Innholdsfortegnelse for October 17, 2016 i India Today

IF INDIA COLOUR- CODED its threat levels like the US department of hom eland security does, the colour this month would be red, for an imminent attack. On September 29, Indian special forces raided terrorist launchpads in PakistanOccupied Kashmir (PoK) taking the battle to the enemy on his own ground. The raid kil led an unspecified number of terr orists who the army says were plann ing strikes inside Jammu and Kashmir, in various metros and other states. Now, as the security establishm ent tinkers with new strategies to def eat the menace, it is bracing for a blowback from the Pakistani ‘deep state’—the ISI and its army of terrorists. A senior Indian army official says there is a high chance of a retaliat ory attack, following the…

ON THE NIGHT OF Sep t ember 28, close to 100 specially trained operators exhaled gently as they lay in wait at multiple loc ations across the Line of Control. The moon had waned to a thin, near-invisible crescent. Until H-hour, the cutting edge of the Indian army’s Parachute regiment Special Forces, Para-SF for short, did not exist. They blended into the rugged Pir Panjal because they had reduced their four S-es—shape, shine, silhouette and smell. Their combat fatigues blended into the forest, their faces were streaked with camouflage paint. Their skin was covered in a thin film of mud to suppress body odour. Their weapons had been blackened. They had lain in ambush for over 48 hours. There was nothing on their minds except the success of their mission.…

TELANGANA, CONTRARY to the clamour for temperance in other states, is looking to raise its revenues from liquor sales. At the start of 2016-17, excise minister T. Padma Rao boasted about the improved revenues of Rs 12,144 crore in 2015-16, with the target for 2016-17 at Rs 14,161 crore. The prohibition and excise department, perhaps a misnomer in the current scenario, is set to top up the state’s kitty with a revenue growth of 20 per cent. Strangely, the state is pursuing this strategy for resource mobilisation even though the Finance Commission had at the time of Telangana’s birth, two years ago, pointed out that it is a revenue-surplus state. It has its reasons, though—the many innovative welf are schemes launched need more financial investments, and there’s no better way…

WATER WARRIOR Rural Economic and Educational Development Society (REEDS), HYDERABAD Why it won: For developing a cost-effective and easy-to-maintain micro-water filtration (MWF) system for those who rely on surface water for drinking SOMAVARAPU RAVI KUMAR Reddy, 58, is a chartered accountant by profession but what he finds more satisfying is his work with the Rural Economic and Educational Development Society (REEDS). Founded in 1989 as a voluntary organisation, REEDS has developed and introduced a costeffective and easytomaintain microwater filtration (MWF) system for those who rely on surface water for their drinking needs. REEDS instals MWF at the behest of the state’s water supply and sanitation agency, which, in turn, after a year’s operation, hands over the system to the gram panchayat. The organisation has installed plants in over 90 locations…

CLEANEST RELIGIOUS TOWN Dharmasthala, KARNATAKA Why it won: Over 3,500 toilets for an average of 30,000 pilgrims; the recycled water is also supplied to washrooms of temple guest houses to flush toilets. The solid waste is converted into manure for agricultural purposes. The temple also operates a state-of-the-art sewage treatment plant built at a cost of Rs 13 crore I CHALLENGE YOU to find one unc lean toilet in this temple town,” says D. Veerendra Heggade, Dharmadhikari (administrator) at the Sri Kshetra Dharmasthala Manjunatha Swamy temple, the most revered temple town in Karnataka, nestled in the Western Ghats in Dakshina Kannada district. For the record, there are over 3,500 toilets in this small temple town, which is frequented by 30,000 pilgrims on weekends and by lakhs during festivals. Heggade, who…

BEST SANITATION APP Swachh App, Ministry of Drinking Water & Sanitation Why it won The app provides a holistic picture of sanitation in rural India. It lists the number of household-toilets constructed under the Swachh Bharat Mission, Gramin. Citizens can give ratings, making it a genuine tool for a public-private partnership. THE APP was developed without help from private professionals, created entirely under the leadership of additional secretary, drinking water and sanitation ministry, Saraswati Prasad, with the help of the National Informatics Centre (NIC). On the app, select the state, district, block and gram panchayat to access number of toilets constructed in the selected locale. Names of beneficiaries are easily accessible, and data is updated in real time. You can also rate the quality or condition of rural toilets and…

How to stop living in the shadow of others’ judgement? READERS WRITE IN ✓ Individuality is considered a valuable trait, and yet, so many people lack it. It is difficult to maintain individuality while living in a world where everyone is encouraged to be the same. I think it is very important to block out negative thoughts and be confident of one’s abilities. If we live life by our own rules, without caring about what other people might think of us, then we can stop living in the shadow of others. Priyanka Sharma, Delhi ✓ Having a good support system is essential for living life on your own terms. If your friends make you feel small and break your confidence instead of building it, you need to think whether they’re…

