Quote of the Day
“I believe in always having goals, and always settings them high.”‐ Sam Walton, Founder of Wal-Mart
“मुझे हमेशा लक्ष्य स्थापित करने, और उनको हमेशा ऊंचे स्थापित करने में विश्वास है।”‐ सेम वॉल्टन, वॉलमार्ट के संस्थापक
Tuesday, September 17, 2019
A milestone in greater transparency, accountability
The launch of the Jan Soochna Portal in Rajasthan is a vital cog in access to the right to information
The Jan Soochna Portal (JSP) launched by the government of Rajasthan yesterday is a remarkable achievement in furtherance of the right to information (RTI) — especially Section 4 of the RTI Act — that deals with proactive disclosure of information. Transparency must be accompanied by accountability, and that is where the JSP has great value and significance since it places the power of making the State government accountable to everyone who accesses the information made available on the portal.
Has transparency accompanied by accountability brought about transformation in any system? During my association with the eCommittee of the Supreme Court of India, and keeping transparency in the justice delivery system in mind, a National Judicial Data Grid was launched. This gave information about all pending cases across the country. Some time back, a year-wise breakup of pending cases was given on the grid and it was found that more than 70,000 cases were pending for over 30 years. These figures meant nothing until the justice delivery system was asked to account for the enormous delay in such a large number of cases. Chief Justices and Registrars in many courts appreciated the fact that they needed to answer questions relating to such enormous delays; now many courts have begun to concentrate on the disposal of old cases with considerable success. This is a good example of transparency accompanied by accountability brought about by civil society.
Several access points
I had the privilege of a sneak preview of the JSP. Details of every activity of the government such as availability of food grains and ration shops and their distribution, implementation of various schemes and their beneficiaries and a variety of other information are available on a real-time basis virtually making it a Janta Information System. The portal has been arrived at through a regular and rigorous consultative process between government officials, IT professionals and civil society. Such a process of dialogue should be practised in all spheres to genuinely harness the benefits of information technology. Digital divide is indeed a serious problem in India. To bridge this, care should be taken to ensure that access points are open and free.
Since the information is available on the Internet, every citizen, right down to the municipal ward and panchayat, has access to the information. For example, I saw that on a random basis, a number of identified persons in a particular area had not availed themselves of any rations for several months. Such persons can be easily contacted and if they do not want to avail the benefits available to them, they can surrender it in favour of some other deserving person. Similarly, the government of Rajasthan, like some other States, has waived farmers’ loans. The portal gives the details of every farmer in every bank branch whose loans have been waived, along with the amounts. Another significant piece of information is about mining leases. Illegal mining has been a major issue in different parts of the country, with people unable to determine the details of clearances given. This portal gives the list of mines in every district, provides geographical coordinates, and the area where mining has been permitted, including the land deed identifiers. It also provides details about pollution and environment clearances. Finally, the portal provides details of production and royalties and taxes paid. This kind of information can facilitate a progressive partnership between government and citizens for a cleaner society.
What is important is that a tremendous amount of information is available on the files of the government of Rajasthan, which till date could only be accessed through the filing of RTI applications. However, with the use of technology and digitisation of records and information, this information is made freely available on the JSP. To this extent, there is no need for anyone to take recourse to the RTI Act and await a response. All information can be accessed immediately, free of cost.
Key challenges
The mere launch of the JSP is not enough. There are huge challenges with regard to maintenance issues and ensuring that there is no let-up in the availability of information. With this in mind, draft guidelines have been framed for the development and maintenance of the JSP. Once implemented, this will ensure that the information system continues uninterrupted. Various departments of the government of Rajasthan, called Line Departments, have been given a set of obligations that they are expected to fulfil. For example, they are expected to ensure digitisation of records. In addition, the Department of Information Technology will serve as the nodal department for the development, operationalisation and maintenance of the JSP.
This department has been informed of its obligations, which includes adherence to the norms and standards laid down by a digital dialogue advisory group. To ensure that the responsibilities are carried out, the advisory group will be the monitoring agency. Grievance redressal officers will be appointed so that citizens can make the State government truly accountable.
Training for citizens
The government of Rajasthan has also taken steps to train citizens so that they are aware of the facilities available. This by itself may not be enough. Therefore, it has been decided to host the JSP in decentralised locations, right down to the municipal ward and panchayat levels. They will have access to welfare schemes, revenue activities such as mining, and other service delivery issues such as health and education.
It would be wonderful if all other State governments follow the Rajasthan government’s initiative, which aims to make people, including the marginalised sections, a part of the governance process.
Justice Madan Lokur is a retired judge of the Supreme Court of India
Source: The Hindu, 14/09/2019
Professor makes model to convert Hindi, English, Gujarati text to Braille
“With the help of this model, the visually impaired will be able to easily communicate with everyone and pursue normal education as the model will be able to convert Hindi, English and Gujarati text into Braille. Not only texts but the model will also convert drawings and mathematical equations, and text to speech as well,” she told ANI.
A professor has successfully made a model to help visually impaired people gain more knowledge by translating the text of Hindi, English and Gujarati language to Braille language.
This model which will convert Hindi, English and Gujarati text into Braille language has been made by Dr Nikisha Jariwala.
“With the help of this model, the visually impaired will be able to easily communicate with everyone and pursue normal education as the model will be able to convert Hindi, English and Gujarati text into Braille. Not only texts but the model will also convert drawings and mathematical equations, and text to speech as well,” she told ANI.
