us is that, there, people have a much better
societal orientation. They care more for the society than we do. Further, they generally sacrifice
more for the society than us. Quality of life is enhanced because of this. This is where we need
to learn from the West. I will talk about some of the lessons that we, Indians, can learn from the
West.
In the West, there is respect for the public good. For instance, parks free of litter, clean streets,
public toilets free of graffiti – all these are instances of care for the public good. On the
contrary, in India, we keep our houses clean and water our gardens everyday - but, when we
go to a park, we do not think twice before littering the place.
Corruption, as we see in India, is another example of putting the interest of oneself, and at best
that of one's family, above that of the society. Society is relatively corruption free in the West.
For instance, it is very difficult to bribe a police officer into avoiding a speeding ticket.
This is because of the individual's responsible behavior towards the community as a whole On
the contrary, in India, corruption, tax evasion, cheating and bribery have eaten into our vitals.
For instance, contractors bribe officials, and construct low-quality roads and bridges. The result
is that society loses in the form of substandard defense equipment and infrastructure, and lowquality recruitment, just to name a few impediments. Unfortunately, this behavior is condoned
by almost everyone.
Apathy in solving community matters has held us back from making progress, which is
otherwise within our reach. We see serious problems around us but do not try to solve them.
We behave as if the problems do not exist or is somebody else's. On the other hand, in the
West, people solve societal problems proactively. There are several examples of our apathetic
attitude. For instance, all of us are aware of the problem of drought in India.
More than 40 years ago, Dr. K. L. Rao - an irrigation expert, suggested creation of a water grid
connecting all the rivers in North and South India, to solve this problem. Unfortunately, nothing
has been done about this. The story of power shortage in Bangalore is another instance. In
1983, it was decided to build a thermal power plant to meet Bangalore's power requirements.
Unfortunately, we have still not started it. Further, the Milan subway in Bombay is in a
deplorable state for the last 40 years, and no action has been taken.
To quote another example, considering the constant travel required in the software industry;
five years ago, I had suggested a 240-page passport. This would eliminate frequent visits to
the passport office. In fact, we are ready to pay for it. However, I am yet to hear from the
Ministry of External Affairs on this.
We, Indians, would do well to remember Thomas Hunter's words: Idleness travels very slowly,
and poverty soon overtakes it. What could be the reason for all this? We were ruled by
foreigners for over thousand years. Thus, we have always believed that public issues belonged
to some foreign ruler and that we have no role in solving them
Moreover, we have lost the will to proactively solve our own problems. Thus, we have got used
to just executing someone else's orders. Borrowing Aristotle's words: We are what we
repeatedly do. Thus, having done this over the years, the decision-makers in our society are
not trained for solving problems. Our decision-makers look to somebody else to take decisions.
Unfortunately, there is nobody to look up to, and this is the tragedy.
Our intellectual arrogance has also not helped our society. I have travelled extensively, and in
my experience, have not come across another society where people are as contemptuous of
better societies as we are, with as little progress as we have achieved. Remember that
arrogance breeds hypocrisy. No other society gloats so much about the past as we do, with as
little current accomplishment
Friends, this is not a new phenomenon, but at least a thousand years old. For instance, Al
Barouni, the famous Arabic logician and traveller of the 10th century, who spent about 30 years
in India from 997 AD to around 1027 AD, referred to this trait of Indians. According to him,
during his visit, most Indian pundits considered it below their dignity even to hold arguments
with him. In fact, on a few occasions when a pundit was willing to listen to him, and found his
arguments to be very sound, he invariably asked Barouni: which Indian pundit taught these
smart things!
The most important attribute of a progressive society is respect for others who have
accomplished more than they themselves have, and learn from them. Contrary to this, our
leaders make us believe that other societies do not know anything! At the same time, everyday,
in the newspapers, you will find numerous claims from our leaders that ours
is the greatest nation. These people would do well to remember Thomas Carlyle's words: The
greatest of faults is to be conscious of none.
If we have to progress, we have to change this attitude, listen to people who have performed
better than us, learn from them and perform better than them. Infosys is a good example of
such an attitude. We continue to rationalize our failures. No other society has mastered this
part as well as we have. Obviously, this is an excuse to justify our incompetence, corruption,
and apathy. This attitude has to change. As Sir Josiah Stamp has said: It is easy to dodge our
responsibilities, but we cannot dodge the consequences of dodging our responsibilities.
Another interesting attribute, which we Indians can learn from the West, is their accountability.
Irrespective of your position, in the West, you are held accountable for what you do. However,
in India, the more 'important' you are, the less answerable you are. For instance, a senior
politician once declared that he 'forgot' to file his tax returns for 10 consecutive years - and he
got away with it. To quote another instance, there are over 100 loss making public sector units
(central) in India. Nevertheless, I have not seen action taken for bad performance against top
managers in these organizations.
Dignity of labor is an integral part of the Western value system. In the West, each person is
proud about his or her labor that raises honest sweat. On the other hand, in India, we tend to
overlook the significance of those who are not in professional jobs. We have a mind set that
reveres only supposedly intellectual work.
For instance, I have seen many engineers, fresh from college, who only want to do cuttingedge work and not work that is of relevance to business and the country. However, be it an
organization or society, there are different people performing different roles. For success, all
these people are required to discharge their duties. This includes everyone from the CEO to
the person who serves tea - every role is important. Hence, we need a mind set that reveres
everyone who puts in honest work.
Indians become intimate even without being friendly. They ask favours of strangers without any
hesitation. For instance, the other day, while I was traveling from Bangalore to Mantralaya, I
met a fellow traveller on the train. Hardly 5 minutes into the conversation, he requested me to
speak to his MD about removing him from the bottom 10% list in his company, earmarked for
disciplinary action. I was reminded of what Rudyard Kipling once said: A westerner can be
friendly without being intimate while an easterner tends to be intimate without being friendly.
Yet another lesson to be learnt from the West, is about their professionalism in dealings. The
common good being more important than personal equations, people do not let personal
relations interfere with their professional dealings. For instance, they don't hesitate to chastise
a colleague, even if he is a personal friend, for incompetent work. In India, I have seen that we
tend to view even work interactions from a personal perspective. Further, we are the most 'thin-
skinned' society in the world - we see insults where none is meant. This may be because we
were not free for most of the last thousand years. Further, we seem to extend this lack of
professionalism to our sense of punctuality. We do not seem to respect the other person's time.
The Indian Standard Time somehow seems to be always running late. Moreover, deadlines are
typically not met. How many public projects are completed on time? The disheartening aspect
is that we have accepted this as the norm rather than the exception. In the West, they show
professionalism by embracing meritocracy. Meritocracy by definition means that we cannot let
personal prejudices affect our evaluation of an individual's performance. As we increasingly
start to benchmark ourselves with global standards, we have to embrace meritocracy.
In the West, right from a very young age, parents teach their children to be independent in
thinking. Thus, they grow up to be strong, confident individuals. In India, we still suffer from
feudal thinking. I have seen people, who are otherwise bright, refusing to show independence
and preferring to be told what to do by their boss. We need to overcome this attitude if we have
to succeed globally.
The Western value system teaches respect to contractual obligation. In the West, contractual
obligations are seldom dishonoured. This is important - enforceability of legal rights and
contracts is the most important factor in the enhancement of credibility of our people and
nation.
In India, we consider our marriage vows as sacred. We are willing to sacrifice in order to
respect our marriage vows. However, we do not extend this to the public domain. For instance,
India had an unfavorable contract with Enron. Instead of punishing the people responsible for
negotiating this, we reneged on the contract – this was much before we came to know about
the illegal activities at Enron.
To quote another instance, I had given recommendations to several students for the national
scholarship for higher studies in US universities. Most of them did not return to India even
though contractually they were obliged to spend five years after their degree in India.
In fact, according to a professor at a reputed US university, the maximum default rate for
student loans is among Indians - all of these students pass out in flying colors and land
lucrative jobs, yet they refuse to pay back their loans. Thus, their action has made it difficult for
the students after them, from India, to obtain loans. We have to change this attitude.
Further, we Indians do not display intellectual honesty. For example, our political leaders use
mobile phones to tell journalists on the other side that they do not believe in technology! If we
want our youngsters to progress, such hypocrisy must be stopped. We are all aware of our
rights as citizens. Nevertheless, we often fail to acknowledge the duty that accompanies every
right. To borrow Dwight Eisenhower's words: People that values its privileges above its
principles soon loses both. Our duty is towards the community as a whole, as much as it is
towards our families.
We have to remember that fundamental social problems grow out of a lack of commitment to
the common good. To quote Henry Beecher: Culture is that which helps us to work for the
betterment of all. Hence, friends, I do believe that we can make our society even better by
assimilating these Western values into our own culture - we will be stronger for it.
