Go Solar !

Dear friends,

We at Shield welcomed this New year with a pledge to use more of solar renewable energy and also to promote it at grass root level. We all have been reading about it in our science text books but now time has come that we actually start using it. Till now we have looked at solar energy as option meant only for our village brethren,esp in remote areas where there is no electricity Question is why not us?What stops us from adopting it in urban areas? Some of us argue and give excuse that it is a costly option. Friends, Do we hesitate to buy a pair of branded jeans or clothes just because they cost more? No, because we know we are buying quality product which will give return over years .Solar equipment is eco friendly and we pay for only the initial installation of solar equipment but then use it for free for more than a decade or two.

We have chosen” Solar lamp “cum mobile charger, as our first product for our campaign as it is handy and affordable and easier to use. We were pleasantly surprised by the response of common man on street as they were genuinely interested and were fascinated by idea as most of them had first time seen something what they had all along been reading in school text books.

Our team is working on installation of solar lights in our building stairways and balconies or rooms where ever possible. the other options which we can look at are, Solar water heating systems, solar panels for charging inverters, solar cookers etc. we can reduce our electricity load by at least adopting solar energy for our house lighting needs and also get freedom from our total dependency on DISCOMS for our daily electricity requirement.

We request organization, societies and RWAs to seriously consider and start using solar energy and promoting it at grassroot level .

Please find few pictures attached taken during the campaign at few places in South Delhi. We shall continue to raise awareness in different areas Kindly forward this mail, for small efforts will make great differences in our lives and biggest factor is the mighty lord The Sun is on our side.

Warm Regards and Cheers

Ranju minhas

Executive director

Shield-Citizen’s Initiative

Traffic Police !

Good show.

they promtly challan a citizen if a car is 1/2 inch outside the parking lane. I have been challaned/car-toed three times in last 12 years.

Now I know the reasons. HAFTY (the Weekly)  

 

Er. Sharad Gupta

Founder - Sri Chandra-Kunwar Smriti Bhartiya Sri

Maritime Bravery Award winner from DG shipping, GOI for 2005 BHN-Oilfield fire.

Youth Mentor Awardee 2009 from Russian Centre of Science and Culture.  

Traffic problem in East Delhi areas !

with thanks : Hindustan Times

Dr V K Monga organised a Health Camp in Krishna Nagar

A health camp was organised by Dr V K Monga, for the Senior citizens in Krishna Nagar. The facilities included Bone Densitometry, Eyes, dental and Diabetes check up . Over 300 persons attended the camp. Almost 80% of the persons were found with calcium deficiency as they had low levels of calcium in their bones. They were advised to have regular calcium intakes over a period of time as well milk, green vegetables & fruits.

Various RWAs of the area that included Association of Human behaviour, RWA Krishna nagar, RWA Radhepuri, RWA New Krishna nagar as well East Delhi RWAs Joint Front actively participated in the camp alongwith BJP Krishna nagar mandal.

It was a very well organized Health camp in the area and Dr Monga has got requests from many more persons for a repeat of it at the earliest so that more senior citizens could get benefit. Dr Monga personally requested all the elders to have regular check ups so that they could live a trouble free life. He asked them to avail the facilities at the Free Health Check Up camps being repeated very soon in the area.

India has more hungry people than any other country in the world and we spent 86000 crores on CWG

230 Million people go hungry daily. 21% of its population is undernourished. 44% of under-5 children are underweight. 7% of them are dead before they reach five years. We should be ashamed as we are being compared with many African countries such as CONGO, CHAD, ETHIOPIA. Plz read as below and decide what we gained from 2008 to 2012 :

Hunger in India states 'alarming' - BBC News

News Dated 14th October, 2008

India has more hungry people than any other country in the world : TELEGRAPH NEWS 

News Dated 15th October, 2008

Superpower ? SHAME MALNUTRITION - 230 m Indians go hungry daily : Times of India

News Dated 15th January, 2012

Superpower? 230m Indians go hungry daily : Times of India NEWS Dated 15th January, 2012

SHAME MALNUTRITION

Superpower? 230m Indians go hungry daily

Subodh Varma TIG 

Often, in the hype over economic growth, we forget the harsh reality of India — extreme poverty, hunger, disease, lack of education, and regressive social practices. We Indians should be ashamed about them. These simmering injustices cannot be allowed to fester because they will heighten social tensions that will ultimately risk our growth story. TOI flags some of the key problems that need speedy intervention 
    

With 21% of its population undernourished, nearly 44% of under-5 children underweight and 7% of them dying before they reach five years, India is firmly established among the world’s most hunger-ridden countries. The situation is better than only Congo, Chad, Ethiopia or Burundi, butitisworsethan Sudan,NorthKorea, Pakistan or Nepal. 

