Bhopal Gas Tragedy Verdict – A Case of Travesty of Justice

Few months back in this blog we had a blogpost titled 25 Years of Unabated Trauma and Denied Justice at Bhopal. Now that the court verdict on Bhopal gas tragedy is out, it is imperative to revisit the subject. After 26 long years the verdict has come, but it was inadequate at best, outrageous at worst. Eight people convicted were sentenced for 2 years in prison as they were held guilty under Sections 304-A (causing death by negligence), 304-II (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 336, 337 and 338 (gross negligence) of the Indian Penal Code.

The sentence given to the accused is disproportionate when compared to the magnitude of their crime that killed over 15000 people. Justice has not been done to the victims of the mishap who have suffered immensely and are still suffering because of the toxic waste that still remains in the area and generations inheriting various disabilities. Predictably the civil society is outraged at the inadequate sentence given. Moreover the convicts were given bail immediately on surety of Rs. 25000 and the main accused, the then Chairman of the Union Carbide Warren Anderson is still at large. It is now a common knowledge that the government of India secured a safe passage for Mr. Anderson to leave the country and from then onwards he has been declared an absconder by the Indian judiciary. It is a pity that Indian Government has never made sincere efforts in extraditing Anderson from the United States, where he is a living a quiet, retired life.

Bhopal gas tragedy is a result of gross corporate negligence in the part of Union Carbide Company. They stored dangerous materials in bulk without adequate security, they had no systems in place to warn local community about gas leaks and they had no emergency plans if some disasters occurred. This at a time when they had all safety measures and emergency plans in place at the factory site in the United States. The old imperialist attitude of considering lives of people in weaker countries to be of less value was very much evident in the actions of the Union Carbide Company.

Government of India is also accused of being appallingly negligent in the way they coalesced with Union Carbide in contravening rules and regulations. The government gave permission to start the factory at a densely populated area even when they knew that it handled poisonous gases and did nothing to make sure that safety measures are followed by the Company. Even after the tragedy struck, the Indian government did little in providing comfort to the victims of the tragedy. The compensation that was promised to the victims hasn’t been given till now. There have been no efforts in fixing the accountability of the disaster to Union Carbide and to make them pay for the destruction caused. Adequate measures to address the long term impacts of the gas leak, including cleaning up the site, remediation of the factory, regular supply of safe water and economic rehabilitation, haven’t been done till now.

The ministerial panel on the Bhopal tragedy has recommended that the government set aside Rs. 1500 crores as relief package to the victims of the tragedy. However this will be paid from the Indian taxpayers’ money and not from Dow Chemicals, who at present owns Union Carbide. Systematic failure of the Indian administration to hold Union Carbide accountable for the disaster is again on view here. In a mad chase for bringing more and more foreign companies to India, it seems the government is giving little consideration to the safety of the common man and to his basic human rights.

The US government and the Obama administration have some answering to do on their double standards on dealing with environmental disasters. While Obama speaks about keeping his “boot on the throat” of BP for the oil spill at the Gulf of Mexico, he remains silent on Warren Anderson, who is the prime accused of the Bhopal tragedy. When it is understandable for the US administration to shield one of their citizens, what is a matter of disgrace is the inability and palpable indifference of various Indian governments to pursue Anderson.

The inadequate judicial verdict on the Bhopal gas tragedy shows that there is a lot of discrepancy in our judicial system when it comes to giving justice to the victims of industrial disasters. It is up to the jurists, the Law Ministry and the Indian judicial system as a whole to make amends in the existing law so as to bring more accountability in the system and to make sure that justice is done to the victims of industrial disasters by giving adequate punishment to the culprits. Human rights organisations and the civil society have to campaign strongly for bringing justice to the victims of the Bhopal gas tragedy. Amnesty International supports this campaign for justice and you can also take part in this effort by taking action. Please click on the below mentioned link to be a part of this effort.

http://www.amnesty.org/en/appeals-for-action/call-chemical-company-address-legacy-bhopal

(For Amnesty International)

World Refugee Day - 20 June

The United Nations observes 20 June every year as World Refugee Day. The United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR declares that a refugee is someone who has been put on to run away from his or her country due to harassment, war, or hostility. As a result, the refugee’s revisit to his or her home country is prohibited for the reason of the terror of harassment on the basis of race, religion, nationality, political judgment and devotion in a particular social group.

