Child Labour Generates Rs 1.2 Lakh Crore Black Money Every Year!

New Delhi, Jun 12 : Amid a heated debate over bringing back unaccounted money stashed abroad, a child rights outfit has claimed that child labour generates Rs 1.2 lakh crore of blackmoney every year in India.

According to a report 'Capital Corruption: Child Labour in India' prepared by Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA), the figure was arrived at by calculating the number of child labourers, the income earned by them and the illicit profits being generated by employers by not appointing adult workers.

"The greed for maximisation of profit fuels the demand for child labour, with children as cheapest form of labour. Child labour, corruption and flow of black money, fuel and sustain each other in an illicit nexus that only profits the employers and the middlemen," the study said.

On arriving at the figure, the study said there were around six crore child labourers in the country who assumingly work for approximately 200 days in a year on an average cost of Rs 15 per child per day.

"The amount so calculated is Rs 18,000 crore in a year. Now, if these six crore child labourers can be substituted with the six crore adults with an average floor wage of Rs 115 per day, one labourer would generate Rs 1,38,000 crore.

"The difference between these two amount amounts to Rs 1.20 lakh crore," the study claimed. It said this amount should have been paid by the employers to the workers but they instead employed underpaid and overworked child labourers.

"The employer also did not report any income to the government, evaded taxes, making Rs 1.2 lakh crore illegal money in the country," it said.

Beyond First Kiss

First child more memorable than first kiss for women

A new survey has found that having first child topped list for women’s most memorable experiences while the first kiss came in seventh.

Washington, Jun 12 : You might think of your first kiss as a life-changing moment, but your perception may change after having your first child.

A new British survey has found that having a first child topped the list for women’s most memorable experiences while the first kiss came in seventh, reports the Daily Mail.

In the study, over 2,000 people across the UK were asked to rate their top 15 firsts, from getting drunk to having a mid life crisis, and reveal the age at which the event occurred.

For men, the most momentous occasion was getting married, according to the poll.

It confirmed teenage years as the most challenging period, while people seem to be happiest in their twenties.

Late teenage years were highlighted as the most difficult, with the majority of the British public losing their virginity at 18, then suffering their first heartbreak at 20, as well as leaving home.

However by 54, after suffering a mid-life crisis, things seem to get better as the first grandchild arrives greeted by retirement.

The poll was conducted to mark the release of virtual-life computer game The Sims 3: Generations.

Read, Register, Release

How often have you given away old books to the raddi wala or just sold them to the newspaper vendors as they were taking up too much space?

For booklovers this is tantamount to a hanging offence.

There is, however, a solution to this. Aiming to make 'the whole world a library', is a free online book club called BookCrossing.

Here one can ‘release’a book for people all over the world to read. The exchange takes place in the form of direct swaps with other members of the websites, or 'book rings' in which books travel in a set order to participants who want to read them.

Seventeen-year-old Luqmaan Siddiqui from Little Flower Junior College says, “My mom got me into reading whatever books I could lay my hand on, for as long as I can remember.

And now I have my own personal collection ranging from fantasy to fiction. BookCrossing sounds like a novel idea. I mean, you have this vast collection to choose from and for avid readers like me it means a paradise of books.”

A modern day ‘Message in a Bottle,’ the books must be registered with the website. Users can then ‘go hunting’, this is where a member will log on to the website to view a list of books that has recently been ‘released’, they then go to the location where it has been left to ‘catch’ it.

People interested in BookCrossing in the city can find whatever books they want with the help of members on the website http://www.bookcrossing.com/mybookshelf/PanjimInn-OBCZ/.

Books may also be left at Official BookCrossing Zones. Panjim Inn, Goa’s heritage hotel is India’s first Official BookCrossing Zone. You can either leave them here or can write to the in-charge of Panjim Inn at thefrangipanijournals@g-mail.com.

For some the concept is incredible and they are having a hard time comprehending how it works. Thirteen-year-old Nikita Hari from Indus World School, says, “I have never heard of this website.