    This is according to the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)whichcombinesthe abovethreeindicators to give us a Global Hunger Index (GHI) according to which India is 67th among the worst 80 countries in terms of malnourishment. 

    That’s not all. Data collected by GHI researchers shows that while there has been some improvement in children’s malnutrition and early deaths since 1990, the proportion of hungry in the population has actually gone up.Today,India has213 million hungry and malnourished people by GHI estimates although the UN agency Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) putsthefigure at around230 million.The difference is because FAO uses only the standardcalorieintakeformula for measuring sufficiency of foodwhiletheHunger Index is based on broader criteria.Nutrition schemes need to be expanded.

    Whichever way you slice it and dice it, the shameful reality is inescapable – India is home to the largest number of hungry people, about a quarter of the estimated 820 million in the whole world. 

    The National Family and Health Survey (NFHS), last carried out in 2004-05, had shown that 23% of married men, 52% of married women and a chilling 72% of infants were anemic – a sure sign that a shockingly large number of families were caught in a downward spiral of slow starvation. 

    Global research has now firmly established that depriving the fetus of essential nutrients – as will happen in an under-nourished pregnant woman – seals the fate of the baby once it is born. It is likely to suffer from susceptibility to diseases and physical retardation, as also to mental faculties getting compromised. 
    So, continuing to allow people to go hungry and malnourished, is not just more misery for them: it is the fate of future generations of Indians in balance. 

    What can be done to fix this unending tragedy? The government already runs two of world’s biggest nutrition programmes: the midday meal scheme for students up to class 12 and the anganwadi programme under which infants and children up to 6 are given “hot cooked” meals. 

    These need to be spread further and more resources pumped in to tackle weaknesses. For instance, a report by the anganwadi workers’ federation revealed that as many as 73,375 posts of anganwadi workers and 16,251 posts of supervisors are lying vacant. But the biggest contribution to fighting hunger would be providing universal coverage of the PDS with adequate amounts of grain, pulses and edible oils included.

with thanks : Times of India : Dated 15th January, 2012 Vide link :
http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive&Source=Page&Skin=TOINEW&BaseHref=CAP/2012/01/15&PageLabel=1&EntityId=Ar00104&ViewMode=HTML

India has more hungry people than any other country in the world : THE TELEGRAPH NEWS Dated 15 October, 2008

India has more hungry people than any other country in the world, despite the country's emergence as a major economic power.

India's lower castes and ethnic minorities are discriminated against, pushing them further into poverty, say experts Photo: AP

By Rahul Bedi in New Delhi

1:33PM BST 15 Oct 2008

The Global Hunger Index for 2008 found that 200 million Indians go hungry. Food shortages in one state, Madhya Pradesh, were so serious that they compared with conditions in Ethiopia and Chad in Africa.

The survey ranked India 66th out 88 countries on the Global Hunger Index, taking into account three vital indicators: child malnutrition, rates of child mortality and the calorie deficient population.

"Despite years of robust economic growth, India scored worse than nearly 25 sub-Saharan African countries and all of South Asia, except Bangladesh," the report said.

Experts believe that India's abysmal record, despite self-sufficiency in food grains, is due to corrupt and bureaucratic distribution policies and poor childcare.

The recent rise in global food prices had worsened the situation by harming many poor families. Moreover, India's lower castes and ethnic minorities were discriminated against, pushing them further into poverty and starvation.

Since 2002, India has enjoyed average annual economic growth of around eight per cent, buoyed by a robust stock market, rising industrial output and high property prices. But these gains have not benefited the vast majority of India's 1.2 billion people. More than three quarters live on only 30 pence a day.

with thanks : The Telegraph Dated 15 October, 2008 Vide Link :

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/india/3202336/India-has-more-hungry-people-than-any-other-country-in-the-world.html

Hunger in India states 'alarming' - BBC News Dated 14 October 2008

Twelve Indian states have "alarming" levels of hunger while the situation is "extremely alarming" in the state of Madhya Pradesh, says a new report.

Madhya Pradesh's nutrition problems, it says, are comparable to the African countries of Ethiopia and Chad.