How does diabetes affect women? Is diabetes more prevalent in women? At what age are they most susceptible? JYOTI BALHARA, DELHI Diabetes is equally prevalent in men and women and anyone above the age of 25 is at a risk of developing the disease. Menopausal women, however, are at a greater risk than women any other age. Besides, those with obesity, a sedentary lifestyle, family history of diabetes, or a history of gestational diabetes are also at a much higher risk. Certain complications associated with diabetes, like kidney disease, depression, heart disease and obesity, affect women more than men. What are the symptoms of diabetes in women? Which screening tests should they undergo to check for diabetes? RANJANA SHEORAN, GURGAON Diabetes is an asymptomatic disease, which means that most patients…

PAKISTAN’S ARMY CHIEF General Raheel Sharif’s moves are weighty. His movie star popularity is the envy of politicians. Last year, thousands of Pakistanis marched in support of him. The people were protesting his decision to retire on time in November 2016. On October 3, Sharif did something significant. He toured the headquarters of one of Pakistan’s two Strike Corps. Sharif reviewed the operational preparedness of the 1 Corps in Mangla in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). The corps, with over 500 tanks and 60,000 soldiers, is tasked with severing the narrow ‘chicken’s neck’ that links Jammu and Kashmir to the rest of India. There is no danger of that happening anytime soon. General Sharif’s visit, meant to assure his countrymen that the Pakistan army is prepared, comes in the wake of recent…

IN 2008, then chief minister Narendra Modi was keen on relaxing prohibition in Gujarat. He felt the state would benefit from an increase in excise and tourism revenues and the money would also augment his ambitious development schemes. But as unlikely as it may seem now, two of Modi’s ministers, Amit Shah and Anandiben Patel, opposed the move then. Prohibition may have famously bred corruption in the state and among a section of its political class— liquor is available like dial-a-pizza in the state—but both leaders looked at the benefits. It was the main reason for women feeling so secure in Gujarat and also the relatively peaceful life the labour class led. Modi had to settle for something halfway—easing liquor permits for outsiders and allowing it in the state’s SEZs.…

Cleanliness begins in the mind. If one message was reinforced at the second edition of the India Today Safaigiri Summit and Awards, it was this: that if you build toilets, they may not come; but if you fine them, they may learn. As 14 winners, chosen by a select jury and validated by a research agency, went up to receive their awards after a day of high-energy music by some of the nation’s finest singers, from Sukhwinder Singh to Mika, all of them emphasised what Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev said: “Planting trees in the ground is easier than planting trees in the mind.” Two years after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan and appointed India Today Group and its chairman and editor-in-chief Aroon Purie as ambassadors, the…

CLEANEST CITY Mysuru, KARNATAKA Why it won: The MCC has 2,272 sanitation workers (pourakarmikas) under its control; 619 of them are permanent staff while the rest are outsourced. Mysuru generates 402 tonnes of solid waste every day and all of it is handled by the MCC at its composting units and sanitary landfill sites on the city’s outskirts. The MCC spends Rs 43 crore on maintaining cleanliness in Mysuru MYSURU CITY CORPORATION (MCC) Commissioner G. Jagadish’s mobile phone has a unique caller tune—not a popular movie song but a conversation between a mother and child on the importance of cleanliness. One of the main reasons for the MCC giving top priority to cleanliness is the high number of tourists (in excess of 3.15 million) visiting the city every year. “The…

COMMUNITY MOBILISER Isha Foundation, COIMBATORE Spiritual organisation Why it won: With Project Green Hands, Isha Foundation has planted 28 million saplings so far, creating green lungs for the future. They hope to help raise the green cover of Tamil Nadu to the mandated 33 per cent soon FOR THE Coimbatore-based Isha Foundation, the Vanmahotsav is a nuanced strategy to ensure what is planted survives and its growth is tracked in carefully designed follow-up measures. This is how Project Green Hands (PGH), inspired by Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev, Isha’s fou nder, has planted more than 28 million saplings with the support of over two million people from Tamil Nadu and Puducherry in the past 11 years. A great deal of effort and time was spent on creating awareness. Volunteers visited villages and…

TOILET TITAN Indian Institute of Health Management and Research (IIHMR), JAIPUR Why it won: It has built 43,000 individual household latrines in 370 villages, 282 units in rural schools; advised NGOs in the construction of 71 school sanitation units and trained over 700 sanitation professionals GOUTAM SADHU, ASSOCIATE professor, Indian Institute of Health Management and Research (IIHMR), was born in West Bengal but has made Rajasthan his home for 29 years. He worked with UNICEF before joining IIHMR, which provides specialised degrees in health management. IIHMR’s claim to fame is the construction of 43,000 Individual Household Latrines with a bathroom and soak pits in 370 villages and 282 units in rural schools of Rajasthan’s Churu and Hanumangarh districts. It is also advisor to NGOs in the construction of 71 school…