When it comes to sharing books, I have only thought about my friends. But to have people from all over the country get access to my collection sounds incredible. ”

But not everyone wants to share their books. “Certain books have great sentimental value and even if I’ve read them a billion times I wouldn’t want them to fall in the hands of someone who wouldn’t even be interested in them.

A person might sell them for some money instead of reporting them on the website, as intended,” says 17-year-old Sayoni Chakrabarti, who finished her intermediate from FIITJEE Junior College.

No matter what the perspective be, ‘Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers.’

So what are you waiting for? Get ready as it’s time to increase your circle of friends.

News At Fingertips - For The Blind

Mumbai, Jun 12 : They say reading is the basic tool in the living of a good life. In Maharashtra, some 24,000 blind people are being initiated into such a life, courtesy Sparshdnyan, a fortnightly newspaper that brings happenings from around the world to them.

An initiative of freelance journalist and theatre director Swagat Thorat, who has taken it up as a social cause, Sparshdnyan is the first registered newsletter in Braille script.

Thorat says he has intentionally left out news related to cricket, crime and superstition from the newsletter as "cricket is frivolous, crime is depressing and blind faith or superstitions are hopeless."

Published on the 1st and 15th of every month, the 400 issues of the bi-monthly are gifted to schools and institutions for the blind. However, the readership is manifold.

"While its circulation may be small, the readership is growing at a fast rate. Most issues are sent to institutions for the blind, where each copy is read by an estimated 60 or more people. On an average, the total readership is in the range of 24,000," Thorat, who edits the unique newspaper, told IANS.

Launched in 2008, the newsletter is produced by a team of freelance journalists, including Thorat who prints it at his own office in suburban Andheri in Mumbai.

And all this is being done without any kind of government support or advertisements. Thorat, who is also a wildlife photographer and documentary-maker, manages the show by selling his photographs and documentaries.

He, however, manages to get a part of his funding from individual donors who sponsor the annual subscriptions of the newspaper.

Thorat says many people are keen to get involved in Sparshdnyan. "If everything goes right, I hope to expand and convert it into a daily. With India's visually impaired population close to 10 million, I feel this could be useful."

Thorat's association with the blind dates back to 1993, when he first produced the widely acclaimed documentary "Kalokhatil Chandane".

Based on educational methods for the blind, Thorat studied the lifestyle and physical-mental development of blind students for the documentary.

Yet, it was not easy for Thorat, the first hurdle being that he himself was blessed with eyesight and could not empathise with the students.

"There were times when I used to blindfold myself and go about doing my daily chores after work. In order to properly understand the routine functioning of the visually-impaired, I had to pretend to be blind myself. There was no other way," he recalls.

Thorat, who not only learned Braille himself, but also taught 138 people the script, then embarked upon an adventure which led him straight to the Guinness Book of World Records.

In 1997, he directed a play "Swatantryachi Yashogatha" (glorious story of independence) which created a world record as it had 88 blind artists.

"The play features 88 blind artists from two schools in Pune. Based on the backdrop of Independence Day golden jubilee, this play was followed by another with 44 blind artists," Thorat said.

Even that play got wide recognition with an entry to the Limca Book of Records.

Thorat is also committed towards drawing out the best of the dancing and acting talent among the visually impaired and presenting it before appreciative audiences. He directs many experimental one-act plays, dramas, ad films and documentaries.

Full Marks For CBSE’s Theory Of No Marks

By Vidya Iyengar

There is a surge in interest among parents and students for the new evaluation system that the CBSE has introduced in Class 10

When the results were out on the last day of May this year, something that used to be predominant was simply missing on the campuses of Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) schools -- suspense and allied tension.

That could, primarily, be the reason behind the sudden rush for seats in CBSE schools. Ask Manjula Raman, the principal of Army Public School, Bangalore. "Yes, there is an increase in interest and the number of enquiries that we get. Many are changing boards to take up CBSE, especially, in the past two years."

