by rakesh | Sep 17, 2006 | Health & Fitness
More than 1.1 billion people in both urban and rural areas currently lack access to drinking water from an improved source and 2.6 billion people do not have access to even basic sanitation, the report shows. The health impact of this can be seen particularly in children. WHO estimates that in 2005, 1.6 million children under age 5 (an average of 4500 every day) died from the consequences of unsafe water and inadequate hygiene.
Children are particularly at risk from water-related diseases such as diarrhoeal and parasitic diseases. Lack of sanitation also increases the risk of outbreaks of cholera, typhoid and dysentery.
The populations of urban areas in the developing world are growing rapidly and, if the MDGs are to be met, a huge amount of work will have to be done simply to maintain the proportion of those living in cities with access to improved drinking water and adequate sanitation. Currently, 95% of city dwellers have access to an improved source of drinking water, while 80% have access to sanitation services.
Meeting the water and sanitation targets of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) will be one of the most effective means of raising the health and general living standards of many of the world’s poor. But reaching the water and sanitation targets will require much greater efforts by policy makers, funding and training agencies, planning and construction. These solutions must focus on poor and underserved people worldwide, WHO warns. In 2000, the world pledged to reduce by half the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation. According to the report, MDG Drinking Water and Sanitation Target – The Urban and Rural Challenge of the Decade, to meet the sanitation MDG will require a doubling of current efforts. A one-third increase in efforts will be needed to meet the MDG drinking water target.
“It is a tragedy that the world may not reach the water and sanitation MDGs. Safe drinking water and basic sanitation are so obviously essential to health that they risk being taken for granted,” said Dr Anders Nordström, Acting Director-General of WHO. “Efforts to prevent death from diarrhoea and other diseases are doomed to failure unless people have access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation. This report underlines the importance of the new WHO strategy on public health and environment to radically reduce the global burden of disease through preventive health measures. Only by tackling the root causes of diseases such as water and sanitation can we reduce the 24% global burden of global disease caused by the environment.”
Sub-Saharan Africa is still the main focus of concern. An estimated 80% of people without access to an improved drinking water source live in sub-Saharan Africa, Eastern Asia and Southern Asia. Due to population growth over the period from 1990–2004, the number of people without access to drinking water in Sub-Saharan Africa increased by 23%. Currently, just 56% of the population has access to an improved water supply. Just 37% of people in sub-Saharan Africa had access to basic sanitation in 2004, compared to a global average of 59%.
In rural areas, access to an improved source of drinking water and to basic sanitation services was very low in 1990 (the baseline year for measuring the MDGs): only an estimated 64% had access to a drinking water source, while 26% had access to sanitation services. While those percentages rose substantially by 2004 – to 73% and 39% respectively – these numbers still fall way short of what is needed to achieve the MDGs.
From the report comes one example of a success story in terms of raising coverage. In Ethiopia, the Amhara region had a coverage rate for access to sanitation services of only 3.8% in 2003, and only 100 latrines were being constructed annually in each district. In that year, the government initiated a social marketing campaign which increased community knowledge and understanding of sanitation and its linkages to health. Community demand for latrines sky-rocketed, and by 2005, the average number of latrines constructed per district was 26 400.
by rakesh | Sep 17, 2006 | Health & Fitness
The OzonAction Education Pack, launched globally today in English, French and Spanish, contains an entire teaching and learning programme, based on basic knowledge, practical skills and participation, to enable children to learn about simple solutions to protect the ozone layer and safely enjoy the sun.
“While we have hope that the atmosphere is healing and that the Montreal Protocol is working, we are still facing serious challenges,” said Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary General and Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). “Children should be aware of the huge risks that a weakened ozone layer poses to human health and the environment and they must know that much remains to be done. We must give them the means to protect their own future, and education is certainly key in this regard,” he said.
The pack, produced jointly by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the World Health Organisation (WHO), has been released to co-incide with the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer on 16th of September. This year’s theme is “Protect the Ozone Layer, Save Life on Earth”.
“The OzonAction Education Pack will help schoolchildren to become aware of the simple protection steps that reduce solar UV health risks, and these become even more important as ozone layer depletion leads to intensified UV radiation on Earth,” said Dr Anders Nordström, Acting Director-General of WHO. “The severe health effects such as melanoma and other skin cancers are largely preventable through reduced sun exposure. UV protection thus becomes an important component of the global efforts towards cancer prevention.” The ozone layer plays a crucial role in the protection of life on Earth from harmful effects of ultraviolet radiation. While some solar UV radiation is necessary for bone health and also may help to prevent certain chronic diseases, excessive sun exposure causes immediate and long-term health problems.
Sunburn – which can be severe and blistering – is an acute health problem, while skin cancer and cataract leading to blindness are the most severe long-term health effects. WHO estimates that about 1.5 million DALYs are lost every year due to excessive solar UV radiation. One DALY is equivalent to one lost year of life in full health.
