Thursday, December 11, 2014
Child marriages still rampant
The Hindu
Source: Planning Commission studyConsent does not matter, says study
A majority of parents who get their children married before the legal age do not even seek their consent, and among those who do, the child not consenting does not stop the marriage, new data has shown.
In 2011, the Planning Commission selected the G.B. Pant Institute of Studies in Rural Development, Lucknow, for a study on child marriage in India. The 2005-06 National Family Health Survey had shown that 46 per cent of young women were married before the legal age of 18, and the Planning Commission sought to understand why this was occurring. The Lucknow-based institute recently submitted its report to the government.
“The first thing that we were surprised to find is that child marriage remains rampant, especially in the northern States,” S.P. Pandey, director of the Institute, who led the study, told The Hindu over phone from Lucknow. Child marriage was prevalent among both Hindu and Muslim families, and across caste groups, he said.
Among the parents interviewed, “traditional practice” was the most common reason for child marriages, followed by growing demands for dowry later in life, and pressure from relatives. Over 1 in 10 said that concerns about their daughters’ safety was one reason to marry them off early. Nearly 80 per cent were unaware that their act was illegal.
Over 60 per cent of parents said that they had not sought the consent of their children before fixing the marriage. This was highest in Gujarat, Odisha and Rajasthan. In seven out of 10 cases, it was the father who had decided on the wedding, told the researchers. Among parents who did seek their children’s consent, nearly 60 per cent said that the children did not agree, but this rarely led to a change in the parents’ decision.
One thing that has changed was the age of the children getting married, Mr. Pandey said. “Earlier they used to be small children, seated in the parents’ lap in the marriage. Now they are adolescents or teenagers, but still under the age of 18.”
The study was carried out in 10 States reporting high rates of child marriage — Bihar, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh and Odisha — and two districts reporting the highest rates were then selected in each State. In all, the researchers surveyed 10,000 respondents.
Dec 11 2014 : The Economic Times (Delhi)
End of the World if Lawyers Disappear?
Artificial intelligence and law bots could expunge a layer of lawyers
When Stephen Hawking pronounced that artificial intelligence could destroy the world, he probably was not thinking of the report that lawyers could be one of the inevitable casualties. In any case, that scientific advancement may cause the `structural collapse' of the system of legal firms by 2030 would not be generally ranked among the prime concerns of those apprehensive about robots taking over more and more human occupations, leading to the loss of two billion jobs, particularly those of teachers, vehicle drivers and factory workers. The damage cannot be underestimated in the legal area as well, as those likely to be affected right in the beginning would be on the lower rungs of the legal ladder -the associates -whose generally underpaid efforts form the bulk of the muscle of law firms. But if law bots replace them and do the drudge work for no pay , no promotions and unlimited time -a dream situation for any employer -then the future of young legal eagles indeed appears to be dim.However, the prognostication that the big kahunas of the profession will then provide `real understanding and human insight' to their clients once the bots get the nitty-gritty out of the way sounds even more alarming. Given the lawyers' dubious record on that count, some clients may even prefer the law bots to begin at the top.
Dec 11 2014 : The Times of India (Delhi)
Believe it, potato can help you control weight
Kounteya Sinha
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London:
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Extract Rich With Polyphenols Is Magic Ingredient
You may be blaming your love for potato as the cause of your bulging waistline.But, scientists now say the humble vegetable that is a dietician's nightmare can actually help you cut a few kilos, terming it “the miracle ingredient to fight obesity“.
Extracts of Irish potatoes, rich in polyphenols has been found to reduce weight gain from a diet that is high in fat and refined carbohydrates, according to scientists at McGill University .
The results of their recent study were so surprising that the investigators repeated the experiment just to be sure.