Nikisha, a Professor at a Women’s College said that she worked day and night to develop this model.
“This model invention is going to be like a boon for the visually impaired,” she said.
The professor said that she made this model while doing her PhD on the topic of “Design and Development of the model to transliterate digitalised multilingual text into braille and speech - an aid for visually impaired people”.
“It took me four and a half year to complete my PhD. I also learned Braille. There are numerous digital documents on the internet which these students cannot read but now they will be able to gain knowledge through them as well,” she said.
Nikisha’s model has received acclamation from the students who affirm that the invention will be very helpful for them.
“Earlier, our teachers used to read out newspapers for us. Now, we will be able to read them after the invention of this model,” a student Zeel Rathod said.
Source: Hindustan Times, 16/09/2019
Reiki: Gentle Healing
Reiki requires no medicine or equipment. It is the teacher who performs a simple initiation, which connects the initiate to the abundant source of cosmic energy, enabling him to tune in. After this, the Reiki practitioner’s hands acquire the amazing capability to treat self and others. It involves no meditation, concentration, breathing exercises or massage; the magic is in the hands. Reiki is the Japanese word for ‘spiritually guided energy’. Once you are in tune, you can draw on the power any time, any place, even at midnight, to soothe your distressed child, or during a train journey. It is a useful complement in a personal wellness programme and can be used as a preventive tool. Stress reduction and relaxation is the first outcome. Reiki can heal animals, plants, seeds, food and water as well. The ancient practice of Reiki wasn’t heard of again until a Japanese doctor, Mikao Usui, rediscovered it. Reiki does not seek to replace medicine; it merely helps the body to react quicker against a particular sickness and respond better to any treatment or therapy. The level of reality where Reiki operates is the underlying energy structure of matter, as the physical matter we see around us is a solidified form of energy. Most of us have, at some time, sent out prayers like, “Get well soon”, “All the best for your exam” — these energies are feeble, but when combined with the Reiki technique, there is greater concentration and focus. Energy levels increase and positive energy is directed towards achieving wellness.
Source: Economic Times, 17/09/2019
Monday, September 16, 2019
Economic and Political Weekly: Table of Contents
Vol. 54, Issue No. 37, 14 Sep, 2019
BMC and TISS join hands to help 3 lakh students
First-of-its-kind initiative to provide mental health counselling to civic school pupils.
A groundbreaking initiative is being launched in Mumbai under which lakhs of students in BMC schools will benefit from free mental health counselling over the next five years. This is the first time that such a large-scale programme is being implemented in the city. It will see principals and teachers being trained to identify children suffering from depression and stress who need counselling from doctors. The Smiling Schools Project – which will bring together Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), prominent psychiatrists, non-profit organisations and the BMC – aims to target more than 3 lakh students in the 13-17 age bracket. The programme was conceived by Project Mumbai and developed by TISS. On Monday training of 150 principals from various MCGM schools will begin at a BMC school in NM Joshi Marg, Parel. Dr Kersi Chavda, practising psychiatrist and consultant at Hinduja Hospital, Dr Mona Gajre, psychiatrist at the BMC-run Sion Hospital, Dr Henal Shah, psychiatrist, BYL Nair Hospital, Dr Chetna Duggal, assistant professor, TISS, Shishir Joshi, CEO and founder, Project Mumbai, will train them. As per data released by the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore, one in five children and youth in India has a diagnosable emotional or mental health challenge severe enough to impair functioning at home, school or in the community, Joshi told Mirror, adding that the most common mental health concerns among children aged 13-17 are depression and anxiety. “Project Mumbai is taking the initiative to launch this project. It is a first-of-itskind comprehensive mental wellness programme aimed at building the mental and emotional resilience of every child across the municipal schools in Mumbai and the MMR region,” Joshi said. Affluent parents, who are more educated and aware of the importance of mental wellness, can afford treatment, Dr Chavda said. Most students in BMC schools come from an economically weaker background and cannot afford to visit psychiatrists or seek treatment, he said. “With this programme we want to ensure that every child has access to counselling. “Adolescents often are sensitive and more likely to get depressed, self-harm, get involved with drugs. Identifying mental problems and counselling and treating them is very important. Early diagnosis gives better results. We are even seeing depression in under-12s,” Dr Chavda said. In its first year of implementation, The Smiling Schools Project will reach out to 150 schools, close to 600 teaching staff, 12,000 students, 12,000 parents and approximately 50 counsellors. By the end of the fiveyear period, the project will have covered approximately 1,200 schools and more than three lakh students, parents and staff members, thoroughly covering topics such as bullying, teacher-student relationships and peer relationships, happiness and wellbeing, stress and coping mechanisms, emotional regulation, and selfcare. The project will employ a ‘trainthe-trainer’ model, wherein facilitators from partner organisations will receive training from Project Mumbai mental health team and experts on a set curriculum, which has been put together through a widely consultative process. “Two years ago TISS launched an awareness programme called School Initiative for Mental Health Advocacy, in 16 schools. There is huge stigma attached to depression. Many parents and children are reluctant to meet psychiatrists. We wanted to spread awareness of these issues,” Dr Duggal, a knowledge partner in the initiative, told Mirror. “With this programme, we are implementing our idea on a large scale. Students who receive support from teachers and peers are likely to have more self-esteem and fewer depressive symptoms.”
Source: Mumbai Mirror, 16/09/2019
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