Pulses farmers in Bidar harvesting bumper crops with A3P interventions Bidar district of Karnataka is witnessing a silent revolution

in pulses production. Farmers, used to growing pigeonpea, Bengal gram, green gram and black gram, have discovered that good seed coupled with expert advice and better cropping practices significantly raise the yield from the same farms and same amount of rainfall. Though only a small portion of farmers have adopted new farming technologies yet, the average pulses yield of the district now surpasses the national and state yields. In 2010, idar was selected for !"# $!ccelerated #ulses #roduction #rogramme%, a central government scheme that showcases latest crop technologies and practices in farmers& fields. !"# also allows convergence of expertise, funds and farm technologies. In idar, the 'tate agriculture department has, within !"#, experimented with transplanting and drip irrigation in farmers& fields. This has resulted in high yields with less seed re(uirement and less water consumption. Azad Dedicates Asias irst B!"#$afet% &evel '!( &aborator% to the )ation )nion *inister of +ealth and Family ,elfare, 'hri -hulam .abi !/ad dedicated to the .ation the Asias First Bio-Safety Level-IV Laboratory established by I0*1 with support from 2epartment of 'cience 3 Technology at Pune today. *he )ational !nstitute of (irolog% +)!(,, Pune has done tremendous work on -esearch and .anagement of infectious agents including viruses/ !t continues to do e0cellent work on viruses which are transmitted b% vectors including mos1uitoes, ticks and mites/ !t has lived up to its reputation b% making laudable contributions on 2epatitis, !nfluenza and several other different viruses causing acute 3ncephalitis $%ndrome +A3$, in the recent %ears/ $hri Azad said the inauguration ceremon% of the B$& !( &ab marks the end of the Diamond 4ubilee celebrations of )!(, Pune and starting of the 56th %ear of its glorious e0istence/ +e said the 12th #lan document has been approved by the .ational 2evelopment 0ouncil yesterday. It is a matter of satisfaction that 4+ealth5 has been given a central position in the 12th #lan and the outlay for health, including health research, has gone up substantially. *he following schemes will be rolled out in the area of health research during the 78th Plan period9# : 3stablishment of multidisciplinar% research units in 7;6 government medical colleges : $etting up of ;6 rural health research units at block level

: 3stablishment of a network of 8;6 laboratories at regional, state and district level for managing epidemics : <rant in aid to researchers on pro=ects involving development of affordable technologies, reagents and methods for public use : $trengthen the e0isting !>.- !nstitutes and set#up new centres in deficit areas : : : $uggest ? regularl% update $tandard *reatment <uidelines Bench mark and Accredit 2ealth -esearch !nstitutions $upport 2uman -esource development for producing 1ualified researchers

$hri Azad complemented scientists, doctors and officers of the Department of 2ealth -esearch, !>.-, D$*, Director and $cientists of )!( Pune, )ational and !nternational Advisors, Klenzied, the >ompan% which built this facilit%, 2$>> and all others who have pla%ed a role in the development of this facilit%/ )ational @ater -esources >ouncil Adopts )ational @ater Polic% +8678, The .ational ,ater 1esource 0ouncil has adopted the .ational ,ater #olicy $2012%. The consensus in this regard was made during 6th meeting of the council held here in .ew 2elhi under the chairmanship of #rime *inister 2r. *an *ohan 'ingh. .ational ,ater #olicy $2012% was the result of wide consultations held with all the sta7eholders including consultations with *embers of #arliament, academia, .-8s, corporate sector and #anchayati 1a9 Institutions. :numerating the challenges in the water sector, he called for an integrated approach of governance based on certain basic principles so that concerns get addressed ade(uately in the different parts of the country ensuring e(uity and social 9ustice. "ver A,56,666 A$2As appointed to act as bridge between the communities and the health facilities in villages ' Azad 'ince the launch of .ational 1ural +ealth *ission ; years ago, substantial progress has been made in health sector. 8ver A,56,666 A$2As have been appointed to act as bridge between the communities and the health facilities in the villages. .ew +ealth Infrastructure has been created. ! total of ;0,000 beds have been increased in government health institutions for provision of essential and emergency services. ! *other and 0hild Trac7ing 'ystem $*0T'% has been put in place to reach out to every pregnant woman and child for proper vaccination. The government has launched a scheme wherein male and female contraceptives are being delivered at the doorstep in the high focus districts of the country by !'+!s at a nominal cost. !nother scheme has been initiated for the promotion of menstrual hygiene among adolescent girls of rural areas in the age group of 10<1= years covering 1.> crore girls in 1>2 districts of 20