Most of our behavior comes from greed, lack of self-confidence, lack of confidence in the
nation, and lack of respect for the society. To borrow Gandhi's words: There is enough in this
world for everyone's need, but not enough for everyone's greed. Let us work towards a society
where we would do unto others what we would have others do unto us. Let us all be
responsible citizens who make our country a great place to live. In the words of Churchill:
Responsibility is the price of greatness. We have to extend our family values beyond the
boundaries of our home.
Finally, let us work towards maximum welfare of the maximum people - Samasta janaanaam
sukhino bhavantu. Thus, let us - people of this generation, conduct ourselves as great citizens
rather than just good people so that we can serve as good examples for our younger
generation.
READERS’ LETTERS
From,
arcanjosodder@hotmail.com
Dear Fr,
While I appreciate your concern for the environment, I think charity begins at
home. Instead of looking beyond why not look within.
St. Michaels Church Mahim has converted two recreational gardens into
construction sites and has passed plans to put up two towers .Why dont you do
something about it?
I am also attaching a judgment given by the Bombay High Court in 2012 which
specifically disallows a garden once promised to flat owners being done away with
or its area being reduced.
Otherwise it will be a case of giving an excellent sermon but meant only for others.
A.M.Sodder
e-forward from
prof.leorebello@gmail.com
BOOK REVIEW
For favour of publication......
WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION
The New Face of Warfare
By Chitra Lele.
ISBN 978-81-8274-709-B. Pages 182. Price Rs.795
Publisher: Pentagon Press, 206 Peacock Lane, Shahpur Jat, Delhi 110049.
Review by Dr. Leo Rebello
28/552 Samata Nagar, Kandivali East, Mumbai 400101. Tel. 28872741.
We live in dangerous times with more Weapons of Mass Destruction and
destructive technologies like Nuclear Reactors and strategically placed US Military
Bases all over the world, which may destroy the human race and the Earth itself.
Chitra Lele says: “WMD has two full forms: one stands for Weapons of Mass
Destruction, and the other for the utopian - Wipe Out Mass Destruction”.
This reviewer, as the Holistic Development Expert and World
Peace Envoy, certainly stands for Wipe Out the Mass Destruction. The beginning
has to be made from USA - from destructive paradigm of ‘world control’ we need
to take a U-turn by reforming that country whose entire economy is based on
Weapons of Mass Destruction. WMD have come a long way from poison-tipped
arrows, poisoning the drinking water to annihilate the population of ‘enemy
nations’, to high-tech, aerosolized release of contagious viruses.
The book is divided into Five Parts. Part I, redefines the warfare. Part 2
deals with the nuclear weapons, in which, as we all know, USA tops the list. Part 3
analyses radiological weapons. Part 4 biological weapons and Part 5 concludes with
chemical weapons. It also lists various agencies, bodies and institutions that work
for and against WMD.
But HAARP – secret geophysical weapons, which are being used to create
earthquakes, storms, hurricanes, typhoons, floods, fires, electrical and mechanical
crashes and disasters and genetically modified organism (terminator seeds of
Monsanto destroying the world agriculture) and vaccines (which have led to sharp
increase in Autism), by far the deadliest WMD, have been left out. It is completely
irrational that three billion dollars are spent everyday on WMD, while nothing is
done for "over 60 million people who die of hunger annually" according to UN
figures of 2008.
Chitra Lele, from India, works as a Management Consultant in the USA. But this
book is published in India by the Pentagon Press, which proudly displays some of
the WMD on its letterhead and has a legend “In step with Defense Forces”. So, I
wonder whether this book indirectly works to promote the WMD in India. This
question comes to mind because of the background of the Foreword writer James
J.F. Forest, formerly of the United States Military Academy and Introduction writer
Wing Commander Ajey Lele of the Institute for Defence Studies and Analysis,
India.
In conclusion, unless we all work for a World Without Wars and One World
Parliament (based on Vasudhaiv Kutumbakam vision) to replace the decadent
UNO, controlled by the five bullies of the world, these Weapons of Mass
Destruction will not become obsolete.
BMC told to shelter rescued organizations, or bird lovers in the locality or give
them to the animal hospital in Parel.
birds
Bhavika Jain, TNN | Apr 15, 2013
"There have been times when we have rescued a
cuckoo and we didn't know what to feed it or what
it eats. But since we have had bad experiences in
the past of birds being sold off illegally, we didn't
want to give it to anybody and asked a local animal
welfare organization to treat it in our premises
only. We kept it in a box for some days and then
one of our officers released it," said a fireman.
MUMBAI: The fire brigade has asked the BMC to
arrange for bird shelters in a few ward offices, so
that the birds they rescue can be treated well. The
demand comes on the heels of officers coming
across cases where birds that were rescued
painstakingly were handed over to some local
animal welfare organizations for further treatment
but were sold off illegally to animal dealers.
He also added that when the fire department
rescues a crow, no one turns up to treat it, but when
an owl or a parrot is rescued, bird lovers readily
turn up to take it for treatment.
"There have been times when we didn't know what
to do with a bird as none of the animal welfare
people have turned up to claim it. After taking so
much risk and rescuing the bird, we don't want it to
Fire brigade officers say that once the BMC sets up die," said another fireman. On an average, the fire
these animal shelters in its ward offices, there will brigade rescues at least 10 birds and animals a
be a record of how many animals or birds were month.
rescued and what was done with them after
treatment. Currently, no such record is available. Only recently a Kite died at the Byculla fire station
After rescuing animals or birds, fire brigade after being it was rescued from a mesh of Chinese
officers either pass them on to animal welfare made kite-strings.
Vashi: NGOs push citizens to ditch
plastic ....HT 18 Apr NM1
NGOs push citizens to ditch
plastic
WITH RISING HEALTH HAZARDS AND DAMAGE TO THE ECO-SYSTEM,
PLASTIC WASTE IS PROVING TO BE A GROWING DISASTER. IN THIS SERIES,
HT ANALYSES THE GRAVITY OF THE PROBLEM AND LOOKS AT STEPS
NEEDED TO TACKLE THE MENACE FROM DOOR TO DOOR CAMAPIGN TO
AWARENESS DRIVES
Sanghamitra Sengupta
With the blame game between residents and officials only leading to larger piles of garbage
in the city, nongovernmental organisations have taken it upon themselves to reduce the
damage to the environment. To help tackle the menace and encourage citizens to reduce,
reuse and recycle, several NGOs have started a number of awareness campaigns. A case in
point is Hariyali, an NGO that deals with environmental issues, which has started an
awareness campaign on how to discard solid waste. The volunteers have already started
informing people about how to segregate waste by distributing leaflets by personally
visiting homes.
“It is our motive to make the surroundings green. Waste, if not segregated properly, affects
the environment as it causes dry, wet and plastic to get mixed. We are urging people to take
up the cause and keep separate keep separate bins for dry and wet waste at home,” said
environmentalist Prof Punam Singavi, chairman, Hariyali. Most people are often unaware
of how to dispose of plastic waste. This often leads to plastic waste being mixed with
degradable waste. One example of this is flowers being thrown out in plastic bags.
Reckyclekaro, another environment organisation was formed with to promote the belief ‘I
am I plus my surroundings; without the latter I cease to exist’. One of the key objectives of
the organisation is to spread awareness about recycling newspaper or disposing of flowers
offered during prayers which in turn can help save our plants and reduce carbon footprints.
“We follow a barter system in which we collect plastic and other waste from big set-ups
such as corporate offices and then send them for recycling. The money generated through
recycling is then used to distribute recycled paper to the clients,” said Laxmikant
Deshpande, relationship manager, Evergreen Reckyclekaro (I) Pvt. Ltd. “Plastic bags are so
widely available that people end up using it despite knowing how harmful it is to the
environment. Not only is there a need to ban plastic bags, but also to provide people with an
alternative,” said Shreelata Menon, outreach coordinator, Paryavaran Dakshata, an
organisation that teaches people to prepare cloth and paper bags on all major festivals by
conducting workshops.
These NGOs have been successful in motivating some citizens. Vashi resident, Riya Verma
said, “It does not require a lot of money to save the environment. Individuals can use old
cloth materials to get bags stitched instead of buying plastic ones. This is trendy and
environmentally friendly at the same time.”
INITIATIVES TAKEN
To deal with waste pollution in the city, NGO’s have come up with several initiatives
Hariyali, an environmental NGO, is selling waste boxes at Rs500 each . Volunteers are also
talking to individuals and societies about solid waste management and pollution Call
9323291890 to know more about Hariyali’s campaign.