World Refugee Day is observed to celebrate the courage, bravery and strength of mind of all those men, women and children who are forced to flee their homes and their mother land under the danger of persecution, discrimination and violence. They often get separated from their family members, friends, work and their community. About 40 million people have been expatriated from their home due to the fear of persecution and violence. A third of these refugees are people who have fled their homes due to civil wars and racial violence.

Refugee influx is a problem faced by almost all countries of the world. But even responsible nations see refugees as a nuisance and often see them as criminals. It needs to be understood that refugees seek refuge in another country because they have no other option left with them. Unfortunately refugees are met with closed borders, xenophobia, violence, detention and terrible living conditions in countries that they take refuge in. Sometimes they are denied a fair hearing of their asylum claims and are forced to return to their home country, where they are often met with life threatening circumstances.

The recent spate of ethnic violence in southern Kyrgyzstan against the Uzbeks has left 30,000 people internally displaced. There are refugee crises in Congo, Iraq, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh’s border with India, to name few.

On the occasion of the World Refugee Day, Amnesty International calls on states to reiterate the rights of human beings to seek and enjoy asylum as envisaged by Article 14 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). Article 14 of the UDHR states that

1. Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution.
2. This right may not be invoked in the case of prosecutions genuinely arising from non-political crimes or from acts contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.

It is incumbent upon all states to make sure that their policies and actions are not preventing refugees from seeking asylum and human rights violations are not committed against them. Amnesty International intends to spread and to reinforce the fact that a refugee is not a criminal and is not someone else’s problem. A refugee is a person fleeing torture or persecution and has a right to seek asylum. Therefore it is the responsibility of all individuals and nation states to do everything possible to protect the rights of asylum seekers and refugees.

Tomorrow, 12 June is the World Day against Child Labour

Child Labour is a malaise that deprives children of their basic human rights of adequate education, health and leisure. Statistics show that about half of these children are exposed to worst forms of child labour like hazardous working environment, slavery and other forms of forced labour, illicit activities like drug trafficking and even prostitution, as well as forced involvement in armed conflict.

In the year 2002, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) launched the first World Day against Child Labour on 12th June in a bid to highlight the plight of these child labourers. The day has been effectively observed from the year of its launch as a catalyst for the worldwide movement against child labour. As a result of the concerted effort by ILO and other similar organisations many countries have ratified ILO’s conventions on the worst forms of child labour and on the minimum age of employment. The day is also observed by human rights organisations, schools, youth and women’s groups and the civil society as a whole to support the efforts of individual governments to improve the living conditions of child labourers and to put them back to schools. Education and sufficient leisure is important for children to become productive members of the society during their adult life.

Right to Education Act in India is a step towards abolishing child labour completely and to put children back to schools so that we can completely utilise the abilities of our younger generation in nation building. It is our moral responsibility to make all efforts possible to eliminate child labour from our nation and from the world so that we make a generation of talented people who will change the face of the world for the better.

Source: Official website of International Labour Organisation (ILO)

Spent Time with Some of God’s Children at Sandhwanam

Some emotions cannot be expressed but can only be felt. But compassion, the greatest of all human emotions, has no such infirmity as it can be readily felt and easily expressed. In fact the expression of compassion is one human quality that distinguishes between a Good Samaritan and an ordinary human being. Last Saturday was yet another day that we chose to become a tool in the hands of God and to be a part in His scheme of things. It was our chance to play the role of Good Samaritans, a role assigned to us by the Almighty, as we spent some time and had lunch at Sandhwanam with some of God’s most favourite children.

Sandhwanam was a very serene place and in the main room were placed the holy books, The Bible, The Gita and The Quran, side-by-side, proclaiming that providing comfort to the distressed is the ultimate aim of all religions. Overlooking the proceedings was the photograph of the greatest soul to have ever lived in this world, Mother Theresa, a nun canonised not by any institutions but by the hearts of distraught people and by the prayers of suffering millions.

