Republic Day Celebrations at CMC Ldh

Remember the responsibility towards the nation--Darshan Arora

A grand celebration at CMC hospital

Ludhiana, 26th Jan, 2013(Shalu Arora and Rector Kathuria):The 64thRepublic day was celebrated at Christian Medical College and Hospital, Ludhiana with Patriotic spirit. The program started with thanks giving service for the country at college chapel, followed by Flag hoisting, March past and cultural events by staff and  students of various colleges at Christian Medical College and Hospital, Ludhiana.
After the arrival of the chief guest program started with prayer by fellowship department. National flag was hoisted at 9:10 AM. March Past was performed by security staff, MBBS students, Dental students, Nursing students, physiotherapy students and institute of Allied Health Science Students. Momento was presented to chief guest by the CMC Director. Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Guest Sh. Darshan Arora emphasized the responsibility of every citizen towards the nation and then to enjoy the freedom, brought to us by our martyrs. Earlier Sh. Darshan Arora was welcomed and introduced by the Director, CMC - Dr. Abraham G. Thomas. Present on the occasion were the Administrative team, staff and students to mark the celebration. At this occasion staffs who had completed 35 years of dedicated service were honoured. The Program was organized by College of Physiotherapy and Vice Principal thanked everyone for the help extended.
Associate Director, Dr.Kim Mammen, Principal CMC, Dr S.M. Bhatti, Principal Christian Dental College, Dr.Abi M.Thomas, Principal College of Nursing Prof.(Mrs.) Ponnamma R. Singh, Principal College of Physiotherapy, Dr.Jeewan S.Parkash, Principal IAHS, Dr.Anup Benjamin were also present on the occasion.

One Child One Light:

A Project to Brighten up Schooling Days
     A special feature by Manish Desai*    Bhavana Gokhale**
Changed Rural ScenarioOver the last two decades, the rural areas of India have witnessed many changes. There are better road connections, there is a significant improvement in health care, literacy levels have gone up and mobile phones have become ubiquitous. But one thing that hasn’t changed much is the sorry state of electricity supply. 12-14 hours load shedding is a common phenomenon across most states of the country.  When there is no electricity for such a long time span, one of the most affected lot are the school going children.

In absence of electricity, students either do not study at all or they study under kerosene lamp. Either situation is not good. In India over 120 million children depend upon crude kerosene lamp for studying due to lack of grid electricity supply. Kerosene lamps do not emit sufficient light to enable children to read in comfort. They also emit carbon monoxide, which is harmful to the health of a child. There is also a chance of kerosene spilling resulting in a fire hazard. The end result -students fail to keep pace with school teaching and when they pass, they are less confident and less skillful to find employment opportunities.

Therefore the availability of light during the study hours of children is very important.  So how to address this challenge?
LED Study Lights - The Best SolutionAmong all possible solutions, solar energy based solar lanterns appear to provide the cheapest and quickest solution.
Emerging LED lighting technology which is semiconductor based presents a wonderful solution to this simple lighting issue. With the white LED revolution it is now possible to provide a simple light suitable for reading purpose that consumes less than a quarter watt but provides 10 to 50 times more useable light than a wick lamp.

Hyderabad based Voluntary Organization Thrive Energy Technologies has indigenously developed a Solar Study light which provides enough light intensity for study purpose. It gives 7-8 hours of light per day on full charge.Features of  Solar LED
*Provides close to 150 lux of evenly distributed light output as compared to 2-3 lux of light output provided by a flickering wick lamp
*Uses a NiMH (Nickel-metal Hydride) battery, which can be charged either by using the 0.5 watt solar panel provided or by an AC mobile charger or by a solar powered bulk charging system
*Uses the world's best LED and an advanced IC that ensures consistent and quality lighting even after many years of use.
          “The lights are designed to be very rugged and fail proof considering the rural environment. Through innovation in technology and processes, these lights are up to 40% less expensive than commercially available lights of similar quality” says Ravi Tejwani of IIT-Bombay, closely associated with the project. 

Khargone Experiment: One Child One Light

‘One Child One Light” is a project initiated for providing solar light to 100 students each from 100 schools, totaling to 10,000 lights in Khargone district located in South West Madhya Pradesh.  It is proposed to target 100 schools from Zhirnya and Bhagwanpura Tehsil, which are among the most backward during the pilot stage. The main plan is to distribute as many as 100,000 lights in the district.

Khargone district of MP has been chosen as pilot as more than 84% population lives in rural area of which 40% belongs to SC/ST category. Over 40% people use kerosene for lighting purpose. Per capita electricity consumption in MP is only about 330 units per year, while the same is 750 units for India and on an average 2000 units for the world. 