To know more about recycling, contact Recyclekaro on 8080287788 to get waste from your
homes collected and recycled.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
Say ‘no to plastic’ at stores that offer plastic bags. Opt for eco-friendly alternatives like
jute, cotton or paper bags
Reduce the use of foodstuff packaged in plastic containers Re-use plastic items
Spread awareness, inform and encourage others to take similar initiatives. “Plastic bags are
so widely available that people use it despite knowing how harmful it is.” SHREELATA
MENON, PARYAVARAN DAKSHATA
HT to continue campaign in Vashi
VASHI: In an attempt to persuade citizens to reduce their consumption footprint and
amount of plastic waste generated, Hindustan Times has planned a number of campaigns in
the city. In the second phase of the ‘Say no to plastic’ campaign, HT will organise a number
of activities at Inorbit mall in Vashi. These activities will begin with the installation of a
shopping bag measuring 10ft x 8ft and will distribute cloth bags and pamphlets to create
awareness about the issue. Between April 19 to 21, HT will distribute 3,000 cloth bags to
shoppers to drive home the message of reducing usage of plastic. A pamphlet with quick
tips on reducing one’s carbon footprint will also be distributed.
The activities will be based on the theme ‘Reduce. Reuse. Recycle’, and is aimed at
reducing the overall plastic footprint. On April 14, HT had organised a clean-up drive at
MiniSea Shore in Vashi which saw a number of citizens collecting litter and helping make
the area cleaner.
Maharashtra: Rise of the green guards
http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/Maharashtra/Rise-of-the-green-guards
ECO-LOCAL Over the past year, pushed by NGOs, more villagers across Maharashtra who
depend on forests for resources are now involved in conservation.
Yelavali is a small village with a population of 80 in the foothills of the Sahyadris,
nestled within Pune district’s Bhimashankar sanctuary. The nearest tarred road is 2
km away. Until two years ago, the villagers depended on the forest for their
livelihood, using wood for fuel, grazing their cattle on wild grass and selling
medicinal herbs and wild honey for small sums that were used to buy basic
necessities such as kitchen utensils and medicines.
Then, a month ago, the state government’s forest department inaugurated a lodge
and camping area in the village, a project that it had been working on with the
villagers and NGO Kalpavriksh for a year. The villagers will run the outfit, earning
money and helping spread awareness among the many tourists drawn here each
year by the sanctuary. The lodge has been built under the Village Eco-
Development Scheme, launched by the
central government in 1992 and
amended for simpler implementation
with more powers to people by the
government
of
Maharashtra
in
December 2011. Funds from Village
Eco-Development Scheme have also
been used to reduce their dependence
on the forest, with solar streetlamps
installed on mud paths, and water
heaters and pressure cookers given to
reduce the villagers’ dependence on
forest resources.
“In a village where we worried about
how to pay for a doctor if our children
got ill, the income from the lodge — at
least in the six months when there are
tourists — will help us very much,” says
Namdev Banare, 36. Eventually, the
forest department and Kalpavriksh will
also train some of the villagers as
guides, to help them earn more by
taking tourists on guided walks in the
jungle, and to spread further ecoawareness. With the help of Kalpavriksh,
villagers have also filed claims for
community use and management rights
under the Forest Right Act of 2006. This
was done in 2010 after the villagers
decided to use, manage and conserve
their forest.
forest department was very different.
There were constant clashes over illegal
grazing and tree-cutting in the protected
forest area. “We lived in constant fear of
being caught by the forest guards,” says
Banare. “But we had no option but to
continue venturing into the forest. It was
our only source of fuel and income.”
Efforts to explain why it was important
for the villagers to reduce their
dependence on the forest also failed,
since there were no alternatives
available to the villagers. Then, Punebased non-governmental organisation
(NGO) Kalpavriksh started working to
mobilise the villagers towards selfgovernance
and
conservation,
explaining
their
rights
and
responsibilities. The NGO helped the
villagers to push the state government to
implement the Centre’s village ecodevelopment scheme, to offer the
villagers alternative means of making a
living.
Yelavali was included in this scheme in
2011, and Rs. 10 lakh allocated for the
lodge, camping ground and training
programmes. “Recent initiatives have
completely changed the way the
villagers treat the forest department.
There is healthy dialogue and discussion
Then & now
now,” says MK Rao, chief conservator of
Until two years ago, the relationship forests, Pune wildlife circle.
between the Yelavali villagers and the
Green wave
In three other villages nearby, similar initiatives have been launched to help villagers earn a
living sustainably through bee farms and eco-tourism. And it isn’t just the Bhimashankar area.
In villages around the Melghat tiger sanctuary in Amravati, the Kaas plateau UNESCO natural
world heritage site in Satara and the Armori forests in Gadchiroli, similar initiatives have taken
shape. “There has been positive action in areas where sensitive officials and NGOs are
working as a bridge between villagers and the forest bureaucracy,” says conservationist Ashish
Kothari, chairperson of the Greenpeace India board and founder-member of Kalpavriksh.
The global trend can be traced back to the fifth IUCN (International Union for Conservation of
Nature) World Parks Congress in 2003, when more than 60 countries, including India,
recognised local empowerment, rights and involvement as a powerful tool to boost
conservation efforts in eco-sensitive zones. In India, the Forest Rights Act of 2006, though
some of its clauses continue to be debated, recommended the involvement of local
communities as a key component of conservation efforts in all states. With an added push from
local NGOs working across the state, existing schemes such as Joint Forest Management and
Village Eco-Development were invoked to create the funding for small yet potentially powerful
grassroots initiatives such as the Yelavali eco-lodge and eco-guide training programme. “Now
that this realisation has occurred, such initiatives need to be implemented across many more
districts in Maharashtra, for even better results,” says Vidya Athreya, wildlife biologist at the
Bangalore-based non-profit trust Centre of Wildlife Studies.
Employment for villagers,
from a plateau to full bloom
Six months ago, alarmed by how a growing
number of tourists were treating the Kaas
plateau, the Satara division of the forest
department decided to involve locals from
four villages — Ekiv, Ghatai, Atali and Kaas
— in conservation, via the joint forest
management scheme. “We are now training
villagers to monitor and manage tourists
while earning a living acting as guides,
garbage collectors and gatekeepers,” says
NR Praveen, deputy conservator of forests
for the Satara division.
The first batch of guides tackled their first
batch of tourists in the 2012 flowering
season, between August and November,
when more than 800 types of flowers bloom
on the 1,000-hectare plateau. One of them
was Ranoji Kirdat, a 50-something Kaas
village resident. Kirdat and his son
earned Rs. 40,000 in four months as a guide
and a gatekeeper respectively — enough for
a comfortable living in Kaas.“I have bought
a sofa and a cupboard with some of our
savings,” says Kirdat, grinning. However,
Sunil Boite, president of local NGO Drongo
Environmental Movement cautions that the
forest department needs to focus on
scientific
methods
of
conservation.
Birds return to nest in oncebarren land
Until the early 1980s, Paivihir village was
surrounded by 132 hectares of lush green forest.
By the turn of the century, many of the trees
were gone and the lush grass was fast
disappearing too. In mid-2011, environmental
NGO Khoj began a campaign here to educate
villagers about how the degradation of forests had
affected their lifestyles and their earnings, and
how re-forestation could help them and their local
ecology. Roping in youngsters, Khoj applied to the
state government to seek forest rights for local
villagers under the 2006 Forest Rights Act.
A year later, they were granted rights, enabling
the villagers to make sustainable use of the area,
help the state forest department monitor it and
restrict access to outsiders. Khoj then launched
an afforestation drive with the youngsters,
teaching them to patrol and keep watch for
outsiders chopping down trees or using the land
to graze cattle. The reforestation programme —
which will include planting 50,000 saplings in the
next phase — has been incorporated into the
national rural employment scheme, thus using
central government funds to pay villagers a daily
wage for their work. Finally, the villagers will be
trained by the forest department to sustainably
harvest the forest produce, mainly fruit, so that
they can live off the land while protecting it.
Journey to self-reliance
Most of the men in Murumbodi village have been migrant farm labourers all their lives. Their village could offer only
subsistence farming. It all started in early 2010, when local NGO Vidarbha Nature Conservation Society began
educating the villagers about conservation and self-governance and encouraging them to claim their due under the
Forest Rights Act. The NGO then launched a voluntary initiative, encouraging the villagers to work as guards,
patrolling the protected forest area to prevent outsiders from cutting trees for firewood, grazing their cattle or burning
down grass for small farms.
Community forest rights were accorded in April 2011, after which state government funds could be used to employ
villagers in conservation schemes launched under the national rural employment guarantee act. Today, there are
jobs to be had here, working on water-conservation projects such as bunds and canals. The forest department has
also handed over 7,000 indigenous saplings to be planted in denuded parts of the jungle, to restore the green cover.
Thanks to improved water management, farm produce has increased. The village is now growing enough pulses
and spinach to feed itself, and hopes to sell surplus to surrounding villages next year. “People in the village are
happy,” says Dilip Gode, secretary of the Vidarbha Nature Conservation Society. “Though I have my complaints
about the forest department, it’s nice to see them involving locals in their conservation projects.”