During lunch time at Sandhwanam, we played host and served food to the children. Anyone who went there thinking that it would be a poignant occasion had a pleasant awakening as witnessing the divine innocence of children, as it often does, brought mirth and happiness to the eyes and minds of the beholders. A cute little kid with a hair-do that loosely resembled David Beckham’s 2006 World Cup hairstyle was so much against taking food by himself that he got miffed with the circumstances, wept silently, got up, went inside and discovered someone from inside who could feed him with her hands and thus found peace of mind. Another little man found it to be absolutely beyond his realm of liking to have food in the presence of large number of people and abstained from taking it even after many affectionate persuasions from many of us. Then there were two little girls sitting in the red sofa with a small kid in between them, and they assumed the role of elder sisters to this younger kid, and in a half-playful-half-affectionate mood jumped off from their respective places and swapped their positions frequently keeping their younger brother guessing about their next move, with all three finding great merriment in what they were doing. And this small boy, the subject of such overt expression of humour and affection, himself seemed to be a man of reputation for around his neck he proudly wore a green shawl as if it was an award presented to him for his enormous magnanimity. And there was one queer, young gentleman in a yellow tee-shirt who seemed to have a rather poor opinion on the dynamics of this “fast-paced” world, for he took his own time in finishing the food, unperturbed by the multitude of events unfolding around him, tutoring all of us that we shouldn’t race off to finish our food, but need to enjoy the intricacies of tasty food with meticulous precision.

Then there were some angels in the guise of ladies, who looked after the kids like mothers would. They got sad when a kid wept, got happy when another one smiled, got worried when yet another one jumped off from one step to the other, got pleased when all children finished their gratifying lunch. It appeared that their satisfied disposition was teaching us that the money we make is useless, the post and position we gain are trivial, if we fail to share our time and happiness with those who are less privileged than us, who are not as fortunate as we are, yet have the same right to be happy and content as we are.

And when we stepped out of Sandhwanam there was a slight drizzle in the air as if, for what we have done, Mother Nature was giving her approbation. Then we all got into our vehicles and moved on and then we looked back, one more time, and through the glassed windows in the upper stairs we saw them, those God’s children, giving us their precious smiles and waving their little hands at us as if, for what we have done, they were giving their approval.

(Sandhwanam is an orphanage in Kochi)

India Observes Anti-Terrorism Day Today

Terrorism is the most serious threat that we face in today’s world. It is a heinous crime that knows no human emotion – no love, no mercy and no compassion. It is incumbent upon all human beings to condemn the atrocious act of terrorism and we have a moral duty not to condone or justify terrorism of any hue. On the 18th death anniversary of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, who was tragically killed by terrorists at Sriperumbudur in 1991, India observes Anti-Terrorism day today.

Anti-Terrorism day is observed to wean away youth from embracing the deadly theories of terrorism by highlighting how it is a cause of large scale human suffering and how it is inimical to the national interest and the interest of humanity. We Indians are born and brought up in a culture of non-violence; we gained our independence by struggling mainly on the high moral ground of non-violent resistance. Therefore it is the inherent moral duty of all Indians to reject the idea of terrorism, which is based only on violence and brutality.

Terrorism has been used by left-wing and right-wing ideologists to gain their desired objectives, religious fanatics to reign in supremacy of their religion, nationalists to gain independence and some countries, as a state policy. More and more terrorist groups are using modern technology to inflict more shock on people as a means of coercion. They are using satellite phones, internet connectivity and high-technology weapons to wage their crude war. There is a constant threat of terrorists getting hold of nuclear weapons that are in the vaults of unscrupulous nation states. We can remain oblivious to the threats of terrorism only at our own peril. We need to be aware of the dangers of terrorism and violence and we should do everything possible for a mass awakening against the cynical designs of the terrorists to destroy humanity. This is a day meant exactly for that – to take a pledge to abandon flawed ideals of terrorism, to ostracise terrorists and to take every possible action to promote peace, harmony and understanding among all our fellow human beings.