Earlier, choosing between the CBSE and ICSE used to be a task for parents. There used to be debates about that. But the introduction of the continuous comprehensive evaluation (CCE) in CBSE schools has spared the parents of that headache.

This year, the CBSE made the Std X board exam optional for students. Students who did not wish to appear for the board exam could opt for CCE conducted by the school. The CCE grades students based on their performance throughout the year and a final exam conducted by the school. No marks, just grades, so less of stress.

Across India, 67% of the 11 lakh Std X CBSE students opted not to take up the board exams. With most students opting for CCE, the passing percentage was unusually high. The schools and students had a fair idea of what grade they would get. Besides, there were no failures as the students with a grade below D (less than 33 marks in any one or all subjects) have been considered as eligible for improvement of performance. With options like these, it has become easier to pass the Std X exam under the CBSE syllabus.

"Taking up CBSE could be worthwhile for more than one reason. Not only does the grading system bring stress levels down, the educational system provides an all-round development," Raman said, citing 15 cases where students abandoned international syllabi for CBSE. "Our curriculum is new and evolving. Of course, it's challenging too when compared to the syllabi followed by other boards," she went on to add.

Malaika G Naidu, who just completed her Class 10 under the new evaluation system, agrees. "It's more challenging and interesting now. You have many activities here like conducting research, which I found fascinating. It discourages students from rote learning, since it's not about marks here. You don't memorise things for marks, you learn things with passion and interest. Learning has also become easier and effortless, thanks to the semester system that has been introduced."

As the new evaluation system becomes a talking point, parents, who are concerned about the high levels of stress among their wards due to the kind of educational system in the country, are looking at CBSE as a like-enough solution.

"I came to know about this new system of no marks through media reports that were published when the results were out. I am really tempted to change my child's school. I want the other boards too to follow the grade system and abolish marks altogether. ICSE should be the next to follow it," said Soumita Mishra, mother of two school-going children.

Mishra is not the only parent who thinks so. Babu V Naidu has admitted both his two sons in CBSE schools and calls it a wise decision.

"Introduction of the grading system is really a good thing. Besides, the curriculum is far more holistic and there is emphasis on other activities as well, besides academics," Naidu said. Another parent Anuradha Menon said: "I am mulling over getting my children admitted to schools affiliated to the CBSE. But I'll wait for a year to do that since this new system of grading has just been introduced. After a year, if I am convinced, I will change their boards."

The flipside

With the grading system coming into play, selection has become tough for the school authorities. "We are finding it hard to eliminate students as these grades are posing a challenge. This time, there are so many applicants for the Science stream in Class 11. How to choose? Though the board has laid down the selection criteria, it's quite complicated. According to it, almost 90% of the students are eligible," said MK Krishnamoorthy, principal of Kendriya Vidyalaya (Air Force Station), Yelahanka.

"At our school, we have four sections in Class 11 (three for Science and one for Humanities), with 40 being the capacity for students per class. The demand for the Science stream is so high. While we can offer only 120 seats for Science in toto (that's for students from all boards), there are over 220 students from the CBSE who want to pursue Science. And, as per the grades, all 220 are eligible," he rued.

"Even if we increase the capacity, we can't accommodate them. There is also a limit to the number of students per class," Krishnamoorthy added. Hence, many schools are conducting an aptitude test for entry into Class 11, since selection based on grades is not a viable way. "We have our own entrance test, since we can't go by the grades to select students for +2," said Manju Sharma, principal of DPS South, Bangalore.

"We assess the students' skills based on the parameters that we have fixed, since the grades aren't specific," said M Srinivasan, principal of Gear Innovative School.
But that is what the Union human resources development (HRD) ministry and its minister Kapil Sibal -- who brought out this reform -- want: to reduce that competition based on marks.