In the past few months, the forest patrolling team of the village have caught and fined outsiders illegally farming in
the forest, stealing the soil and hunting. With the fines collected the village has set up a small scholarship fund that
will be awarded to promising students who want to pursue higher studies in the cities. Some of the funds will also be
allocated to new mothers their babies as medical expenses.
BMC clears building on ‘mangrove
land’
SAVE
Linah Baliga, TNN | Apr 22, 2013
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has granted a
controversial builder the permission to build on a "mangrove plot" in
Oshiwara-Lokhandwala area despite the land being at the heart of a
pending public interest litigation and a chargesheet. An executive
engineer in BMC's building proposal department, P G Deshpande,
reportedly issued a commencement certificate (CC) on April 6 to the
developer to construct on a 7,741-sq-m land suburban collector, who filed an FIR against the
adjacent to Oshiwara Creek.Lying between builder. At the same time, a PIL was filed in the
Lokhandwala bridge and Lokhandwala Club, the case. As a result of this struggle by locals, the
plot comes under the Coastal Regulatory Zone-1 debris was removed from the plot and part of the
category, according to local activists, which means mangroves saved. Now, however, locals fear that
that no construction should be allowed on it. their fight is being subverted.
Alarmed by the development, the Oshiwara
Lokhandwala Citizens' Association (OLCA) sent a
legal notice on April 16 to civic chief Sitaram
Kunte and Deshpande. The association's advocate
Gayatri Singh stated in the notice: it is
surprising...that while on one hand the "matter (in
court) has been adjourned on several occasions to
enable the BMC to file its reply, the BMC has gone
ahead and granted CC to construct the proposed
building". "It is surprising that this CC has been
granted in spite of a chargesheet being filed against
the developer subsequent to (an) FIR having been
filed for destroying mangroves, which the
developer sought to quash and failed," added
Singh, who is also a resident of the area.
Last year, the same developer had allegedly
dumped debris on the same plot and stored
construction material there, prompting protests.
Urged by locals, state environment secretary Valsa
Nair Singh had set up an inquiry under the
OLCA chairperson Ashoke Pandit said, "The BMC
had taken action against the builder last year. We
now want municipal commissioner Sitaram Kunte
to intervene and suspend the concerned officers
(who granted permission to the developer)."
On Sunday, TOI tried contacting Deshpande and
Kunte, but the executive engineer's cellphone was
found switched off and the municipal chief could
not be reached. A senior official in BMC's building
proposal department said of the grant of
commencement certificate: "There cannot be such
a glaring anomaly. I'll look into the matter."
TOI had carried reports on January 4, 2012, and
March 20, 2012, highlighting residents' attempts at,
and success in, ousting the developer from the plot
and saving a big swathe of "mangrove land" from
illegal construction. Residents say the land falls
under CRZ-I category according to Maharshtra
Coastal Zone Management Authority maps as well
as Wetland Atlas, which was prepared by the
Indian Space Research Organisation.
Encroachers use heavy diggers on Belapur Hill,
locals demand action
Vijay Singh, TNN | Apr 22, 2013
NAVI MUMBAI: Concerned over the increasing environmental damage and
encroachment on the green Belapur Hill in CBD Sector 8B, locals and Aam Aadmi
Party activists have again urged the City and Industrial Development Corporation
of Maharashtra Limited (Cidco) and Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) to
take stern steps. In March this year, residents of Kalpataru housing society in CBD
noticed rampant earth excavations being carried out on the hill with the help of a
JCB machine. Trees were cut and set alight by encroachers who reportedly wanted
to erect illegal structures on the forested hill.
In a reply to a Right To Information Act query, Cidco recently admitted it had not
given permission for the use of JCB machine or tree felling on Belapur Hill. "With
regards to the development of the land, it is in the domain of NMMC,"stated the
Cidco reply. "With the help of AAP, I have complained to the police, NMMC and
Cidco about the encroachment on the hill. Around a decade ago, there were just
two temples on Belapur Hill. Now there are three more temples and a few more
concrete structures, complete with electricity connections," said activist Aditi
Lahiri.
"After the crash of Mumbra's illegal building, NMMC had said it will start taking
action on all illegal structures in the satellite city. We are hoping the illegal
structures on Belapur Hill will also be dealt with firmly by the NMMC," remarked
Lahiri. An NMMC official from the anti-encroachment cell said the body has
identified 46 illegal structures in the Belapur node, which is substantially less than
the 2,664 illegal structures in Ghansoli node of Navi Mumbai. "We have begun
taking action against illegal structures and encroachments by warning the public
and cutting off electricity and water connections," he said.
PCMC standing panel’s work to go paperless
Express news service : Mon Apr 08 2013
Functioning of the Pimpri-Chinchwad
Municipal
Corporation's
standing
committee is all set to go paperless by
this week or next week. An order to this
effect has been issued by Municipal
Commissioner Shrikar Pardeshi. With
this, the PCMC becomes the first civic
body in the state to adopt computerised
system to facilitate standing committee
work. "The standing committee work will
become fully computerised by this week
or next week. The paperless work will
ensure real-time monitoring of files and
reduce
unnecessary
costs,"
said
Pardeshi. Pardeshi's top priority this
year was to adopt paperless system. He
had declared it as his New Year
resolution when he announced a 10point agenda to be implemented
throughout the year.
committee functioning as it sat on
hundreds of files for months. "Despite
civic chief's request to clear the backlog,
the standing committee sat on files for
months. Pardeshi took serious note of
this and decided to implement the
computerised system in a bid to ensure
real-time monitoring of files," said
officials. Welcoming the move, former
corporator Babu Nair said that the step
will ensure transparent functioning of
the committee that has earned the
notoriety of being a "commission
committee." Last week, Shiv Sena
corporator
Asha
Shendge
had
questioned the way standing committee
framed its agenda. "It was shocking to
note committee's agenda which lacked
clarity. I had exposed it during the panel
meeting and had also lodged a
complaint with the civic chief, " said
Civic officials said Pardeshi hastened the Shendge.
computerised system for standing
Supreme Court cancels
Karnataka's all 49 mining
leases
New Delhi, Apr 18 (IANS): The Supreme
Court Thursday cancelled all leases for iron
ore extraction in 49 category C mines in
Bellary, Tumkur and Chitradurga districts
of Karnataka. The apex court forest bench
headed by Justice Aftab Alam said the
proceeds from the sale of iron ore extracted
from category C mines would stand
forfeited and would go to special purpose
vehicle constituted for the reclamation and
rehabilitation of the mining
devastated by illegal mining.
area
The court confirmed its earlier order
permitting mining activities in 18 category A
mines. The court, however, put an embargo
on the mining activities in seven mining
leases falling in Karnatata-Andhra Pradesh
border areas. The court said the mining
activities, in seven mining leases would
remain suspended till the demarcation of
boundaries between the two states is
cleared.
The court vacated its earlier order
restraining issuance of fresh mining leases.
The order pronounced by Justice Ranjan
Gogoi
accepted
a
number
of
recommendations of the court-appointed
Central Empowered Committee (CEC) on
green matters given in its various reports
from 2011 to February 2013. The CEC
divided mines in the area in three
categories, A, B and C depending on the
extent of mining in the districts.
Ban mining and thermal plants in 37% of western ghats:
govt panel
Chetan Chauhan, Hindustan Times New Delhi, April 17, 2013
A high level environment ministry committee has asked the government to declare 37 % of
160,000 sq kms of Western Ghats area as ecological sensitive area where no mining or thermal
plants should be allowed. Other industrial activities should be allowed, the panel said, with
restrictions in the 1,600 km long Western Ghats across Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu
and Kerala. The panel headed by Planning Commission member K Kasturirangan submitted its
report to environment minister Jayanthi Natarajan on Wednesday calling for development in a
sustained manner in one of the world’s finest ecological hotspots as reported by HT on Tuesday.
“It is imperative that we protect, manage and regenerate the lands now remaining in the Western
Ghats as biologically rich, diverse, natural landscapes. We have reached a threshold from which
we cannot slip further,” Kasturirangan said. The committee constituted to study recommendations
of another environment ministry committee headed by former National Advisory Council member
Madhav Gadgil paved way for commercial activities. The Gagdil committee had virtually
suggested ban on no new major industrial units in the Western Ghats which has irked the
environment ministry, the state governments and the industry lobby.
The Kasturirangan panel used remote sensing technology to differentiate between natural and
cultural heritage. The cultural landscape – which includes human settlements, agricultural fields
and plantations -- covers 58.44 per cent of the region. The natural landscape ranges over the
remaining 41.56 per cent, the report said. Apart from 37 % ecologically sensitive area, the
committee recommended a prohibitory development regime for some 60,000 sq km, spread over
the states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
The prohibitory regime includes allowing hydropower projects ensuring ecological flow of atleast
30 of the rivers in lean season and after a cumulative study to assess impact of each project on the
flow patternof the rivers and forest and biodiversity loss. It also said that the minimum distance
between projects is maintained at 3 km and that not more than 50 per cent of the river basin is
affected at any time. “Wing energy projects should be included in the environment impact
assessment notification of 2006 and brought under purview of assessment and clearance,” the
committee said, adding that the government should promote industries with “low environmental
impacts”.