International Day of Families 2010

Family is the greatest institution established by God. The United Nations observes 15th May as the International Day of Families in order to strengthen and support families in performing their societal and developmental functions. The theme of this year’s International Day of Families is “The Impact of Migration on Families around the World”.

Migration touches upon every country either as a place of origin, destination, transit, or a combination of all these. About 3.1 percent of global population, that would come around 214 million, are international migrants. In this, about 20 – 30 million have migrated to a country without authorisation. The reasons for migration are diverse – a desire to settle in a new country, search for better job or better wages, as an escape from discrimination, prosecution, violence or war or as asylum seekers and refugees.

However, migration becomes a burden on the families as it often separates family members; women are increasingly forced to migrate without their children and most people find it difficult to reunite with their families because the legislations in the destination countries don’t allow it. The impact of migration on families is severe as family is often the source of emotional and material support and the separation has high emotional costs for those who migrate and for those who are left behind. The theme of this year’s International Day of Families is hence meant to increase awareness and to open the minds and hearts of people to the plight of the migrants and to the needs of the families of migrants.

Source: Website of the United Nations

Tory-Lib Dem Coalition Government in Britain

At last the long wait of the Britons is over. After five days of negotiations, the Tories under David Cameron and the Liberal Democrats under Nick Clegg have reached a deal. According to the deal, the Conservatives and Lib Dems will form a coalition government with David Cameron as the Prime Minister and Nick Clegg as the Deputy Prime Minister. The Lib Dems will also get 4 more cabinet posts. Gordon Brown left 10 Downing Street and its new resident David Cameron has occupied it.

In one of the most hardest fought elections in the recent past, the Tories under David Cameron got 306 seats, 20 less of an outright majority in the 650 member British Parliament. Labour party under Gordon Brown got just 258, while the Lib Dems got 57 seats, much less than what was expected after their leader Nick Clegg’s good performance in the election debate. The final deal between the Tories and the Lib Dems came after five days of intense negotiations between the leaders of both parties. While the Lib Dems were negotiating with the Tories, they simultaneously held discussions with the Labour Party leaders as well. The Lib Dems, with their centrist to centre-left outlook, are ideologically more close to the Labour having centre-left ideology. But at the same time they had issues with going together with the Labour because in the elections Labour was rejected by the people. Therefore any deal with the Labour would have shown the Lib Dems in poor light as they would have been accused by the media and the general public for having no appreciation for the people’s verdict.

It seems that Nick Clegg and his Lib Dems have gone for the most logical and safe option of going with the Conservatives. A coalition government with the Labour would have been difficult to maintain and to take forward as it would have been a minority government. Such a coalition, with 315 seats and with the support of lot of other smaller parties, would have faced many problems in passing laws in the Parliament because of their lack of numbers. Though both the Tories and the Lib Dems are upbeat about the coalition, they both know that it wouldn’t be easy for them to run the government as there would be difference in opinion on all major issues between them. But as Cameron said on arriving in Downing Street, both parties have to set aside party differences and work hard for national interests as they have many pressing problems to face.

According to the deal between the Conservatives and the Lib Dems a referendum will be held to bring in an alternative voting system, a major demand and poll promise of the Lib Dems. There will be new five-year fixed term Parliament, an entirely or mainly elected second chamber and a commission to review party funding. There will be reduction in the tax burden on low earners and a substantial increase in personal tax allowance with a long term goal of a £10,000 personal tax allowance. The Tories’ plan to reduce the inheritance tax, which would have mostly helped the richest people, has been scrapped. There will be more funding to schools for every pupil taken from poor homes in a bid to close class gap in school results. Meanwhile a cap on immigration will be set and Lib Dems proposal of amnesty on illegal immigration will be dumped. School reforms will be introduced with an emphasis on Swedish-style free schools. The commitment to keep Britain’s nuclear deterrent will be intact and there will be no proposal to join the euro. Also, there will be £6 billion cuts this financial year and a reversal of some planned rises in national insurance contributions.

