Jan 06 2015 : The Economic Times (Delhi)

A Good Beginning On Health Policy





The new draft policy covers useful ground

The government has done a good job with the proposed update to the National Health Policy of 2002 vintage. It presses most of the right buttons, has the right priorities, covers a vast ground from the change in the nature of the nation's disease burden (from communicable disease to a preponderance of non-communicable disease) through shortage of human resources in the sector to use of information and communication technology . It seeks to guarantee health for all as an entitlement. This is brave, considering this is very much the approach of the previous UPA government, which the present one has been seeking to badmouth in general. It seeks to increase public expenditure on health to at least 2.5% of GDP, taking note that India ranks low on this score among the major nations of the world. It targets 40% of this expenditure for the Centre, which is quite substantial but has to be prioritised for research, manpower development, regulation and bulk purchases of expensive drugs from multinationals to bring prices down.The draft policy could gain from extending its focus to two areas. One is aligning incentives between insurance and private healthcare provision. Right now, hospitals seek to maximise their take, inflating expenditure, particularly on investigations and avoidable surgery . Insurance seeks to minimise the tab it picks up, leaving the patient in a bad place. If the actuarial exercise of determining the likely cost of keeping a person healthy and treating him in case he falls ill can be performed by the healthcare provider, who then charges the insurance buyer this amount directly , it would obviate a layer of insurance company costs and profit and align incentives better. This system of what is increasingly called Accountable Care needs greater policy attention.
Another area of concern is threats arising from globalisation. People and goods cross borders extensively , bringing in disease that would have been localised in the past. Emergency response systems to epidemic outbreaks must figure in the health policy as well.

Jan 06 2015 : The Times of India (Delhi)

Depression is a physical ailment?

London: PTI





Depression may not be a mental or emotional condition but actually a result of inflammation caused by the body's immune system, scientists say .George Slavich, a clinical psychologist at the University of California in Los Angeles, has spent years studying depression, and has come to the conclusion that it has as much to do with the body as the mind.
“I don't even talk about it as a psychiatric condition anymore. It does involve psychology , but it also involves equal parts of biology and physical health,“ he says.
Research has shown that healthy people can be temporarily put into a depressed, anxious state when given a vaccine that causes a spike in inflamma tion, `The Guardian' reported.
A family of proteins called cytokines sets off inflammation in the body, and switches the brain into sickness mode. Both cytokines and inflammation have been shown to rocket during depressive episodes, and in people with bipolar disorder -drop off in periods of remission.
Another researcher Turhan Canli of Stony Brook University in New York believes infections are the most likely culprit behind inflammation and goes as far as to say that we should rebrand depression as an infectious, but not contagious, disease.
However, infection is not the only way to set off inflammation. A diet rich in trans fats and sugar has been shown to promote inflammation. Obesity is another risk factor. Carmine Pariante, a psychiatrist at Kings College London, believes that in five to 10 years, there may be a blood test that can measure inflammation in people with depression.

Jan 06 2015 : The Times of India (Delhi)