The committee has allowed building and construction projects up 20,000 sq meters but asked the
government to prohibit new townships. Townships and area development projects should be
prohibited. To make project clearance process participatory, the committee wants all projects to
require prior-informed consent and no-objection from gram sabha of villages inside ecologically
sensitive areas. “The provision for prior informed consent under the Forest Rights Act will also be
strictly enforced, the committee said.
The group also wants that the money earned through commercial activity should be used within
the Western Ghats region and for that it suggested the Planning Commission to set up a special
Western Ghats Sustainable Development Fund. “This fund will be used to promote programmes
specifically designed to implement an effective ESA regime and incentivize green growth in the
region,” the report said. It also wants the environment ministry to set up Decision Support and
Monitoring Centre for Western Ghats having joint management of all six states of Western Ghats
region.
Moodbidri: Moily
promises gas-based
power to twin-districts
Daijiworld Media Network – Moodbidri (SP)
process of drawing a gas line from
Chitradurga from the above line to
Mangalore is in progress. At the same
time, the works relating to supply of gas
from Kochi to Calicut has been
completed, and this project will be
extended to Mangalore. The gas will be
supplied through the LPG terminal here,
he explained.
Moily said that gas-based power projects
are preferable as they happen to be eco
friendly. When the press persons
questioned him about the proposed
thermal power project at Niddodi, he
Moodbidri, Apr 17: Union petroleum refused to field the question, duly
minister, M Veerappa Moily, said that clarifying that he does not have any
the union government is planning to knowledge about this project.
provide gas-based power to the coastal
districts. “This work is in progress. Moily said that the work of widening
highway
169
between
Hence, the coastal districts do not national
require another thermal power plant. Mangalore and Solapur has been
Once the gas-based power generation affected because of forest department
begins, the districts here will not face objections. He added that the National
Highways Authority of India has been
power shortage,” he said.
directed to widen the Mangalore-Sringeri
Speaking to newspersons here on road into two or four lane as per
requirements.
“Once
the
Tuesday April 16, he said that at regional
present, gas is being supplied to highway widening work is implemented,
Bangalore through gas grid from Dabhol Moodbidri will get a bypass road,” he
said.
in Maharashtra. He clarified that the
HC restrains govt from removing trees in
Chakganjariya for IT City
Ravi Singh Sisodiya, TNN Apr 12, 2013, 04
Lucknow: Exactly a year after chief minister
AkhileshYadav mooted a proposal to set up the
100-acre Information Technology City to boost the
information technology sector, the Lucknow bench
of Allahabad high court on Thursday restrained
the state government from removing trees,
displacing any livestock or birds and carrying out
any construction activities in the Chakganjariya
farm, where the CM's dream project is to be
developed as IT City. The court has also fixed
April 19 as next date of hearing.
country's most populous state.
In October last year, the Uttar Pradesh cabinet
effected two important decisions to boost the
information technology industry in the state. The
government transferred 150 acres of land for
setting up an IT City in Lucknow and also gave an
in principal approval to UP's new IT Policy, 2012,
with a focus on skill development and greater
employability.
For the IT City project, the state cabinet had
approved a free-of-cost transfer of the land from
the department of animal husbandry to the
department of IT and Electronics. The project, as
envisaged by Akhilesh, was to be developed as a
self-sufficient project, complete with office and
residential spaces and a hotel property on the
Chakganjaria farms, direct connectivity with the
Shaheed Path and the airport and dedicated
power supply.
Directing the state government to file a counter
affidavit within a week, the court took cognizance
of a public interest litigation seeking the farm not
be shifted to another place. The order was passed
by a division bench comprising Justice Uma Nath
Singh and Justice Satish Chandra, on a public
interest litigation filed by a local NGO. In the PIL,
the petitioner had sought the quashing of the
order, in which the state government had acquired
the entire area of the farm measuring about 992
Though a proposal for the construction of an IT
acres to develop the IT City.
City was mooted originally by the Mayawati
The PIL alleged that the state government has not government, the proposed project, to be built on
taken any environmental clearance for developing Lucknow Industrial Development Authority (LIDA)
the IT City. It also argued that the state land on Lucknow-Kanpur road, was shelved as a
government's decision will not only do away with result of land acquisition issues. This time,
the area's green cover, but will also harm the flora though, to ensure the transfer of land is seamless,
and fauna. Listing the different species of animals the government, on October 10, shortlisted three
and trees in the area, the petitioner also said the developers to submit financial bids by November
state government has already removed a 5, 2012.
substantial part of the greenery from the state
capital for the construction of memorials and In their earlier projections, the government had
parks in the name of political idols. The present said the IT park project is being developed at an
decision of the state government, the PIL added, estimated cost of Rs 285 crore and will be
taken in the name of development is bound to developed on an area of approximately 1.3 lakh
square metres. Once selected, the developers for
harm the environment.
the project will have to develop the IT Park on the
Appearing on behalf of the state government, Design-Finance-Build-Operate model after getting
advocate general SP Gupta and chief standing its detailed project report approved by Lucknow
counsel IP Singh said the state government is Industrial Development Authority, the nodal
sensitive to the environmental cause and in agency for implementing the project. To attract
protecting the flora and fauna. At the same time, top-grade companies to set up shop at the IT
the government counsels said that the need of the park, the government also said plots will be
leased to developers for a period of 90 years.
hour is to develop an IT City in the capital of
Industrial waste polluting Sundarbans ecosystem:
Report
PTI Apr 11, 2013, 11.38AM IST
KOLKATA: Industries located along the Gangetic delta in Haldia, Kolkata and its outskirts are polluting
the fragile ecosystem of Sundarbans, home to 40 lakh people and the Royal Bengal Tiger, a latest study
says. The research, conducted by a group of scientists from Calcutta University and Techno India
University, says there has been a steady increase in the percentage of toxic heavy metals leading to the
gradual deterioration of water there.
The scientists studied presence of zinc, copper and lead in the body of a shellfish species, commonly
known as the Indian white shrimp, to assess the damage being done to the aqua-system. Found
abundantly in the water of Sundarbans, which has the largest mangrove forest in the world, Indian white
shrimp is commercially important too.
"The low salinity and intense industrialisation in the Hooghly estuarine stretch is responsible for the high
concentration of heavy metals in the shrimp muscle sampled from stations in and around the western side
of Sundarbans," lead researcher and marine scientist, Dr Abhijit Mitra said. In the study, heavy metals in
the white shrimp's muscle exhibit a more or less similar order as that in water. Interlinked by a complex
network of tidal waterways and dotted with small islands of salt-tolerant mangrove forests, this
biodiversity-rich world heritage site is famous as the last surviving coastal habitat of the Royal Bengal
Tiger.
Though heavy metals such as copper, zinc and lead are normal constituents of marine and estuarine
environments, additional quantities when introduced through industrial wastes or sewage enter the
biogeochemical cycle and pose negative impact on the biotic community.
US taken to court
over Philippine reef
damage
Ship grounding sparks new
protest over military
presence
D'Jay Lazaro, Manila, Philippines
US troops in exercises with the Philippine military
Environmental activists and scientists today
filed a citizen suit before the Supreme Court
asking for a "Writ of Kalikasan" over the
grounding of the US minesweeper USS
Guardian in Tubbataha Reef last January. The
writ of Kalikasan is an extraordinary legal
remedy for cases involving environmental
damage of such magnitude as to prejudice
the life, health, or property of inhabitants in
two or more cities or provinces.
The writ was filed against Scott Swift,
commander of the US 7th Fleet, Mark Rice,
commanding officer of the USS Guardian, and
a slew of Philippine officials led by President
Benigno Aquino to seek liability for the
ecological and environmental damage the US
military ship has caused on Tubbataha Reef,
a UNESCO World Heritage Site. "We filed this
case because of the inaction of the
government to exact justice from the USS
Guardian grounding incident," said Clemente
Bautista, national coordinator of green group
Kalikasan
People's
Network
for
the
Environment. Bautista said the US Navy
"clearly violated our laws and trampled on
our
sovereignty"
yet
the
Philippine
government is "inutile" to hold the US Navy
and the USS Guardian personnel accountable
for the incident.
The petitioners, who include Catholic Bishop
Pedro Arigo of Puerto Princesa, said the
current valuation and compensation demand
made by the Philippine government is not
enough and pales in comparison to the prior
valuations and compensation made by the US
Navy for other incidents. The US Navy paid
the government of Hawaii a total of US$15
million in compensation for 8,000 sq ms of
damaged reef and proposed a restoration
value of $20-$45 million after the 2009
grounding of USS Port Royal there.