Investigators fed mice an obesity-inducing diet for 10 weeks. The results soon appeared on the scale: mice that started out weighing on average 25grams put on about 16grams. However, mice that consumed the same diet but with a potato extract gained much less weight: only seven more grams.The benefits of the extract are due to its high concentration of polyphenols, a beneficial component from the fruits and vegetables.
“We were astonished by the results,“ said professor Luis Agellon, one of the study's authors. “We thought this can't be right in fact, we ran the experiment again using a different batch of extract prepared from potatoes grown in another season, just to be certain.“
According to this study , potato extracts could be a solution for preventing both obesity and type 2 diabetes. “The daily dose of extract comes from 30 potatoes, but of course we don't advise anyone to eat 30 potatoes a day,“ says Stan Kubow, principal author of the study , “as that would be an enormous number of calories.“
What the investigators envisage instead is making the extract available as a dietary supplement or simply as a cooking ingredient to be added in the kitchen.
Popular for its carbohydrate content, the potato is also a source of polyphenols. “In the famous French diet, considered to be very healthy , potatoes not red wine are the primary source of polyphenols,“ says Kubow. “Potatoes have the advantage of being cheap, and they're part of the basic diet in many countries,“ Kubow explains.“We chose a cultivated variety that is consumed in Canada and especially rich in polyphenols.“
Although humans and mice metabolize foods in similar ways, clinical trials are absolutely necessary to validate beneficial effects among humans.
Extracts of Irish potatoes, rich in polyphenols has been found to reduce weight gain from a diet that is high in fat and refined carbohydrates, according to scientists at McGill University .
The results of their recent study were so surprising that the investigators repeated the experiment just to be sure.
Investigators fed mice an obesity-inducing diet for 10 weeks. The results soon appeared on the scale: mice that started out weighing on average 25grams put on about 16grams. However, mice that consumed the same diet but with a potato extract gained much less weight: only seven more grams.The benefits of the extract are due to its high concentration of polyphenols, a beneficial component from the fruits and vegetables.
“We were astonished by the results,“ said professor Luis Agellon, one of the study's authors. “We thought this can't be right in fact, we ran the experiment again using a different batch of extract prepared from potatoes grown in another season, just to be certain.“
According to this study , potato extracts could be a solution for preventing both obesity and type 2 diabetes. “The daily dose of extract comes from 30 potatoes, but of course we don't advise anyone to eat 30 potatoes a day,“ says Stan Kubow, principal author of the study , “as that would be an enormous number of calories.“
What the investigators envisage instead is making the extract available as a dietary supplement or simply as a cooking ingredient to be added in the kitchen.
Popular for its carbohydrate content, the potato is also a source of polyphenols. “In the famous French diet, considered to be very healthy , potatoes not red wine are the primary source of polyphenols,“ says Kubow. “Potatoes have the advantage of being cheap, and they're part of the basic diet in many countries,“ Kubow explains.“We chose a cultivated variety that is consumed in Canada and especially rich in polyphenols.“
Although humans and mice metabolize foods in similar ways, clinical trials are absolutely necessary to validate beneficial effects among humans.
Dec 11 2014 : The Times of India (Delhi)
Goodbye Sec 309
Decriminalising suicide is an excellent move, government should delete other outdated laws
The government's move to delete the legal statute that criminalises attempted suicide is a welcome step forward in a heated and seemingly interminable legal debate that has raged at least since 1981. That was when Delhi high court first condemned Section 309 of the Indian Penal Code as “unworthy of society“. A two-judge bench of the Supreme Court in 1994 went so far as to call it “irrational and cruel and hence void“, before a five-judge constitutional bench of the apex court subsequently overruled these judgments and reinstated the law in the 1996 Gian Kaur vs State of Punjab case. The government's landmark decision not to treat attempted suicides as crimes is a sensitive and humane step.In a country where suicides have emerged as the second highest cause of deaths, this was a much-needed legal corrective. The Law Commission has repeatedly argued in favour of this, saying in 2008 that people who try and take their lives need compassion and emotional support. Decriminalisation would make it “easier for all of us to extend our hands and support in reducing suicides in India“. This paper has consistently advocated in favour of this position and in support of euthanasia as long as it is uncoerced. As the Supreme Court held in 1994, the right to life and liberty, under Article 21 of the Constitution, must also be interpreted to include the right to die.