states. There has been significant fall in **1, I*1 and TF1 as well as reduction in new +I? cases by as much as >;@ in the country. +e said the 78th Plan has 9ust been finali/ed by the .ational 2evelopment 0ouncil. It is a matter of great satisfaction that B2ealthC has been given a central position in the 12th #lan and the outlay for health has gone up substantially. 'everal new initiatives have been envisaged during 12th #lan period. These areA< $1% 'trengthening of 'ub<0entres, which are the first port of call for the community for healthcare services in the remotest and inaccessible areas by providing additional manpowerB $2% The 2istrict +ospitals would be e(uipped to become strong hubs for advanced secondary and multi<speciality care $"% To cope with the increasing load at government facilities, 20,000 additional beds for mothers and children have been approved for 2istrict +ospitals and 0ommunity +ealth 0entresB $C% It is proposed to introduce universal screening for all children for disease, disability and deficiency which would be followed up by free treatment where re(uiredB $>% *edicines account for ;0@ of out of poc7et expenditure. It is proposed to ensure availability of free generic medicines to everyone coming to a government health facilityB $6% !nother area would be the launch of an urban health initiative to address health concerns of urban poor specially those living in the urban slums. ####DDD *he agriculture growth rate for the 77th Plan has been targeted at 3/3 per cent as compared to 8/8 per cent achieved during the 76th Plan period, the inance .inister added/ >rop !nsurance $chemes for >ompensation of &oss to armers our crop insurance schemes are being implemented namely .ational !gricultural Insurance 'cheme +)Al$,, #ilot ,eather ased 0rop Insurance 'cheme +@B>!$,, #ilot *odified .ational !gricultural Insurance 'cheme +.)A!$% and #ilot 0oconut #alm Insurance 'cheme +>P!$%. 'tates have the choice for notification of areas D crops under the schemes. !nternational .eet on &ocust >ontrol Discusses @a%s to >heck the Pest in $outh @est Asia ! meeting of 2Eth session of F!8 0ommission for 0ontrolling the 2esert Focust in 'outh ,est !sia was held today to discuss new techni(ues for monitoring and controlling of

locusts in the 1egion. This international meet at 'ura97und, Faridabad was also attended by Indian as well as foreign delegates. India is a member of F!8&s 0ommission for 0ontrolling the 2esert Focust in 'outh ,est !sia. 'outh ,est !sia 0ommission $',!0% member countries vi/. #a7istan, Iran and !fghanistan are playing an important role in preventing incursion of locust swarm into India. They are also disseminating the latest information to India from time to time on locust situation in their countries which alert it to 7eep itself well prepared to meet any eventuality. In case of emergency, ',!0 member countries also provide the material assistance in the form of e(uipment, aircrafts, pesticides etc. 2uring 1=E=, 1==", 1==; locust incursions, the F!8 has helped India in a big way by providing technical assistance as well as mobili/ing the donor countries for see7ing assistance for controlling locust, failing which it had not been possible to combat such large scale invasions. background The desert locust +$chistocerca gregaria, is a species of locust. #lagues of desert locusts have threatened agricultural production in !frica, the *iddle :ast, and !sia for centuries. The livelihood of at least one<tenth of the world&s human population can be affected by this voracious insect. The desert locust is potentially the most dangerous of the locust pests because of the ability of swarms to fly rapidly across great distances. It has two to five generations per year. The last ma9or desert locust upsurge in 200CG0> caused significant crop losses in ,est !frica and had a negative impact on food security in the region. ,hile the desert locust alone is not responsible for famines, it can be an important contributing factor. 2uring (uiet periods, called recessions, desert locusts are confined to a 75#million# s1uare#kilometer belt that extends from .auritania through the $ahara Desert in northern Africa, across the Arabian Peninsula, and into northwest !ndia . )nder optimal ecological and climatic conditions, several successive generations can occur, causing swarms to form and invade countries on all sides of the recession area, as far north as $pain and -ussia, as far south as )igeria and Ken%a, and as far east as !ndia and southwest Asia/ !s many as 56 countries can be affected within an area of "2 million s(uare 7ilometers, or approximately 86 percent of the 3arthEs land surface. Focust swarms fly with the wind at roughly the speed of the wind. They can cover from 100 to 200 7ilometers in a day, and will fly up to about 2,000 meters above sea level $thereafter, it becomes too cold%. Therefore, swarms cannot cross tall mountain ranges

such as the !tlas *ountains, the +indu Hush or the +imalayas. *he% will not venture into the rain forests of Africa nor into central 3urope. +owever, locust adults and swarms regularl% cross the -ed $ea between Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, and are even reported to have crossed the Atlantic "cean from Africa to the >aribbean in ten da%s during the 7FAG#AF plague. ! single swarm can cover up to 1200 s(uare 7ilometers and can contain between C0 and E0 million locusts per s(uare 7ilometer. *he locust can live between three to si0 months, and there is a ten to 75#fold increase in locust numbers from one generation to the ne0t/ 2esert locusts can consume the approximate e(uivalent of their body mass each day $2 g% in green vegetationA leaves, flowers, bark, stems, fruit, and seeds/ .early all crops, and noncrop plants, are at ris7, including pearl millet, rice, maize, sorghum, sugarcane, barle%, cotton, fruit trees, date palm, vegetables, rangeland grasses, acacia, pines, and banana.