For the Labour party, after 13 years in office, this is time for self-assessment. As Gordon Brown has resigned as the leader of the party, there will be a hunt for his successor. Now that the acting leader of the Labour party, Harriet Herman has effectively ruled herself out, there will be some contest within the party to choose the next leader. Alan Johnson and David Miliband and Ed Miliband are the front-runners for the post of leader of the Labour party. Labour has to redeem themselves from the criticisms they had to face while in power including the Iraq war, poor economic management, MPs expenses scandal, to name a few.

The coalition cabinet has been named in London with the confirmation coming from 10 Downing Street. Main cabinet positions have been announced with Theresa May as Home Secretary, Liam Fox as Defence Secretary, Kenneth Clarke as the Justice Secretary and Lord Chancellor, George Osborne to the role of chancellor, William Hague as Foreign Secretary, Michael Gove as Education Secretary and Andrew Lansley as Health Secretary. Clegg's chief of staff, Danny Alexander, was announced as Scottish Secretary, Vince Cable as Business secretary and David Laws as Chief Secretary of Treasury.

Now that the political stalemate is over with the installation of a Tory-Lib Dems government and the naming of the cabinet positions in London, all eyes will be on how Cameron-Clegg duo move on with their governance with the very new coalition government. Britons would be hoping that the new government would be able to ride over the economic problems of the present day and bring about social changes and the much debated electoral reforms.

Courtesy: The Guardian

Living Condition of Women Since the Adoption of CEDAW

The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in the year 1979. The convention that is often been described as the international bill of rights for women consists of a preamble and 30 articles that defines what constitutes discrimination and puts forward an agenda for the global action to eliminate any gender discrimination against women all over the world. It has been 30 long years since the convention was adopted and it would be good if we would try to find out how effective it has been in changing the lives of women and girls all over the globe.

About 90% of UN members ratified the convention, but there is lot of difference between ratification and implementation. Though only a pessimist can say that the convention has been a failure and no progress has been made in the elimination of discrimination against women, one must acknowledge that there is a real need to increase global efforts to eliminate discrimination against women. The condition of women in a society is an indicator of societal development. This essay will try to explore certain women related issues to understand the extend of impact that the convention has made and the gaps that are to be reduced for the complete implementation of the convention.

1. Women and poverty – Statistics have shown that women are more prone to bear the brunt of poverty than men because of the discrimination they face in health care, education, employment and the control of assets. According to estimates 70 percent of world’s poor are women and in many occasions they are forced to live at places where they even don’t have basic human rights like drinking water, proper sanitation and good health care facilities. Women continue to remain in the vicious circles of poverty because of the systematic failure of economic and social systems in providing the means they want to live a good life. Women are less likely to get credit from financial institutions, though the success of micro credit system in countries like Bangladesh has shown that women are more credit worthy than men and show more interest in paying back the amount. Women are often paid less than men for the same work and estimates show that the average wage gap is about 17 percent. Professor of anthropology, Richard Robbins notes that women produce 75 to 90 percent of food crops in the world, do two-third of world’s work, yet earn only 10 percent of world’s income and own just 1 percent of assets. Trade policies and development strategies that various nations adopt also affect economic conditions of women.


2. Women and employment – Gender inequality and discrimination remain an issue in the global labour market. Women don’t have the same access to the labour markets or freedom to choose as men have and therefore their employment participation rate is quite less than that of men. Women workers are more concentrated in the agricultural sector where they are quite vulnerable to employment insecurity, low earnings and low productivity. Even those women who are privileged enough to have waged and salaried employment are not receiving the same remuneration as their male counterparts. Economic recession has put more pressure on women and there is larger danger of losing jobs for a majority of women, especially those in the unorganised sector. Even those who would manage to keep their jobs would possibly see a decline in their wage earnings which would have a negative impact on the economic conditions of women.