Internationally , France was the first country to decriminalise attempted suicide after the French Revolution. All European and North American countries subsequently followed suit and India is now catching up. But that's only relatively speaking, because in another sense India's been here much before. Many Indic religions, such as Jainism and Hinduism, have ancient traditions of voluntary ending of one's life when it is seen as having served its purpose.
Now that this outdated relic of colonial law has been removed, government must go ahead and proactively remove other illiberal laws which get in the way of people's lives. One such is the draconian Section 66A of the IT Act, which makes sending any message deemed to be “offensive“ on any communication device a punishable offence.Unless this is done innocent people will continue to be punished and the justice system remain clogged.
Internationally , France was the first country to decriminalise attempted suicide after the French Revolution. All European and North American countries subsequently followed suit and India is now catching up. But that's only relatively speaking, because in another sense India's been here much before. Many Indic religions, such as Jainism and Hinduism, have ancient traditions of voluntary ending of one's life when it is seen as having served its purpose.
Now that this outdated relic of colonial law has been removed, government must go ahead and proactively remove other illiberal laws which get in the way of people's lives. One such is the draconian Section 66A of the IT Act, which makes sending any message deemed to be “offensive“ on any communication device a punishable offence.Unless this is done innocent people will continue to be punished and the justice system remain clogged.
Wednesday, December 10, 2014
New policy to tackle Naxals awaits Cabinet approval 2 months after being drafted
The Union Home Ministry's much talked about policy on Left Wing Extremism (LWE) is caught in red tape as it awaits a Cabinet approval even two months after it was drafted.
The new policy, a top agenda for Home Minister Rajnath Singh, has not been fully rolled out in the absence of a Cabinet sanction. The delay comes at a time when the focus is back on the policy for effectively combating "Red terror" in the aftermath of the recent Maoist attack in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district.
Sources said the policy cannot be implemented effectively until it gets a go-ahead by the Union Cabinet. Other than the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), the policy needs participation from the ministries of Finance, Tribal Affairs, Rural Development, Panchayati Raj, Road Transport and Highways, and Environment and Forests.
The draft policy also focuses on development-related issues, rights and entitlement of tribal population and a campaign to address perception related aspects.
"Since several ministries are involved, a Cabinet approval is necessary. It should have been done without any delay but bureaucratic delays have created a logjam," a home ministry official said, raising questions on the effectiveness of the policy because of procedural delays.
The Union home ministry is now pushing for implementation of some of the features in the new policy with the help from LWE-affected states.
On Tuesday, Home Secretary Anil Goswami held a meeting with the police chiefs and chief secretaries of these states along with CRPF officers to discuss the policy and how some of its features can be put into practice.
With regard to the securityrelated measures, it has been decided that the MHA will prepare a comprehensive note for the Cabinet Committee on Security for changes in the security-related expenditure scheme to be make it more "vibrant and dynamic."
The new policy also states that Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) will submit a re-organisation and restructuring plan to the Home Ministry. Other than security, the new policy focuses on development in Maoist-hit areas.
"The focus will be on expansion of existing school and medical infrastructure, banking services, telephone connectivity, road connectivity and skill building infrastructure," a note on the policy states.
According to the policy, road connectivity in Maoist-hit areas is crucial for not just mobility of security forces but also for creating opportunities of economic growth and empowerment of the people.
It also stresses on the need for improving communication in these areas.
The note on the policy also talks of Maoist efforts to expand the movement to the Southern theatre in the trijunction of Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
"The situation in Kerala has the potential of becoming more serious, if immediate preventive measures are not taken," the policy warns.
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