South India beats North in the art of giving

Bengaluru: TIMES NEWS NETWORK





Wipro chairman Azim Premji has been crowned the “Most Generous Indian“ for the second year in a row. In a ranking of Indian philanthropists put together by China's Hurun Research Institute, Premji, with a donation of Rs 12,316 crore to the Azim Premji Foundation between April 2013 and October 2014, is way ahead of others in the list.At No. 2 is Anil Agarwal of the London-listed Vedanta Resources, with a donation of Rs 1,796 crore, primarily towards social and rural development.At the third spot is HCL chairman Shiv Nadar, with a donation of Rs 1,316 crore.
Among cities, Mumbai tops the charts with 15 philanthropists in the total of 50, followed by Bengaluru (8) and Delhi (6). Overall, South Indians are more generous, donating Rs 13,300 crore -five times that by North Indians.
Infosys has the highest number of philanthropists in the top 10, with its founders Nandan Nilekani (along with wife Rohini) and Kris Gopalakrishnan ranked sixth and ninth.
This is the second year that Hurun Research Institute has put out a list of those donating at least Rs 10 crore.This year's report shows that 50 philanthropists donated over Rs 10 crore, up from 31 last year. This year's list has 27 new faces.
There are new-generation philanthropists like hedge fund manager Ashish Dhawan and cardiologists Vijay and Khushman Sanghvi, and they are seen to be unleashing a new wave of philanthropy in the country .
The total contribution of the top three philanthropists grew significantly by 29% (Rs 3,508 crore) over the previous year. Indian philanthropists contributed significantly to education (Rs 15,791 crore), followed by social and rural development (Rs 2,333 crore), healthcare (Rs 1,447 crore) and environmental protection (Rs 12 crore) between April 2013 and October 2014, according to a list put together by China's Hurun Research Institute.
Some 11 of the top 50 philanthropists do not live in India. Of these, five made their donations in India. Thirty-seven of the philanthropists are self-made, compared to 21 in the previous year. This year's list has several women, including Anu Aga, Rohini Nilekani, Zarina Screwvala, Yasmin Gupta, and Savitri Jindal.
Premji, with a net worth of $16.4 billion, has since 2010 transferred more than $4 billion to a trust that controls the Azim Premji Foundation, which works to improve the quality and equity in government school education. The foundation has established Azim Premji University, focused on developing talent and research for education and the social sector. Premji is quoted as saying: “I strongly believe that those of us who are privileged to have wealth should contribute significantly to try and create a better world for the millions who are far less privileged.“
Vedanta's Agarwal has pledged to donate 75% of his family's wealth to charity . Agarwal is estimated to have a personal fortune of Rs 12,316 crore. Nadar has committed $1 billion to his foundation, which focuses on providing highquality education to children from economically poor backgrounds.He has also started a developmental venture, Samudhay , to accelerate change in rural India.

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New beginnings

In the New Year, students explore options beyond the syllabus.

The earth has come around the sun once again and the cycle of seasons will repeat once more as we step into 2015. There is promise in the air, for all those who look forward to changes — in routines, careers and lives. This is indeed an important year for students who are completing their courses of study and looking forward to starting something new. What does this mean to them? Do they have an assessment of the changes that lie in wait for them? How are they preparing and what are their plans? As we spoke to the students, their evolved view of looking at education and opportunities came into focus. They are no longer content with merely following the syllabus, but keep looking for more opportunities to explore. This generation likes to keep its options open.

Necia Sequiera, a final-year BDS student of MOP Vaishnav College, believes that it is not necessary to have a post-graduation degree to grow in her field. “I think in today’s professional scenario, practice and skills are very important. So I would prefer to work rather than pursue post-graduation. And even if I change my mind and decide to pursue further studies, I would like to go abroad for post-graduation and settle there,” she says.

A bright outlook

Another student, Tanveer Bal, who is pursuing his final year English Honours at Christ University, Bangalore, wants to explore his skills and not stick to the beaten path. “I plan to pursue a Master’s in Philosophy after my undergraduation because it is the subject that stimulates me the most and I consider it my calling. For the New Year, I have a few plans. A book, graphic novel and a music album, in no particular order. Along with my studies, I want to explore my skills as a creative writer as well,” he says. And what plans do the ones who are not in the final year have? Ekta Khubchandani, a fourth-year Applied Arts student from Sophia Polytechnic, Mumbai, has no plans to make this year similar to the last one.

“A bigger number, a New Year, and a different look to the same, old pictures. For me, this year will not be about getting back to the grind. I’ll be looking out for new opportunities that will help me grow further. I have a whole year, and I hope that it will help me chase my dreams of becoming a writer,” she says.

Change of scene

The year is going to bring in change for some. Anjana Udayakumar, who is in her third year M.Sc. Physics (Hons) programme at BITS-Pilani, Hyderabad, happened to take an elective on “Indian Economic Development.” Fascinated by the banking sector, she now plans to specialise in economics. On the other hand, there is Aritra Ghosh, who is now in the final year of B.Sc. Physics at Presidency College, Kolkata. For him, the horizons of physics are attractive still.