The project is being executed by Education Park located in Khargone district in collaboration with Thrive Energy Technologies, Hyderabad. So far, more than 4500 solar LED lights have been distributed.  The objective is to distribute.
How the Project Works
The subsidized cost of the solar light is only Rs 200 for students, although the MRP is Rs 580/-. “These Solar lights will be centrally charged at school while the child is studying through common solar PV modules installed on the terrace of the school. Lamps are kept on a charging rack during the day time, and  4 to 5 hours of charge would be good enough for the lamp to provide 2 -3 hours of light during the night for 2 -3 days” says Tejwani. Student, who owns solar lamp, takes it home for study during night. The student brings the light back to the school for recharging whenever it is due.
Benefits of the Project
The project, once implemented successfully, will bring lot of benefits directly and indirectly in the society.
*0,000 students getting solar lights will result in 30 lakh extra study hours per year.
*It will bring awareness among parents, teachers and administrators and encourage people to get their own solar lights.  Another domestic light model is also available for home use.
*It will help reduce demand for kerosene, which is already in short supply, which in turn will save precious foreign exchange for the country.
*It will reduce the health hazard to children caused by the use of kerosene lamps. 
*The implementation of this project will result in saving of 1.5 million tons of Carbon Dioxide emission per year.
The purpose of this project is to demonstrate the effect and impact of the project on the social life of Madhya Pradesh and encourage governments to adopt solar lamps for lighting purpose as the most cost effective solution in rural areas. India’s Focus on Solar Energy
The Government has recognized the importance of solar energy and has launched the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission. The immediate aim of the Mission is to focus on setting up an enabling environment for solar technology penetration in the country both at a centralized and decentralized level.   To promote research the National Centre for Photovoltaic Research and Education (NCPRE) has been set up at IIT Bombay, to carry out basic and applied research activities. Eventually, NCPRE aims to make solar PV a cost-effective and relevant technology option.  (PIB Features)  04-January-2013 17:13 IST
****
*Director (Media), Press Information Bureau, Mumbai.**MCO(Media), Press Information Bureau, Mumbai.
Click here to see photograph

SS-02/SF-02/04-01-2013
RTS/HSN

A CME on Thalassemia Awareness by the ICMR

 Migrants from West Pak the prevalence was 8.3%.

Ludhiana, 16th January, 2013 (Shalu Arora and Rector Kathuria):A CME on Thalassemia Awareness and Role of Molecular Genetics sponsored by the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR), New Delhi was conducted on the 16^th of January 2013 at the Christian Medical College and Hospital, Ludhiana. The CME was attended by over 250 delegates which included Gynaecologists and Paeditricians from the Ludhiana city, including CMC Faculty.

Honorable Civil surgeon Dr.Subash Batta, was the Chief Guest, and Dr.K.Ghosh, Director, NIIH, Mumbai was the Guest of Honor, Dr.R.Colah, Dy Director, NIIH, Mumbai, Professor Vijay Obed, Dy Director, Prof.S.M.Bhatti, Pricipal, Prof. K.Masih, Medical Superintendent were also present.

The program was on generating awareness on the various aspects of Thalassemia, advancements in management and preventive strategies which included molecular diagnostics and prenatal diagnosis. The welcome address was given by Prof. Sheila Das, Principal Investigator, ICMR Thalassemia Molecular Genetics Project, Dr.K.Ghosh spoke on Why awareness of Thalassemia is necessary, Dr.R.Colah gave introduction of Molecular Genetics in Thalassemia and CVS study, Dr.Ranjeet S.Mashon, Research Scientist, ICMR Thalassemia Molecular Genetics Project gave a brief report of CMC experience in molecular genetics in Hemoglobinopathies, Ms. Geetanjali spoke on Awareness and Family sstudy in Antenatal women, Dr. Atul Goel, Assoc. Prof, Paediatrics spoke on challenges on managing a child with Thalassemia and Dr. J.John spoke on Bone Marrow Transplant in Thalassemia Children CMC experience.The CME was concluded by a vote of Thanks by Dr.Sheila Das.

It has been found by Dr Sheila Das & her Team in a previous ICMR Research Project by CMC Ludhiana that 3.5 – 5 % were carriers of Beta Thal Major in the general population while in some casts like Aroras , Khatris , Ramgariah Sikhs , Jains the prevalence was 4.8% - 9.1% and in Migrants from West Pak the prevalence was 8.3%.