What is more, locust dro that is left uneaten#

in!s are to"ic, and s oil any stored food

>rop loss from locusts was noted in the Bible and HurEanIThe significant crop loss caused by swarming desert locusts exacerbates problems of food shortage, and is a threat to food security. iopesticides include fungi, bacteria, neem e0tract and pheromones. The effectiveness of many biopesticides e(uals that of conventional chemical pesticides, but there are two distinct differences. iopesticides in general ta7e longer to 7ill insects, plant diseases, or weeds, usually between 2 and 10 days. *he species ./ acridum has specialised on short#horned grasshoppers, to which group locusts belong, and has therefore been chosen as the active ingredient of the product/ 8wing to the destructive habits of locusts, they have been a representation of famine in many *iddle :astern cultures. This theme commonly occurs, such as in the movies *he .umm% and *he Bible. In the pre<oil era of the !rab states of the #ersian -ulf, locusts were considered as a food delicacy. -uaiacol is produced in the gut of 2esert locusts by the brea7down of plant material. This process is underta7en by the gut bacterium #antoea $:nterobacter% agglomerans. -uaiacol is one of the main components of the pheromones that cause locust swarming. @ater Dispute 1. 1avi 3 eas #un9ab, +aryana and 1a9asthan

2. 0auvery Herala, Harnata7a, Tamil .adu and #udducherry ". Hrishna Harnata7a, !ndhra #radesh and *aharashtra C. *ahadayi $*andovi% -oa, Harnata7a and *aharashtra >. ?ansadhara !ndhra #radesh 3 8rissa &ist of &ife $aving Drugs *here is no such list of life saving drugs. The -overnment has, however, published a )ational &ist of 3ssential .edicines +)&3.,, 8677. *he ob=ective of the .F:* is that the drugs included in it are ade(uate to meet the common contemporary health needs of the general population of the country. It is the general obligation of the health administrators to ensure abundant availability of these drugs in the country. The primary purpose of .F:* is to promote rational use of medicines considering the three important aspects i.e. cost, safety and efficacy. Furthermore, it promotes prescription by generic names. The .F:* is revised and updated from time to time in the context of contemporary 7nowledge of therapeutic products. The .F:*, 2011 consists of "CE medicines belonging to 2; therapeutic categories such as antineoplastic, anti<cancer, immunological, anti infective 0ardiovascular, ophthalmological preparations, 2iuretics, anti<allergic etc. Department of Pharmaceuticals under .inistr% of >hemicals ? ertilizers have been re(uested to bring all drugs in .F:*, 2011 under the price control regime of 2rugs #rice 0ontrol 8rder $2#08%. J) <oals on !nfant .ortalit% The report B!nfant and >hild .ortalit% in !ndiaC# Fevels, Trends and 2eterminants published by .I*'<I0*1 and ).I0:F mentions that among !ndias ma=or states, si0 states namel% Kerala and *amil )adu in the south, .aharashtra in the @est, Pun=ab and 2imachal Pradesh in the )orth and @est Bengal in the 3astern part of !ndia are likel% to achieve .D<#K target of J;.- below 3F b% 867;. !s per the above said report, impact of 7ey socio<economic determinants on Infant and 0hild mortality are as underA

Infant mortality rate among children born to illiterate mothers has been consistently higher than those born to mothers with any education. The estimate showed that the lowest mortality levels were seen among children born to women with more than 12 years of education and the highest were among those born to mothers with no education. 0hildren born in scheduled caste and scheduled tribe families have a significantly higher ris7 of dying than others. !ll components of under<five mortality have an inverse association with economic status as measured by 'tandard of Fiving Index. etween 1=E1 and 200>, I*1 and )>*1 were consistently lower among children living in families who accessed drin7ing water from a safe source as compared to those who accessed drin7ing water from an unsafe source. !ll components of )nder<five mortality are higher for children in households that do not have access to a flush or pit toilet, in India as a whole.