CBSE pass percentage has gone up, says Kapil Sibal

New Delhi: Lauding the objectives achieved by CBSE schools under Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE) scheme, HRD Minister Kapil Sibal today said the pass percentage has not only increased but there has been a qualitative improvement in assessment.

He also unveiled the CCE certificate awarded to students from this year, which not only shows the grades secured but also mirrors overall development of a student.

Sibal said pass percentage in class X this year went up to 96.90 per cent, even as majority of students (67 per cent) opted for school based examination.

He said the notion that more marks are being awarded in practicals has been put to rest under the scheme "as marks in practicals have reduced from 92 per cent to 73 per cent".

Sibal said 38,377 students got top-most grades in all five subjects as compared to 11,055 last year.

Source: PTI

Tamil Issue: Sri Lanka Warns India

Lanka heads for collision course with India: Report

Colombo, Jun 12 : Sri Lanka has told India it will not concede key land and police powers to provincial councils under a New Delhi-initiated political plan aimed at resolving the long-drawn Tamil issue, a media report said on Sunday, warning that it could bring the two sides on "a collision course."

President Mahinda Rajapaksa told a visiting top Indian delegation on Saturday that the key police powers and control over land cannot be given to provincial councils established under the 13th amendment that deals with devolution of powers.

"The government's tough stance in not giving land and police powers to provincial councils is expected to pitch Colombo and New Delhi on a collision course diplomatically," the Sunday Times newspaper said.

There was no immediate comment from the government which did not issue any statement after Rajapaksa held a breakfast meeting with National Security Adviser Shivshanker Menon, Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao and Defence Secretary Pradeep Kumar.

The troika was also accompanied by India's High Commissioner in Colombo, Ashok Kanth. Menon told Colombo-based Indian reporters just before the top Indian officials left here that Sri Lanka would build on the 13th amendment which was a result of the 1987 Indo-Sri Lanka peace accord.

The Sunday Times said it learnt about strong opposition from constituent partners of Rajapaksa's United People's Freedom Alliance to granting more powers to the provincial councils which largely remain ineffective.

"President Rajapaksa is learnt to have told the Indian delegation that his government would concede many other subjects that are incorporated in the Concurrent List (subjects that both the centre and the councils can do) that accompanies the 13th Amendment to the Constitution."

He also told the Indian delegation that his government will withdraw Emergency Regulations with regard to terrorist activities in the North and East since there was no more war in the two regions, the Times said.

Menon told reporters on Saturday that Sri Lanka has already pledged to improve on the Constitutional amendment and hoped they would implement it. "The quicker the Sri Lankan government can come to a political arrangement (with the minority Tamils) the better," he said, adding that an arrangement that is acceptable to all is the objective.

India appeared to have toughened its stand on Sri Lanka last month by asking publicly for the first time in decades to investigate alleged human rights abuses and end emergency rule.

Pam Anderson Does Bonita de Mas

Love her or hate her you gotta give it up to Pam Anderson for still looking good. Sure most of her is plastic but overall she's still hot and can rock and lingerie you throw at her.

'MNF Govt Encouraged Bru Rebels'

Aizawl, Jun 12 : Mizoram chief minister Lal Thanhawla has held Bru militants responsible for the abduction of road construction company executives recently.

"The rebels were encouraged by the previous Mizo National Front (MNF) government, led by former chief minister Zoramthanga," he said.

Addressing a political session of the state PCC here on Saturday, Lal Thanhawla, who is also the president of the Mizoram Pradesh Congress Committee, said many people abducted during the MNF regime were released after payment of ransom.

He accused the MNF dispensation of instructing relatives of the abducted people to pay ransom to the now-disbanded Bru National Liberation Front (BNLF) by pledging that the government would return the amounts.

"But in reality, the government never returned the money," Lal Thanhawla said.

Two executives of the Assam-based Anupam Bricks and Concrete Industries Limited (ABCIL) were abducted by suspected Bru militants from somewhere near Meidum village in the Bairabi area of Kolasib district along the Mizoram-Tripura-Assam border on June 6.