All pregnant ladies during their first 3 months of Pregnancy are requested to come forward to CMC to get their blood screened for Beta Thalassemia, as this is the only center in Punjab to provide this facility as the ICMR Thalassemia Lab CMC Ludhiana is fully equipped with machines costing  Rs 75-80 lakhs sponsored by ICMR New Delhi .                                                        (Wed, Jan 16, 2013 at 5:11 PM

Dr.Ranjeet S.Mashon may be contacted for more details at 8146560673

A CME on Thalassemia Awareness at CMC Ldh.

Dr Sheila Das and her Team found more facts

An Open Letter on Delhi Nursery Admissions

Mon, Jan 14, 2013 at 7:47 PM
Justice Delayed is Justice Denied 
Call for extension of Dates of Nursery Admissions Forms Availability
For Kind Attention Copies sent to:
Dr. Kiran Walia-Education Minister Delhi-
Mr. Amit Singla-Director DOE 
The latest developments in the Nursery Admissions Process in Delhi, which affects lakhs of families in Delhi have brought me to writing this letter to you.

5 years back when me and my wife Puja Arora, launched NurseryAdmissions.com ( Now called SchoolAdmissions.in ), we made it a pledge to help parents in their mission of getting their child in a right school. We have earlier been involved in the setup of ASAR with Center for Civil Society and worked on admission reforms and had advocated the common admissions schedule presently followed in Delhi based on the referendum done by us amongst parents in Delhi.

Unfortunately, the problems related to Nursery School Admissions in Delhi do not seem to go away as it was dreamt then with the Common Admission Schedule. We had asked for 30 days window, 15 Dec to 15 Jan which was followed for one year but post that parents have been made to run around in just 15 days.. And the other problems still persist.

The DOE ( Directorate of Education ) recently issued a circular dated 11th Jan 2013, clarifying 7 points related to Nursery School Admissions in Delhi for 2013-2014 session. 

It needs to be brought to everyone's attention that  :
1) The circular has come out at a time when the admissions are getting over on 15th Jan 2013. Parents and even schools got to know about it on Sunday afternoon after online forums picked it up. 
2) With 12th being Saturday and 13th being Sunday, most schools were closed.
3) As of now on 14th Jan, there seems to be no effect of the directions given in the circular and tomorrow by 2-3 pm most schools would stop issuing and receiving completed forms based on the old criteria / residence proof requirements etc, which are completely contradictory to the circular issued by DOE.
4) Parents are stressed and confused as they have no idea what is going on and how this action by the DOE has helped them anyway.
5) Many parents of 4+ kids were denied forms or could not apply online even if the child is 1 day more that 4 years old on the cut-off date. Now with this circular it gave them hope, but if it is not implemented then what is the point of this.
6) Even if the parents of 4+ kids want, then also they cannot apply in all the schools they want due to paucity of time. If it took all parents 15 days to apply in 10-15 schools, how can we expect these parents of 4+ kids to do that in 1 day. SOME SCHOOLS NEED PARENTS TO GET DEMAND DRAFTS MADE AND SUBMIT THEM WITH THE FORMS... WHAT ALL CAN A PARENT DO IN ONE DAY..
7) Similarly, many parents did not apply or buy forms of schools who were considering limited residence proofs. Now, even they don't have time left to go to all these schools and get and fill the forms and submit by 15th Jan 2013 deadline. 
8) DOE has called point systems and category based systems of many schools as discriminatory and against the rules. But when will they be changed, as parents who have applied have calculated their chances based on the proposed systems and they need time to relook at that. Similarly, many parents who had not applied to these schools, should be given a chance of applying based on the correct admissions system. 
9) Does DOE INTEND TO GET THIS DONE AFTER THE ADMISSION PROCESS CLOSES.... It would be nothing but Chaos..and 

Right way to Put this would be JUSTICE DELAYED is JUSTICE DENIED

The spirit of this circular if it has been made with the intention of helping parents should be to correct the process and not just be an eyewash like every year. 

I have got representations, calls, forum posts on SchoolAdmissions.in from hundreds of parents seeking clarification and help with this scenario. Everyone wants that more time should be provided for parents who missed out on applying due to the points mentioned in the circular. ELSE THERE WAS NO BENEFIT OR PURPOSE SERVED BY THIS CIRCULAR.