3. Women and violence - Women and girls suffer appallingly from violence during times of peace and war alike from individuals as well as the state. Violence against women is one of the most widespread attacks on human rights. It takes the form of physical, sexual and psychological violence and it cuts across all boundaries of race, age, culture and geography. Violence against women and girls manifests in various forms of domestic violence, workplace violence, abuse during pregnancy, female infanticide and the so-called honour killings. Violence and other forms of abuse takes place in homes, schools, work places, in the street, in refugee camps and during internal strife and conflict. Gender based violence is not only a violation of human rights but also a vice that hampers overall development of women and the whole society. The mental trauma that violence creates in the mind of a young girl is often beyond repair. A study conducted by World Bank in 1994 on ten risk factors facing girls and women found out that rape and domestic violence are more dangerous than war, malaria, vehicle accidents or cancer. Countries are making progress in addressing the issue of violence against girls and women. Many countries have legislation in place to address the issue of domestic violence and many other countries are having national plans of action to counter the menace. It is a sad truth that even in this 21st century there are societies around the world that follow the abhorrent practice of honour killings against girls and women. Governments of such nations have shown terrible irresponsibility in countering the practice of honour killings. Human rights organisations are pressurising such governments to come out with legislation and national policy to tackle this threat.


4. Women and reproductive rights – One of the pressing questions regarding women’s rights in the 21st century is about her reproductive rights. Debates are convened all over the world to discuss this issue concerning women. In many orthodox societies, women are not given the right to contraception. They are made to bear children against their wishes. Sometimes they face serious health hazards as they are forced to conceive without giving any attention to their failing health. There are also growing debate among societies about the right of a woman to IVF and other assisted reproductive techniques. Another subject of debate on this account is whether there is a need for a universal standard of basic reproductive rights or is it context dependent. One needs to assess these questions by taking into account various disciplines and perspectives.


5. Women in government – Various studies have shown that higher number of women in government generally contribute to stronger attention to women’s issues. A democracy will become strong and genuine only if there is equal participation for both women and men. Only then can we be able to call it a genuine democracy as it will contribute to women’s direct engagement in public policy making and decision making. If there is equal representation for both men and women then there will be greater accountability to the government and it’s policy making mechanism. At the same time the induction of more women to the government only will not be sufficient. In addition to that there should be a paradigm shift in the thought process of governments and they should make more gender-specific governance reforms. Today we have more women in government than in the last decade and there has been an increase of about 8 percent in the decade from 1998 to 2008. However women’s participation in democratic governance is quite limited even today. Only 17 heads of the state are women in this world. There are many hindrances for women’s participation in politics. Political parties are not known generally to support women’s causes and in many societies there are cultural barriers for women to enter politics. Quotas and reservation of seats for women are important measures that can be taken to make sure that more women are participating in the democratic governance of the country. On this regard the recent approval of Women’s Reservation Bill by the Upper House in India is a welcome move that aims at involving more women in the democratic governance in the largest democracy of the world.


6. Women and peace and security - Wars, internal strife and conflicts are quite frequent in many nations of the world and one common feature of all those menacing occasions is that they affect the womenfolk badly. Women are in minority when it comes to being combatants in conflicts or as perpetrators of wars. Yet they are in the majority when we consider their number as victims of conflicts and wars. During times of war they become soft targets for physical, sexual and psychological violence. They are often used as human shields and they often have to bear the responsibility of keeping the family together and to win bread for the family members. During such conditions they easily become target of sexual exploitation. Even when the condition is so, the participation of women in conflict resolution and peace building is quite less. Insofar as their plight is concerned, peace building missions hardly give them due consideration. Therefore there is a greater need to improve the participation of women in conflict resolution and peace building missions. When women are prevented from being a part of peace building missions they are denied their right of being the participants of those decision making bodies that take decisions that affect their life.


7. Women and human rights – The Universal Declaration of Human Rights proclaims that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. But in many occasions in real life, women are denied basic human rights and dignity that their male counterparts are endowed with without any discrimination. All over the globe women face manifold violations of their human rights. They are denied the chance to participate in the decision making processes that affect their life, they are made to face discrimination in employment, they are often denied the right to own property and assets, they are made to suffer under violence at their home and at their workplaces, they are discriminated against in education and health care and even they are denied the chance to take birth as often they are killed before their birth by the terrible practice of female foeticide. Even when we live in societies with civilised ideas and developed conscience, women are discriminated against and their human rights are curtailed. Though several nations have vowed to tackle discrimination against women, on the implementation front severe gaps and bottlenecks exist. There need to be a concerted global effort to make sure that women are able to get all their basic human rights.