The Philippine government is only asking the
US government $1.4 million for the damaged
reef in Tubbataha, which is also included in a
list of Ramsar Wetlands of International
Importance. The National Union of Peoples’
Lawyers supported the activists' position that
the US is legally accountable for the
grounding of the USS Guardian at the
Tubbataha Reef’s south atoll on January 17,
2013. The suit was filed on behalf of the
Filipinos living in the provinces surrounding
Tubbataha Reef on the Sulu Sea – namely,
Palawan, Antique, Aklan, Guimaras, Iloilo,
Negros
Occidental,
Negros
Oriental,
Zamboanga del Norte, Basilan, Sulu, and
Tawi-Tawi.
Lawyer Edsel Tupaz, counsel for the
petitioners, said the Tubbataha Reef Park is
rich in biodiversity and has high ecological
importance, "thus the valuation of which is
more costly than the government earlier
assessed." Bautista, however, said the issue
goes far beyond monetary compensation. He
said the grounding of USS Guardian is brought
about by the implementation of the Visiting
Forces Agreement (VFA) between the
Philippines and the United States. "The
presence of US troops and the conduct of
their military exercises and maneuverings in
our country have brought about massive
damage to our ecological systems," he said.
Thirty-three percent of world’s
poorest live in India
New Delhi, Apr 19 (Reuters): India has 33 percent
of the world’s poorest 1.2 billion people, even
though the country’s poverty rate is half as high as
it was three decades ago, according to a new World
Bank report.
India reduced the number of its poor from 429
million in 1981 to 400 million in 2010, and the
extreme poverty rate dropped from 60 percent of the population to 33 percent during the same period.
Despite the good news, India accounts for a higher proportion of the world’s poor than it used to. In
1981, it was home to 22 percent of the world’s poorest people.
The World Bank report comes just days after it proposed a $12 billion to $20 billion plan to reduce
poverty levels over four years in the Indian states of Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh,
Odisha, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. Sixty percent of the financing would go to state governmentbacked projects, according to the Hindu Business Line newspaper.
The study that came out today showed a similar decline in the number of people living in poverty in
recent years. People living below $1.25 (67 rupees) a day fell considerably from more than half the
people in the developing world in 1981 to 21 percent in 2010, despite a 59 percent increase in world
population during the same period. Still, there are 1.2 billion people living in extreme deprivation, and
the World Bank urged the international community to increase efforts to stop this within the next two
decades.
China was the most successful country in helping improve its people’s economic condition. Its poverty
rate fell to 12 percent of the population in 2010 from 84 percent in 1981. Sub-Saharan Africa is the only
region in the world where the number of poor has risen steadily, despite a decrease in poverty rate from
51 percent in 1981 to 48 percent in 2010, according to the report titled “The State of the Poor: Where are
the Poor and Where are the Poorest?”
Mobile apps bring youngsters closer to God
For young and educated Indians, smartphones and tablets are a way to keep in touch
with their spiritual side.
Chennai: Technology has brought spirituality to the fingertips of today's generation, who
are discovering ancient religious texts and mythology with the help of mobile spiritual
apps. For young and educated Indians, smartphones and tablets are a way to keep in touch
with their spiritual side. They offer virtual prayers to their favourite deity before going
to bed and keep track of their good and bad deeds with the help of SinTracker.
Many Christians rely on their smartphones to remain connected with their church and get
Bible alerts and gospel readings for the day. "In church, a certain passage is read out
every day. I have an app that sends me passages and a prayer every day," says Smitha
Thomas, who takes her iPhone instead of Bible to church every Sunday. Religious
institutions have been creating apps. Jegan Selvaraj is creating one for a Protestant
church in Tuticorin.
"The pastor has more than two lakh followers all over the world and wanted to send daily
Bible verses," says Selvaraj. While the app will be free, users will have to pay 50 to 100 to
download albums and videos of hymns. While many of the apps are free, users don't mind
shelling out a bit. "You have to pay only once and most are cheap," says Thomas. "I can
remain in touch with my church without having to step into the physical space."Every day,
Mohammed Iqbal T V goes to the mosque during his lunch break.
After offering prayers, he whips out his smartphone and goes to the iQuran app he has
downloaded to read portions of the holy text. Pocket-sized versions of the Quran are
available. "But I don't feel like carrying it around every day. It is more convenient to have
it on my phone since I carry it with me all the time," says Iqbal, who uses two Quran apps.
Sudhakar Kanakaraj, who works with a software company in Bangalore, developed the Lord
Muruga Pooja app three months ago.
"I wanted to do something that was spiritual," he says. "People lead busy lives and travel a
lot. The one thing they always have is their mobile phone." His free app, which works on
android phones, has multiple features. You can offer flowers, ring a bell or do aarti with
just a touch while a mantra plays in the background. "I wanted to give users the feel of
actually doing a puja," says Kanakaraj.
The app got 5,000 downloads and prompted him to create similar ones — Shiva pooja,
Ganesh Pooja, Hanuman Chalisa, Gayatri Mantra and Satya Sri Sai Baba pooja. The last is
the most popular with 30,000 downloads. In India, where people of multiple faiths
coexist, there is a huge market for all things spiritual. Chandigarh-based Gautam
Chaudhary, whose company specializes in mobile apps, tested the market by launching a
Hanuman Chalisa app last year. "I launched a few more and each of them has got more
than 5,000 downloads," he says. "This is just for the apps I have created. There are
innumerable apps available."
Features are tailor-made to suit user requirements. The iQuran app has the verses with
English translations. It also allows you to bookmark pages. "The Quran is about recitation,
so the app gives you a list of famous Imams. You can choose the Imam you want, listen to
his recitation, and try to recite that way," says Iqbal, who also used Quaran Android,
which has the full Quran in Arabic, without translations.
Source: Times of India (ucannews)
aicc: Karnataka Persecution Victims Render
Tales of Woe
Victims tell People’s Tribunal of arrests on false
charges by highly communalized police. Communal
hoodlums had free hand in assault on pastors,
demolishing churches. Uttara Canara worst impacted.
Courtesy: ICAN newsletter
Benguluru, April 19, 2013: More than 70 Christian Pastors told a People Tribunal in Bengaluru city
today how a highly communalized Karnataka police arrested them and kept them confined in police
stations or jails on false charges in league with hoodlums of the Sangh Parivar. Women too were also not
spared. The Women victims broke down as they narrated the violence against them. The victims
remained in confinement from overnight to several days, the distinguished jury consisting of eminent
social activists heard in the Tribunal organized by the All India Christian Council to assess the
victimization and persecution of Christian pastors and attacks on churches. It was quite clear from the
narrations that Uttara Canara was the foci of the anti-Christian violence, but incidents of persecution
were reported from every one of the 30 districts of the state during 2012 and in the first three months of
2013.
The “Peoples Hearing on Persecution of Christians in Karnataka” was held at the Institute of
Agriculture Technologists in the city. The Jury consisted of Mrs Brinda Adige, the celebrated
Founder member of Global Concerns India, Advocate Omkar KB, and Mr K L Ashok, general
secretary of Komu Souhardha Vedhike (Communal Harmony Front) and Mr. Mohamed Rafi
Ahmed, General Secretary Forum for Democracy and Communal Amity. It may be recalled that
Karnataka was found to be the No. 1 Rogue State in many reports, including the one compiled by
The CSF and presented in Mumbai for the last 2 years. The same was released by Justice Michael
Saldanha, as seen in the pic alongside with Ram Puniani and Joseph Dias. This Public Hearing
also comes in the wake of the statement by former Karnataka High court judge Michael Saldanha
that Karnataka had witnessed 1,000 cases of persecution of Christians in three years between 2010
and 2012 – an average of more than 300 a year. This was the situation in 2012 also. Most of the
victims remain in great fear. Of the 200 persons requested to come to the hearing, only 80 agreed
to come. But all of them were afraid of what would happen to them if they spoke in public at the
hearing. Many asked the Christian Council how they would be protected if anything happened to them
after they gave their evidence.
From the statements of the victim, it is clear that the police have been heavily penetrated and
politicized under the BJP rule of Mr. B S Yediyurappa and of his successors, while local thugs and
Sangh activists across the state have been encouraged to take the law into their own hands. Many
villages show a sharp increase in intolerance, encouraged by the inaction of police forces. Incidents of
intolerance included Sangh Parivar members goading villages to stop the construction of churches,
demolition of existing structures and stopping people from preaching or peacefully distributing literature.
Witnesses identified their attackers as belonging to RSS, the Bajrangdal and some local frontal
organizations.
Justice was procured only after the victims approached the local and higher courts. The High Court had
to intervene in one case to allow the construction of a religious structure. The victims were, in essence,
of three kinds – those who were imprisoned, those who had their churches destroyed, and those
who were physically assaulted and beaten up by mobs.