The OzonAction Education Pack is also linked to the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development, which is led by UNESCO.
“The United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014) aims to integrate the values inherent in sustainable development into all aspects of learning to encourage changes in behaviour which will enable a more viable and fairer society for everyone,” said Koïchiro Matsuura, Director-General of UNESCO. “During this Decade, education for sustainable development will help to make citizens better prepared to face the challenges of the present and the future, and to orient decision-makers in their efforts to create a viable world.”
UNEP, UNESCO and WHO are jointly promoting the OzonAction Education Pack to countries around the world and encouraging Environment, Education and Health Ministries, schools and teachers to adopt it as part of the primary school curriculum.
The signing of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer on 16 September 1987 is now celebrated every year as the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer.
The development of the Education Pack was led by the OzonAction Branch in UNEP’s Division of Technology, Industry and Economics and it was financially supported by the Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol.
by rakesh | Sep 16, 2006 | Health & Fitness
WHO is now recommending the use of indoor residual spraying (IRS) not only in epidemic areas but also in areas with constant and high malaria transmission, including throughout Africa.
“The scientific and programmatic evidence clearly supports this reassessment,” said Dr Anarfi Asamoa-Baah, WHO Assistant Director-General for HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria. “Indoor residual spraying is useful to quickly reduce the number of infections caused by malaria-carrying mosquitoes. IRS has proven to be just as cost effective as other malaria prevention measures, and DDT presents no health risk when used properly.”
WHO actively promoted indoor residual spraying for malaria control until the early 1980s when increased health and environmental concerns surrounding DDT caused the organization to stop promoting its use and to focus instead on other means of prevention. Extensive research and testing has since demonstrated that well-managed indoor residual spraying programmes using DDT pose no harm to wildlife or to humans.
“We must take a position based on the science and the data,” said Dr Arata Kochi, Director of WHO’s Global Malaria Programme. “One of the best tools we have against malaria is indoor residual house spraying. Of the dozen insecticides WHO has approved as safe for house spraying, the most effective is DDT.”
Indoor residual spraying is the application of long-acting insecticides on the walls and roofs of houses and domestic animal shelters in order to kill malaria-carrying mosquitoes that land on these surfaces.
“Indoor spraying is like providing a huge mosquito net over an entire household for around-the-clock protection,” said U.S. Senator Tom Coburn, a leading advocate for global malaria control efforts. “Finally, with WHO’s unambiguous leadership on the issue, we can put to rest the junk science and myths that have provided aid and comfort to the real enemy – mosquitoes – which threaten the lives of more than 300 million children each year.”
Views about the use of insecticides for indoor protection from malaria have been changing in recent years. Environmental Defense, which launched the anti-DDT campaign in the 1960s, now endorses the indoor use of DDT for malaria control, as does the Sierra Club and the Endangered Wildlife Trust. The recently-launched President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI) announced last year that it would also fund DDT spraying on the inside walls of households to prevent the disease.
“I anticipate that all 15 of the country programs of President Bush’s $1.2 billion commitment to cut malaria deaths in half will include substantial indoor residual spraying activities, including many that will use DDT,” said Admiral R. Timothy Ziemer, Coordinator of the President’s Malaria Initiative. “Because it is relatively inexpensive and very effective, USAID supports the spraying of homes with insecticides as a part of a balanced, comprehensive malaria prevention and treatment program. “
Programmatic evidence shows that correct and timely use of indoor residual spraying can reduce malaria transmission by up to 90 percent. In the past, India was able to use DDT effectively in indoor residual spraying to cut dramatically the number of malaria cases and fatalities. South Africa has again re-introduced DDT for indoor residual spraying to keep malaria case and fatality numbers at all-time low levels and move towards malaria elimination. Today, 14 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa are using IRS and 10 of those are using DDT.
At today’s news conference, the World Health Organization also called on all malaria control programmes around the world to develop and issue a clear statement outlining their position on indoor spraying with long-lasting insecticides such as DDT, specifying where and how spraying will be implemented in accordance with WHO guidelines, and how they will provide all possible support to accelerate and manage this intervention effectively.
“All development agencies and endemic countries need to act in accordance with WHO’s position on the use of DDT for indoor residual spraying,” said Richard Tren, Director of Africa Fighting Malaria. “Donors in particular need to help WHO provide technical and programmatic support to ensure these interventions are used properly.”
Indoor residual spraying is one of the main interventions WHO is now promoting to control and eliminate malaria globally. A second is the widespread use of insecticide-treated mosquito nets. While the use of bed nets has long been encouraged by WHO, the recent development of “long-lasting insecticidal nets” (LLINs) has dramatically improved their usefulness. Unlike their predecessors, the long-lasting nets need not be re-dipped in buckets of insecticide every six months as they remain effective for up to five years without retreatment.