On behalf of parents in Delhi, I would like to propose the following to the DOE and the Delhi Govt :

1) Announce the extension of the admissions window to 30th Jan 2013 from 15th Jan 2013 presently.
2) Pause the nursery admissions process in Delhi for 3-4  days and ask all schools to correct their points, criteria etc and documentation requirements and publish the updated admissions process and formalities to be available to parents.
3) Make it clear that parents with kids 4+ can also apply for nursery, Reference to the matter which was in Delhi High Court last week.
4) Restart the admissions process after all this is sorted and give atleast 10 days more to the parents.

It is not just the question of rules and regulations, but the FUTURE OF THOUSANDS OF KIDS IN DELHI.

I believe that everyone should get an equal  and fair chance to get their child in a school of their choice through a completely  transparent  admissions process...

IF WE DO NOTHING THIS YEAR...THEN THIS WOULD NEVER BE SOLVED..

I hope that you take cognizance of my request on behalf of all parents in Delhi and act on it.

On behalf of all parents in Delhi and as a parent first myself. 

My strong request is to involve parents in the policy making process and creating a partnership between parents, schools and the govt. for the better future of our kids.

I am willing to volunteer and provide my services for no cost for any such initiative going forward.

Thanks and Regards,
Rajan Arora
Founder 
www.School Admissions.in  +91-8860554242

Nursery Admission blues

Mon, Jan 14, 2013 at 4:07 PM
Khaas Aadmi Vs Aam AadmiBoth Delhi Government and the private schools are making fool of the aam aadmi in the matter of nursery admissions in private schools in 75% paid seats. Delhi Government has issued nursery admission guidelines on 15.12.2010 permitting the private schools to make their own admission criteria which is without any authority to law and also contrary to the provisions of RTE Act, 2009. In view of the clear provisions in RTE Act, 2009, no such guidelines were at all required to be issued. These guidelines have been issued at the instance of the private schools in order to benefit them. The private schools are only taking advantage of these illegal and unauthorized guidelines dated 15.12.2010. These guidelines have given leverage to the private schools to continue with the dynasty rule of providing admission to the children of KAAS AADMI against those of AAM AADMI. Such an arbitrary and discriminatory criteria would deprive majority of children of their right to equal participation in the admission process. Parents must understand that unless we have a just system in place, their exploitation would continue. Therefore, we all must demand a just system in place.Ashok Agarwal, Advocate
National President, All India Parents Association (AIPA)
M-09811101923                                                                            14.01.2013

Admission denial to girl student in class XI

Mon, Jan 14, 2013 at 3:29 PM
Delhi HC Notice to Delhi Govt. and govt. School
The High Court (Justice G.S.Sistani) today issued notices to Sarvodaya Girls’ Senior Secondary School, Kheda Khurd and the Directorate of Education, Delhi on a petition filed by a student Neha through Advocate Ashok Agarwal in Delhi High Court questioning inaction on the part of the School to grant admission to her in Class XI in the academic year 2012-13 and also to allow her to attend classes as she has passed Class X from the same school in the academic year 2011-12. 

“Neha could not seek admission to class XI as she suffered from Jaundice, typhoid and anemia and remained under medical treatment from 31.07.2012 to 14.09.2012 under Government Dispensary. On recovering from her illness, she approached the school in September 2012 for admission but the school denied her admission without any valid reason and in the violation of the provisions of Delhi School Education Act, 1973. Since then, Neha and her father Ashok Sharma (M-9213518566) have been running from pillar to post but till date, the school has not granted her admission,” submitted Mr. Agarwal.
“It is unfortunate, that the Government of Delhi which claims to be working for the welfare of girl students has literally punished the poor girl Neha by denying admission to her. The Government did not move even after receiving a legal notice of 11.12.2012 from the Social Jurist. Neha cannot be denied admission in such case where she could not join the school on account of her illness. A student cannot be legally asked to wait for another year as she may either loose interest in studies or may go astray on account of the passage of time,” argued Mr. Agarwal. 

The next date of hearing is 23.01.2013.
Ashok Agarwal, Advocate
M-09811101923                                                                                     13.01.2013

PM Manmohan Singh with CM Mamata Banerjee

The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh with the Chief Minister of West Bengal, Kumari Mamata Banerjee, during the inauguration of the 100th Session of Indian Science Congress, in Kolkata on January 03, 2013. (PIB)
                                                                                               03-January-2013

Indian Science Congress, in Kolkata

The President, Shri Pranab Mukherjee, the Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, the Governor of West Bengal, Shri M.K. Narayanan, the Union Minister for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, Shri S. Jaipal Reddy and the Chief Minister of West Bengal, Kumari Mamata Banerjee at the inauguration of the 100th Session of Indian Science Congress, in Kolkata on January 03, 2013.   (PIB)                                          03-January-2013