Speaking on behalf of the jury Advocate Omkar said it was clear the machinery of the state was
used by the radical political elements to harass the Christian community and specially the pastors
and religious leaders. There was a well-organized anti-Christian violence in 2008. It seems there is
still a strong nexus between the police, the local village chiefs, tehsildhars against the community at
the behest of the Sangh Parivar. “The state is also fully culpable he added”. Advocate Omkar said
the protectors had become the attackers.
Mr. K. Ashok called upon the community to make common cause with the civil society and progressive
forces in asserting fundamental rights including freedom of faith. He also called for legal literacy in the
community. Mohamed Rafi Ahmed said it was heart rendering to hear the tales of horror and the many
incidents of police complicity the Bajrang Dal and others. The Government must take notice of it. India
has a secular constitution and it is the right of every citizen to practice, profess and propagate his faith.
He asked the victims to stand for firm and pursue justice with the perseverance
The All India Christian Council expressed its deep regret at the inaction of the State Government
and the State Minority Commission in not coming to the rescue of the persecuted Christians. The
Council demanded that the Governor and Chief Minister send out categorical instructions to every
police station to take notice of such incidents of violence and take stern action the aggressors.
The Council has also demanded a single-window redress system by the State Director General of Police
to listen to complaints because local police station are not recording the incidents, said Dr. John Dayal,
Member, National Integration Council and Secretary General of All India Christian Council. The
testimonies have been recorded and are available for the press and the government. Copies will be sent to
the concerned departments and a copy will be sent to the Chief Justice of Karnataka.
Car Pool for the Visually Challenged persons
Courtesy: Examiner
Infinity Consultancy Services has instituted a service of ‘Car Pool for the
Visually Challenged persons’ in Mumbai region and needs volunteers to pick up
and drop Visually Challenged persons on the following routes :
Thane to CST; Malad (NL College) to MTNL (Goregaon) and BOI (Natraj
Market), Malad; Andheri Station to Cooper Hospital; Dahisar to Fort (DN
Road); King’s Circle to Churchgate; Kandivli to BKC; Sahar PMP to MIDC Marol;
KoraKendra to Borivli Stn; Chembur (Sindhi Colony) and Dadar (Hindmata) to
University, Fort; Vasai to Fountain; Nallasopara to Fort.
Any one travelling on the above mentioned routes may contact Kinjal on 98218
96740 or write to infinitycs@rediffmail.com
The website dedicated to restoration of
Mumbai: Establishing Homelink children and help trace lost/missing kids
has features such as follow-up and
of runaways
caring community.
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/establishing-homelinkof-runaways/1055236/
Information gathered through events
such as Diwali mela and monthly melas
Several runaway children come to is automatically updated on it. The
Mumbai in search of better life but end details are shared with NGOs and
up on streets. Shelter Don Bosco, measures taken to find a match.
Wadala,
relocates
such
children.
Homelink, an online initiative started by An integral part of the initiative is
Don Bosco in 2007, has so far helped relocation of "young at risk", who
relocate 80 such kids.
include
runaways,
out-of-school,
differently-abled, young in conflict with
The website linked to around 50 NGOs law, children addicted to drugs or
across the country maintains a database alcohol and child victims of exploitation
— name, age, photograph, background and abuse.
information, etc — of such children and
whenever there is a match, makes "Most of these children run away from
arrangements to help the child return to home due to abuse, child labour,
his/her parents.
alcoholic parents and acute poverty.
Children who have gone back to families
"People register on Homelink and we belonged to Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan,
find the child and his/her parents. Uttar
Pradesh,
Gujarat
and
Located children are produced before Maharashtra," Jones said.
the child welfare committee, which
directs us to keep them for a year at the
==================
shelter. During the period a child is with
us, we try to find his/her family," said HOME LINK / MISSING CHILD SEARCH TRAINING
PROGRAM
Father Roger Jones, director of Shelter
http://bismumbai.blogspot.in/2012/09/bis-3148-homeDon Bosco.
link-missing-child-search.html
Citing financial problems, Vatican withholds election-year
staff bonus
By Francis X. Rocca
Catholic News Service
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- In an austerity move like those being taken by
governments around the world, the Vatican will not pay its employees a bonus
marking the March 13 election of Pope Francis but will instead make a donation to
charity.
"In the past, on the occasion of the start of a pontificate, a bonus was granted to
Vatican employees," Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, the Vatican spokesman, told
reporters April 19. "In the present case, given the difficult economic situation in
general, it seemed neither possible nor opportune to burden the budgets of Vatican
offices with a considerable, extraordinary and unexpected expense.
"Instead, the Holy Father has decided to make a donation to some charitable
organizations, drawing on funds available for the charity of the pope, as a sign of
concern for the many persons in difficulty," Father Lombardi said.
In 2007, Vatican employees received the equivalent of $655 at the current
exchange rate in celebration of Pope Benedict XVI's 80th birthday. Two years
earlier, they received $1,965 after the funeral of Blessed John Paul II and the
election of his successor. But no bonus was paid in 2012 when Pope Benedict turned
85.
The Holy See, which employs about 2,800 people, reported a deficit of $19.4 million
for 2011.The commission governing Vatican City State, which employs about 1,900
people, reported a surplus of $28.4 million for the same period. The surplus was
largely attributed to revenues from the Vatican Museums. Since his election, Pope
Francis has said that he wants a "poor church, for the poor," and discouraged
Argentines from traveling to Rome for his Mass of inauguration, suggesting that
they donate the cost of the trip to charity instead.
REST IN PEACE FR
SALU...
There are priests that you are in awe
of...you watch them from a distance...you
hear about their work..their
struggles...their humaneness...and you
cannot help but try to emulate even a
fraction of their personalities...
And then God gives you the opportunity
to work with them..to watch them from
close quarters...to draw strength from
their experience...to work for the
Kingdom.....
That is how it was for me when it came
to Fr Salu...when i was little I heard
about how he was attacked and came
back to life ready to serve in the very
place where he faced opposition....when i
was studying for the priesthood and then
was ordained, i would hear about his good
work in the missions and the parishes he
had been entrusted with...then the
accident occurred where Fr Tommy
Kuruvilla died and Fr Salu was fighting
for his life and I knew once again that he
would come alive to serve in God's
Kingdom...
And then I got the opportunity to work
with him...from day one he encouraged
the use of my talents and skills..that's
the way he made his assistants grow....he
empowered them with his trust and his
advice..he was stern yet friendly...he
corrected faults with compassion...he
was a team man...a father figure...a
genuine human being...
He loved chocolates...one of the passions
we shared...he loved the poor....he
wanted to help them as much as he
could...i remember a trip we made
together to Talasari and how the people
just flocked to see where he was...he was
like a deity, though i knew he was
embarrassed by the adulation...
Team Salu was like
family...sharing...fooling...enjoying our
meals...our meetings...our outings....
Unfortunately, pancreatic cancer took
its toll...he fought it with courage...every
encounter with him was a lesson in
endurance...my final encounter was on
Good Friday when i went to preach the
Three Hour's Agony in Mahim and I
could see that he was going through his
own...but yet he smiled at the jibes of
his assistants who tried to maintain the
good spirit....
Priests like Fr Salu don't come by so
easily..but when they do they have
opened God's large and compassionate
heart to us...I will cherish the love, the
advice and memories...
Till we meet again, Fr Salu...we know we
have lost an exemplary priest, and a
possible Bishop ..a trustworthy
friend...an irreplaceable mentor...a good
human....
May you rest in peace!!!
Fr Reuben
Health Benefits of
Consuming Dates
nervous system. Researchers have revealed
the fact that potassium intake up to a
certain extent can reduce risk of stroke.
7) Dates also help in lowering of the LDL
cholesterol.
8) Dates have high iron content and are
very useful in treating anemia. The patients
can eat many dates for better advantages.
9) Dates also have fluorine that slows down
the process of tooth decay.
1) Dates are free from cholesterol and
contain very low fat. Dates are rich in
vitamins and minerals.
2) They are rich source of protein, dietary
fiber and rich in vitamin B1, B2, B3 and B5
along with vitamin A1 and C.
10) It helps people suffering from
constipation. Soak dates overnight and
take it along with water to have added
advantage.
11) Dates help in weight gain and are
beneficial for those who suffer from over
slimming problem.
12) Dates are excellent for alcoholic
intoxication.Cures abdominal cancer.
3)It helps improve the digestive system as it 13) It also helps in improving eye sight and
contains soluble and insoluble fibers and
helps in curing night blindness as well.
different kinds of amino acids.
4) Dates are great energy boosters as they
contain natural sugars like glucose, sucrose
and fructose. To get more advantage add
dates to milk and make it a very nutritious
snack.
5)Dates are very low in calories and are
extremely suitable for health conscious
people.