Finally, for those who do ultimately become sick with malaria, more effective medicines are increasingly becoming available. Unlike previous antimalarials that have been rendered useless in many regions due to drug resistance, Artemisinin Combination Therapies (ACTs) are now recommended. These lifesaving medications are becoming more widely available throughout the world. In January of this year, WHO took stringent measures to help prevent future resistance to antimalarial medicines by banning the use of malaria monotherapy. An example of the negative consequences of drug resistance is apparent in the threat it poses to intermittent preventive treatment in pregnancy (IPTp), a crucial strategic intervention to protect pregnant women from the consequences of malaria.
Potential funding to scale up the availability of all three of these strategic interventions has dramatically increased over the past few years through the inception of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, World Bank plans to significantly increase its funding for malaria, and the launch of the President’s Malaria Initiative.
“With serious money finally becoming available to fight malaria, it is more imperative than ever that WHO provides sound technical guidance and programme assistance to ensure timely and effective use of these resources,” said Dr Kochi.
Each year, more than 500 million people suffer from acute malaria, resulting in more than 1 million deaths. At least 86 percent of these deaths are in sub-Saharan Africa. Globally an estimated 3,000 children and infants die from malaria every day and 10,000 pregnant women die from malaria in Africa every year. Malaria disproportionately affects poor people, with almost 60 percent of malaria cases occurring among the poorest 20 percent of the world’s population.
by rakesh | Sep 15, 2006 | Business
All electronic filings require Director Identification Number (DIN) to be furnished as part of the e-Forms. DIN is mandatory for all existing directors and those intending to be directors. One can apply online for DIN. Necessary information in this regard is available on Ministry’s website, www.mca.gov.in.
e-Forms are required to be signed digitally using a Digital Signature Certificate (DSC). It is illegal to use the DSC of any other person. Certifying Authorities (CA) have been granted license to issue DSC with a validity of one or two years under Section 24 of the Indian IT-Act 2000. One can procure Class 2 or 3 certificates from any of the certifying authorities such as Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), National Informatics Center (NIC), IDRBT Certifying Authority, SafeScrypt CA Services, Sify Communications Ltd., (n) Code Solutions CA, MTNL Trust Line and Customs & Central Excise.
Recognizing the problems associated with paper-based manual filing coupled with increased volumes of business, the Ministry of Company Affairs has adopted an alternative, more efficient system. This alternative approach is being implemented through the ‘MCA21’ – a major e-Governance initiative with a view to introduce efficiency and transparency in service delivery. It is an initiative to strengthen the regulatory framework and facilitate compliance of rules at minimum cost with convenience to the stakeholder. MCA21 provides for online availability of all of Ministry’s services which can be accessed anytime and anywhere. These services include name availability, name registration, company incorporation, various compliance services such as annual returns filing, various event based services like charge document registration etc. These services can be accessed online by logging onto www.mca.gov.in which is available in a 24X7 manner through the internet and also through various facilitation centers established by the Ministry. Using these, any service can be invoked online. Payment can be done electronically, status can be tracked online and communication with the Ministry can be done through email. This also provides for search of comprehensive company database including viewing of public documents online upon payment of necessary fees electronically.
(Source: PIB)
by rakesh | Sep 15, 2006 | Business
Wipro Technologies was also recently rated as the top Indian outsourcing firm in the Global Outsourcing 100 rankings conducted by IAOP. The list included some of the largest IT companies worldwide and Wipro Technologies has been ranked 7th and is the only Indian company in the top 10.
The Top BPO Providers for 2006 is a sub-list of The Global Outsourcing 100 that recognizes the worlds top BPO service providers globally. This recognition is based on applications received by companies, further evaluated by an independent panel of judges. The award is based on a rigorous evaluation process involving four key criteria that included size and growth, customer experience, depth and breadth of competencies, and management capabilities.
“Being selected to the Top BPO Providers list for 2006 is a tremendous achievement that speaks to Wipro Technologies position as one of the industry’s most valuable partners,” said Michael F. Corbett, Executive Director of the International Association of Outsourcing Professionals (IAOP). As the global Standard-setting organization and advocate for the outsourcing profession, IAOP is pleased to recognize Wipro technologies with this prestigious award.
Commenting on the award, T.K.Kurien, Chief Executive – BPO, Wipro Technologies said “The Top BPO provider award is a reaffirmation of Wipro’s leadership position in the BPO sector and towards our dedication to customers globally. Wipro BPO provides business process reengineering & integrates technology with BPO to deliver long term benefits to its customers.”
The key element of services delivery for Wipro is based on an integrated approach that provides increased value, involving a phased approach towards process standardization, process optimization and process re-engineering.
Wipro follows a Service Delivery Model, which is a robustly defined framework to manage the complete BPO process migration and transition management and has been developed based on the experience gained from migrating more than 400 remote business processes to India over the past ten years. This proven service transfer platform is designed to ensure process integrity and minimize inherent migration risks.
Wipro BPO with US $ 174 million contributed to around 10 % of global IT services revenue in the year 2005-2006.
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