)nder )ational -ural 2ealth .ission +)-2.,, higher resources are being provided to the states and districts with wee7 health indicators. Further, the following interventions are implemented to reduce Infant and 0hild mortality rates and to achieve *2- goals in the countryA 7, Promotion of !nstitutional Deliver% through 4anani$urakshaLo=ana +4$L, and 4anani$hishu$urakshaKar%akram +4$$K,9 #romoting Institutional delivery to ensure s7illed birth attendance is 7ey to reducing both maternal and neo<natal mortality. 4$L incentivi/es pregnant women to opt for institutional delivery and provides for cash assistance. 4$$K entitles all pregnant women to absolutely free and /ero expense delivery including caesarean section operation in -overnment health facilities and provides for free to and fro transport, food, drugs and diagnostics. 'imilar entitlements have also been put in place for sic7 neonates. 8, $trengthening acilit% based newborn care9 .ewborn care corners $. 00% are being set up at all health facilities where deliveries ta7e place to provide essential newborn care at birth to all new born babiesB 'pecial .ew orn 0are )nits $'.0)s% at 2istrict +ospitals and .ew orn 'tabili/ation )nits $. ')s% at F1)s are being set up for the care of sic7 newborn. 3, 2ome Based )ewborn >are +2B)>,9 +ome based newborn care through A$2A has recently been initiated to improve new born care practices at the community level and for early detection and referral of sic7 new born babies. The schedule of home visits by A$2A consists of at least 5 visits in case of

institutional deliveries, on days ", ;, 1C, 21, 2E 3 C2nd days and one additional visit within 2C hours of delivery in case of home deliveries. !dditional visits will be made for babies who are pre<term, low birth weight or ill. K, >apacit% building of health care providers9 ?arious trainings are being conducted under .ational 1ural +ealth *ission $.1+*% to build and upgrade the s7ills of doctors, nurses and !.* for early diagnosis and case management of common ailments of children and care of newborn at time of birth. These trainings include !ntegrated .anagement of )eo#natal and >hildhood !llness+!.!)>!, and )av=aat$hishu$urakshtaKar%akaram +)$$K%. ;, .anagement of .alnutritionA :mphasis is being laid on reduction of malnutrition which is an important underlying cause of child mortality. >=C )utritional -ehabilitation >entres have been established for management of $evere Acute .alnutrition +$A.%. !ron and olic Acid is also provided to children for prevention of anaemia. 1ecently, wee7ly Iron and Folic !cid is proposed to be initiated for adolescent population. !s breastfeeding reduces infant mortality, exclusive breastfeeding for first six months and appropriate infant and young child feeding practices are being promoted in convergence with *inistry of ,oman and 0hild 2evelopment. 5, (illage 2ealth and )utrition Da%s +(2)Ds, are also being organi/ed for imparting nutritional counseling to mothers and to improve child care practices. G, Jniversal !mmunization Program +J!P%A (accination against seven diseases is provided to all children under )I#. -overnment of India supports the vaccine program by supply of vaccines and syringes, cold chain e(uipments and provision of operational costs. Lear 8678#73 has been declared as $%ear of intensification of &outine Immuni'ation/ A,.other and >hild *racking $%stemA ! name based *other and 0hild Trac7ing 'ystem has been put in place which is web based to enable trac7ing of all pregnant women and newborns so as to monitor and ensure that complete services are provided to them. 'tates are encouraged to send '*' alerts to beneficiaries reminding them of the dates on which services are due and generate beneficiary<wise due list of services with due dates for !.*s on a wee7ly basis. esides the above, various programmes are being implemented by *812, *8)2, +)#!, 2epartment of school education and literacy, *,02 to address social and economic determinants of health li7e drin7ing water, sanitation, nutrition, education, women empowerment, poverty etc that have a bearing on reduction of infant and child mortality.

Allocation for the 2ealth $ector !s per the draft 78th ive Lear Plan document of #lanning 0ommission, the pro9ections for the Twelfth #lan envisage increasing total public funding by the 0entre and 'tates, plan and non<plan, on core health from 7/6K per cent of <DP in 8677#78 to 7/AG per cent of <DP b% the end of the *welfth Plan/ The tentative allocation for 12th Five Iear #lan for *inistry of +ealth and Family ,elfare is 1s."0001E crore. The #resident said Justice hagwati is a pioneer of Public !nterest &itigation +P!&, in India, promoter of the right to legal aid and emissary of &ok Adalats. +e converted the courtroom into a site of people&s struggle in humani/ing law. Justice hagwati epitomi/es how a 9udge can be instrumental in espousing the cause of 9ustice to the millions of deprived Indians who are standing in the waiting room of history to become the sub9ects of 9ustice.