6) Dates are rich in potassium and reduced
in sodium. This helps regulate a healthy
14) It also improves the sperm count when
taken with milk.
"The best thing is that it does not have any
side effect on the body and is completely
natural as well as it works better than
medicine."
Eforward from
Martin Kannoth
Thank You : Soumya's family, three others get Rs 12 lac
help
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore (NM)
Mangalore, Apr 24: Four beneficiaries
have received a sum of over Rs 12 lac
following separate appeals for help published in
Daijiworld recently. In their letters to
Daijiworld, the four families conveyed
exceptional thanks to the readers and
contributors for their prayers and financial
support during their time of need.
The family of Soumya said that they received a
sum of around Rs 7 lac, while Valerian
D’Souza (48), husband of Saritha D’Souza,
resident of Belman, Karkala taluk, and Salmiya
D’Souza, daughter of Silvester D’Souza and
Rita D’Souza, resident of Gurpur, said they
received a sum of Rs 2 lac each and Shivraj
(24), son of Prema Naik, Inoli, Konaje, received
about Rs 1.5 lac.
received from the various sources helped me to
bear the medical expenses. We have spent
about Rs
“Doctors have said that Valerian is slowly
recovering. Since there is some damage to the
brain, it needs time to recover completely,” she
said.
Another appeal was for Salmiya D’Souza who
needed financial support in order to undergo
orthopaedic surgery to walk again. The 17-yearold has undergone a lot of suffering since her
childhood as she accidentally fell from the
hands of a relative while she was just three
months old. Thereafter, the growth of her legs
kept deteriorating and she kept getting weak.
The family which had spent a lot on her regular
medications had no money to bear the expense
of her recent surgery. Daijiworld had carried an
appeal and her family thanked the donors for
the financial support received in a short time.
Soumya, an aspiring teacher, belonging to a
very poor family was allegedly raped and
murdered near her house. Considering their dire
situation and poor family background, “We had no money to pay the expenses of
Daijiworld had carried an exclusive report surgery. Due to the generosity of the readers of
seeking financial for the family.
Daijiworld, we could get her discharged. We
spent about Rs 2 lac for the entire surgery,” said
Nalinakshi, mother of Soumya, along with her Rita D’Souza, Salmiya’s mother. “As soon as
other three children came to Daijiworld the appeal was published, we kept receiving
expressing their gratefulness
for the calls and messages from distant lands enquiring
unbelievable financial support received through about Salmiya's health. We received timely
the appeal. With tears in her eyes, she said, help. We are extremely thankful to all the well“This is something I had never expected in my wishers,” she added
life. People who do not know us have shown
their care and support which I am thankful for.” In another case, Shivraj (24), a cancer victim,
needed support as he was the sole bread winner
She added, “The loss of my daughter is of the family. Prema Naik did house chores to
unimaginable and I am still going through all feed the family along with Shivraj, while two
the emotions. Being in the village, I had no clue other siblings were still studying. His father
that such organizations like websites even exist, Krishnappa had abandoned the family when the
so when it comes to the financial support, I am children were very small. Prema expressed
still trying to accept it.”
gratitude to the readers for the financial help
Soumya has four siblings Divya (19), who received. “We will pray for the families for
studied until SSLC, is now engaged in tailoring supporting us and that’s the only option left to
work; Maithri (17), who was pursuing her PU us. Doctors have said that Shivraj has been
and discontinued it, Lohith (14), who is in class responding well to the antibiotics and
chemotherapy. Shivraj does not have pain in the
9, and Asha (11), in class 6.
leg. He feels his legs are okay and he drives a
Valerian D’Souza, the bread winner of the rickshaw,” she added.
family, had met with an accident while coming
back home after duty hours on March 26, 2013. Indeed, Daijiworld readers have once again
Thereafter, he was admitted in the intensive proved that together, we can make the world a
care unit (ICU) of a private hospital with head beautiful place. Hats off to each and every
injuries.
person who has helped, supported and prayed
Saritha, wife of Valerian, expressed gratitude to for the four families. 2 lac for the surgery and
all the donors for their timely help. “The money medications and it would not have been
possible without the financial support received
from the readers,” she said.
COMMENTS FROM SOME OF THE DAIJIWORLD READERS TO THE ABOVE REPORT
C Sharath, Mangalore
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
We have to thank god for being blessed into a position at which we could donate
something like these small financial help to these suffering family's. Donars should
feel proud of themselves who one by one is responsible for wiping a by tear
shedd'd by these victims of nature & cruel society. I hope the received donations
are used in a proper way to settle the family in a position they would live a
respectable life in the society hereon.
Robin J martis, Banaglore
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
This is really good approach by daijiworld. Normally people ask for donation in
varies websites and after that there is no on what happened. However Daijiworld
has taken the responsibility of the verifying the need and then publishing it in the
website. and after sometime updating the donors on status of the beneficiaries.
I hope many more people get motivated by this and help the needy.
Aadil Khan, Kasaragod, Saudi Arabia
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Media is a powerful weapon. Daijiworld, you are unique and different because you
do not follow yellow journalism. Your role to serve the mankind is just
praiseworthy and notable. Good luck and grow more and more to the new heights .
abdul sattar habiballah, belapu/Jeddah
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Daiji your effort brings the fruit by the heartful help donors, it is more better to
help poor students who cannot continue their education with bad financial
conditions. So I have no words to express your efforts to the society whether he is
Muslim, Hindu or Christian "ISHWARE ALLAH TERE NAAM SAB KO SANMATHI DE
BHAGWAN" Patriotic a Father of Nation Mahatma Gandhiji.
mallya,
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
It is gratifying to note that there is some good in this world. I really appreciate the
noble souls who have contributed generously for these down and put people. I am
sick and tired of reading posts by people who are deluded by politics and religion.
The only truism in this life is that we are all one and should help one another.
r. Maxim Noronha, Bishop's House, Mangalore 3
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Great work! May the good work of helping the needy may continue through Daiji
World and the BIG Hearted people
No name, Mangalore/NRI
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Attention of DW readers. I have contributed to one of the needy person in this
picture last Saturday. On Monday while going through the BSE index most of my
shares prices turned into green I have earned above Rs.40,000/-profit. God is
great.Helping the needy persons is my religion which I firmly beleive.'Love one
another specially during the difficulties.'that is my principle.
APPEAL FOR MEDICAL HELP
Courtesy: daijiworld.com
Maxim D’Souza (27), Korikkar,
Kaliyoor, Koliyoor – 671323
Maxim D’Souza (27), son of Charly D’Souza and
Piyad D’Souza, residing at Korikkar, Kaliyoor,
Koliyoor – 671323, a welder by profession, met
with an accident when working about 30 months
back, and suffered damages to his spinal cord.
Since then, he has been bedridden, as he has
since then, been suffering from paralysis of the
lower limbs. Father Muller Homoeopathic Medical
College and Hospital has certified that Maxim has
been catheterized as he has no control over
urination, and that he requires supportive
physiotherapy for a few years.
Maxim says he has already spent over five lac
rupees for his treatment and that his financial
resources have dried up. As he belongs to a poor
family and is in need of generous contributions for
continuing with treatment, he has requested
willing donors to extend possible help.
Bank Account Details:
SB account number: 42282200075706
Maxim D’Souza
Syndikate Bank, Vorkady branch,
Vishwaroopam 1st floor
Sunkadakatte, Vorkady – 671323.
IFS code: SYNB0004228
Phone: 094953 74874
Damodara Shetty (27), Pilikula,
Pavala, Vorkadi post, Manjeshwar
(via) Kasargod
Damodara Shetty (27), son of Bantappa Shetty and
Kamala, living at Pilikula, Pavala, Vorkadi post,
Manjeshwar (via) Kasargod, lost his eyesight at a very
young age presumably because of allergy caused by
usage of outdated talcum powder. He underwent
surgery at Bangalore to remove both his eyes. Justice K
S Hegde Charitable Hospital, Deralakatte near
Mangalore, has certified that there is no light
perception in both of his eyes.
At present, Shetty is cared for by his two elder sisters.
He wants that they should marry and move forward in
their lives. As he belongs to a very poor agriculturist
family, Shetty knows he cannot stand on his own legs
once they are married off, as he has no financial
support. Therefore, he has requested willing donors to
extend possible help to enable him to lead an
independent life.
Bank Account Details:
SB account number:42282210011880
Damodara Shetty
Syndicate Bank, Vorkady, Vishwaprabha 1st floor,
Sunkadakatte, Vorkadi – 671323.
IFS code: SYNB0004228
Phone: 09495 374874/ 093880 18969
GEM PLUS - LAUGH TIME
Cartoons: courtesy: internet
Published by St Xavier’s Community Centre, Panvel,
Editor: Fr Felix Rebello
Tel: 2745 5556, Email:panvelchurch@gmail.com, gemenewsletter@gmail.com
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