India has more people suffering hunger - a figure above 200 million - than any other country in the world, it says.

The report, released as part of the 2008 Global Hunger Index, ranks India at 66 out 88 countries.

'Scored worse'

The hunger index has been released by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) along with Welthungerhlife and the University of California.

It measures hunger on three indicators which include child malnutrition, rates of child mortality and the number of people who are calorie deficient.

Table of full results

The problem of hunger is measured in five categories - low, moderate, serious, alarming or extremely alarming.

The survey says that not one of the 17 states in India that were studied were in the low or moderate hunger category.

"Despite years of robust economic growth, India scored worse than nearly 25 sub-Saharan African countries and all of South Asia, except Bangladesh," the report says.

The best performing state was Punjab, which has a 'serious' hunger problem and does less well than developing countries such as Gabon, Vietnam and Honduras.

About 60% children in Madhya Pradesh state are malnourished

"When Indian states are compared to countries in the Global Hunger Index, [the central Indian state of] Madhya Pradesh ranks between Ethiopia and Chad," it says.

India is long known to have some of the highest rates of child malnutrition and mortality in under-fives in the world.

According to the Indian government statistics two years ago, around 60% of more than 10 million children in the state were malnourished.

Nutrition experts say the abysmal record is due to an inadequate access to food, poor feeding practices and poor childcare practices in India.

And now the rise in the global food prices has reduced the food-buying capacity of many poor families, making their situation worse.

In the past year food prices have increased significantly, but people's incomes haven't kept pace, forcing many families further into hunger, experts say.

The report says "improving child nutrition is of utmost urgency in most Indian states".

"All states also need to improve strategies to facilitate inclusive economic growth, ensure food sufficiency and reduce child mortality," it adds. 

With thanks : BBC News Dated 14 October, 2008, Vide link : 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7669152.stm

Happy Lohri : Krishna Nagar

Happy Lohri !

Dear Friends,

Wishing you and your family a very happy Lohri & Makar Sakranti.

Lohri te Makar Sankranti diyan lakh lakh vadhaiyan.

Lohri  is an extremely popular Punjabi agricultural winter festival celebrated throughout Punjab and in parts of Haryana, Himachal Pradesh,Delhi and Jammu.

The origins of Lohri are many. Many people believe the festival began as a celebration of the eve of the winter solstice.

Lohri is the Punjabis' and Dogras' cultural celebration on the eve of the winter solstice. However, instead of celebrating Lohri on the eve of winter solstice, Punjabis celebrate it on the last day of the month during which winter solstice takes place, Paush. This is due to linking Lohri to the Bikrami calendar.

According to folk lore, in ancient Punjab Lohri was celebrated on the eve ofwinter solstice day. It is for this reason that people believe the Lohri night is meant to be the longest night of the year and on the day after Lohri, day light is meant to increase.

With the formulation of the Bikrami calendar, Lohri has been twinned with the Hindu winter solstice festival of Makar Sankranti which relates to the Sun's entry into the new sign, Makar. Hindus pray to the Hindu Sun God,Ravi on Makar Sankranti which is meant to be celebrated on winter solstice day.

Regards & Best Wishes

Pankaj Agarwal

S L Watwani

& All Members of Efforts Group

Happy Lohri to all of you !

Disaster Management

with thanks : Hindustan Times HT live east

Patparganj Indl Area

with thanks : Hindustan Times HT live east

Akshardham Metro station

with thanks : Hindustan Times HT live east

Parks in welcome colony

with thanks : Hindustan Times HT live east

Draft on Performance of Discoms - another Eyewash -Consider Public as illiterate and Fools

Dear Friends,

Todays TOI writeup says that consumers will get upto Rs. 500/- in case of delay in getting a connection. Now how many of us seek a new connection in a life time ....... what about the rest 25 lakh connections with fast running meters being fleeced on a daily basis.

 

Draft on Performance of Discoms - another Eyewash   - They Consider Public as illiterate and Fools ...... this draft touches Peripheral issues .... while the core issue of Performance standards of a rotten infrastructure have been left un attended. The following article in NBT will give you some idea of how the excercise is an eye wash ..... we have more stuff ...... gear up for the next roud of Public Hearings and more exposures.

 

Our group is constantly researching and sharing.

 

Warm Regards,

 

Rajiv Kakria

PERFORMANCE STANDARDS OF DISCOM'S ?