Despite the many progress made in the living conditions of women on account of the adoption of CEDAW, serious gaps exist in their implementation. It is imperative for the global community to do whatever possible to give a better future to the womenfolk – a future that brings in better hopes and aspirations and better material wealth and spiritual wellbeing. For that all have to work together – political parties, human rights organisations, NGOs and the civil society at large.

Image Courtesy: UNIFEM - The image is a quilt produced by more than 200 marginalized Kyrgyz women to commemorate the 30th anniversary of CEDAW.

Earth Day 2010

We call her Mother Earth, yet we, her sons and daughters, put tremendous pressure on her and exploit her natural resources at our own peril. Climate change is the greatest challenge of our time and if we don’t take adequate steps on countering it, we will surely face a grim future. Today is Earth Day 2010 that is observed to celebrate the achievements made hitherto in the conservation of earth’s natural resources as well as to make a renewed pledge to build a healthy, prosperous, clean energy earth now and for the future.

The Earth Day is observed every year on the premise that all people in the world, regardless of their race, nationality, gender, income or geography have a moral right to stay healthy and to use the natural resources that Mother Earth graciously provides them all. People all over the world participate in the Earth Day activities and make contributions in whatever possible ways to make a concerted effort towards bringing on a sustainable environment and a better future for one and all. This is our chance to advance a new climate policy, energy efficiency, renewable energy and green jobs.

Earth Day is the perfect opportunity available to us to propagate the spirit of environmental conservation and sustainable development. Read about it, write about it, tell others about it and spread this idea to all your friends, relatives and acquaintances; together we can make a difference.

Right to Education Act

If there is one instrument that has the ability to improve the life of an individual, at the same time improve the quality of a society, it is education. An educated citizen is a sure bet for a nation in its efforts towards material as well as spiritual development and progress. We are a nation of young people and if we have to completely utilise the abilities of our young population in nation building, we need to give them the fruits of education. That is why the Indian Parliament has passed the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Bill, 2009, which has come into force on 2nd April 2010.

The Right to Education Act (RTE), as it is generally called, aims at providing free and compulsory education to all children between the age of 6 and 14. The child in this age group should be provided education in a neighbourhood school till the completion of her/his elementary education. The child will not be liable to pay any kind of fee or charge or expenses for pursuing her/his elementary education. The act also states that no child shall be held back, expelled, or required to pass a board examination until the completion of elementary education. Another provision in the act states that a child who completes elementary education (upto class 8) shall be awarded a certificate.

The quality of the education that a child gets is directly proportional to the degree of care that teachers will be able to give to each individual child. Therefore it is imperative to have a healthy student-teacher ratio. With this aim in mind, the RTE act has called for a fixed student-teacher ratio. The act also calls for the improvement of school infrastructure. All schools have to improve their infrastructure within three years or their recognition will be cancelled. In order to uplift the economically underprivileged group of people in India with education, the RTE act has provided for 25 percent reservation for the economically disadvantaged group in all private and minority schools and the reservation will commence with class one beginning 2011.

To improve the quality of education, the RTE act has called for certain changes in the existing system of education. The act mandates certain minimum qualification and adequate professional degree for the teachers within five years or else they will lose the job. The teachers are advised to assess the learning ability of each child and accordingly provide additional instruction to improve the child’s learning faculties. They are also advised to hold regular meetings with the parents and guardians and apprise them about the regularity of the attendance, ability to learn and progress made in learning and any other related information about the child. The act also advices the teachers against having private tuitions or private teaching activities. There had been some dismaying reports on children meeting up with harsh physical punishments at school. Taking cognisance of this fact the RTE act states that no child shall be subjected to physical punishment or mental harassment.

According to the RTE act, the financial burden of implementing the act will be shared by the central government and state governments. The Right to Education Act is certainly a revolutionary act that has the capability to make impressive changes in the state of affairs in our country. The implementation of this act will be a major challenge for the central government as well as the state governments. But if we can implement it, the RTE act will bring outstanding results in the development of our great country.