He has been pursuing physics quite passionately, what with attending summer projects at IACS, Kolkata, and the University of Tokyo and later the Asian Science camp. This experience has taught him not to specialise in a hurry and instead, go for a general M.Sc. Physics. He looks forward to learning computer languages like Python and about numerical computation, as he feels his future lies in computational physics.

Balaji, who will be completing M.Sc. Mathematics in 2015, wishes to become a teacher. Zealously, he says that he wishes to be a good role model and guide students who may fall for addictions. Having grown up in Tirunelveli, he would like to eventually go back there and teach students in his hometown. The coming year therefore has more exams in store for him such as the NET and the SLET.

Research holds special appeal for Sarayu Murali, who is in the fourth year of her dual degree programme at BITS Pilani, Hyderabad. Studying B.E. (Hons) in Chemical Engineering and M.Sc. (Hons) in Biological Sciences, she looks forward to a research which will combine both disciplines.

“Research that will bridge the gap between biology and engineering can not only find cures to diseases but will also act as a source to finding alternative sources of energy such as biofuels, making India a greener, cleaner place to dwell in,” she says.

From going beyond the syllabus to thinking of what would benefit the country, these students have great plans and dreams.

India lost 66 wild tigers in 2014

Tamil Nadu with 15 had the highest number of deaths

: Sixty-six wild tiger deaths were reported in the country in 2014. Two tiger deaths occurred on the last day of the year. It was the only day in 2014 when two wild tiger deaths were reported. One was at Bandipur in Karnataka and the other at Tadoba Andhari in Maharashtra.

As per statistics provided by Tigernet, the official database of the National Tiger Conservation Authority, the highest number of wild tiger deaths was reported from the forests of Tamil Nadu —15, followed by Madhya Pradesh —14. Six of the deaths in Tamil Nadu were from the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve.

The majority of wild tiger deaths was caused by poaching. The data do not give a clear figure on the number of tigers killed by poachers, but it is estimated that about 50 tigers could have been killed in this manner.

Of the 66 deaths, only one death was due to natural causes — reported from the Valmiki Tiger Reserve, Bihar. Fights between tigers, possibly for territory control, caused three deaths.

Two tigers, suspected to be man-eaters, were shot dead by police personnel. One was near Udhagamandalam on January 23 and the other near Chandrapur in Maharashtra on July 19

In the Valmiki Tiger Reserve, one cub was found dead. Wild tiger deaths were also reported from Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Kerala, Karnataka and Uttarakhand. Thirty-two deaths were reported in the first six months of the year.

The highest number of deaths was in December — 10. Wild tiger deaths had taken place during all months of the year. The first tiger death of the year was reported from the Melghat Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra on January 10.

During the year, 12 cases of seizure of tiger parts were registered. This included seizure of seven tiger skins. While three tiger skins were seized from Maharashtra, two were seized from Andhra Pradesh and one each from Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

In 2013, the number of wild tiger deaths was 63 and the highest number was reported from the forests of Karnataka —16, followed by Maharashtra, 9.

In 2014, Karnataka accounted for seven wild tiger deaths. In 2013, only one wild tiger death was reported from Tamil Nadu.

Jan 05 2015 : Mirror (Mumbai)

THAT'S WEIRD - UK college offers selfie course for $160

LONDON PTI





A UK college here is offering its students a new course on the art of selfies and chance to become fully qualified selfie-takers. City Lit College will offer a first ever ‘selfie course’ for Euro 132 ($160) starting this March called “The art of photographic selfportraiture”.The month-long course consisting of lectures and seminars will help students “improve critical understanding of the photographic self-portrait,” The Telegraph reported.
Students can look forward to explore no tions of identity, selfhood and memory.
“The budding photographers will be taught how to explain ideas of space, place and surrounding issues, use light and significant detail in their work and even develop new ideas to make their photography more relevant,” the report said.
They would also be expected to “critique visual work from a variety of practitioners,” it said.
The ‘practitioners could include Ellen Degeneres whose 2015 Oscar selfie became the most retweeted ever.