CLEANEST VILLAGE Mannamangalam, THRISSUR, KERALA Why it won: A people’s initiative and effective leadership of local bodies and district administration helped Mannamangalam, a tiny village in Thrissur, become a zero-waste zone. Indeed, the scenic village has more toilets than houses ON MAY 8, Mannamangalam village in Puthur panchayat in Thrissur observed a shutdown. A 9,000strong group of villagers cleaned their premises and the village streets. They took a pledge to keep the village always clean. Bordering the Peechi forest on the Western Ghats, the village consists mostly of farmers. Around 1,800 houses in the village have toilet facilities. “In 2015, as part of a healthy living campaign, we decided to make our village a zero waste zone. We convened a meeting of everyone in the vill age and discussed how…

On a starlit night, as he lounges on the balcony of a circuit house on a hilltop and points towards the town of Chanderi, he recalls the time when his father would return from his sojourns in this Bundelkhand town. But it was as late as 2002, during an election campaign, that Jyotiraditya Scindia, 45, first set foot in Chanderi, located in the Lok Sabha constituency of Guna, from which he has been elected four times. He was always enchanted by the magnificent 11th century Qila Kothi Fort, also known as Kirti Durg, looming tall despite its ruined facade. And recently, he rebuilt it with help from the Archaeological Survey of India, hoping to reinstate Chanderi to its past glory. “The might of the ancient past was crumbling. I felt…

SELFIE CENTRAL Snapchat vs Instagram: what’s their lure Graphic by TANMOY CHAKRA web lol Outspammed! “My documents have been washed away in floods...I have tweeted Sushma Swaraj for a duplicate copy of my passport.” This is just one of the hilarious e-mails Mumbai writer Vaibhav Vishal exchanged with spammer Suman Jha who promised him a job in Canada. So angry did Jha get that he asked: “Had I asked for you to write biography?” twitter tattle Move over, Jenners India’s having fun with a tweeter who thinks Kylie and Kendall Jenner are the ‘most iconic duo’ there ever was. The contending pairs included dal chawal, Sehwag and Sachin, even Suniel Shetty and Akshay Kumar. smart sheet Not Just Skin-deep Sonam Kapoor’s Buzzfeed essay on body positivity has resonated with women.…

Décor Wise Eka It's been 16 years since it first opened doors, but Eka is still the one of the first places that come to mind when talking of decoration for the festive season. The festive season here begins early with Ganeshas, and lasts all the way till Christmas with tree decorations replacing diyas soon after Diwali. From a time when craft stores were hard to come by to establishing itself as a place for quality handicrafts, Eka has come a long way. The festival promotion, ‘Lamps of Celebration’ features hand-painted clay diyas, gel-filled diyas, brass oil lamps, puja ghantis, puja thalis and stick-on rangolis. There are also ribbons and thorans made out of tissue fabric to decorate your doorways. The promotion this year will see cushion covers and runners…

PHOTOGRAPH BY BANDEEP SINGH STYLIST AMI PATEL MAKE-UP ALBERT CHETTIAR HAIR SHAIKH HASEENA LOCATION COURTESY TAJ MAHAL HOTEL, DELHI  A team of photographers and journalists scurries around in a room at Delhi’s Taj Mahal Hotel, turning the suite on its head. Kangana Ranaut is a floor below, getting primped and preened for her session at Mind Rocks, India Today’s annual youth summit, with Sia’s Cheap Thrills booming through her closed door. She has promised a shoot before she starts for the venue. As the session time draws closer, a wave of panic sweeps the already shambolic shoot-suite. Ten minutes to go-time, Ranaut walks in, publicist and manager-sister in tow. She is in a crisp pant suit and her sartorial choice is almost symbolic. You know she means business. We know…

THE BOA CONSTRICTOR is a large tropical American snake that kills by coiling around its prey and asphyxiating it. It is a tactic that every Pakistan leader from Field Marshal Ayub Khan onwards feared India may employ to crush its ambitions of taking Kashmir by force. In the past month, as India began to squeeze Pakistan by utilising a range of tactics—diplomatic, economic and military—to retaliate against the severe provocations in Kashmir, both the Sharifs who run Pakistan—Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Army Chief Raheel Sharif— may have felt somewhat breathless at the boa-like grip that Delhi had over them. Particularly after the daringly executed surgical strikes by the Indian Army across the Line of Control on the night of September 28-29 to neutralise terrorist hideouts, which also forced…

ARMY BASE IN SAMBA — SEP 26, 2013: Twin fidayeen attacks on a police station and army base, killing 10 persons, including four army personnel VULNERABILITY: Terrorists sneaked in through an unguarded fence at the rear of the base DINANAGAR, GURDASPUR DISTRICT — JUL 27, 2015: Three terrorists strike at Dinanagar police station, killing 7 people VULNERABILITY: Terrorists breached the international boundary at Samba PATHANKOT AIR BASE — JAN 1, 2016: 7 security personnel killed after 4 JeM terrorists strike at the air force base VULNERABILITY: Terrorists breached international border where sensors were not operational. Scaled a wall on an unguarded part of the fence using a tree protruding from within the base. Hid in the tall grass around the perimeter URI MILITARY BASE — SEP 18, 2016: 19 soldiers…

ON APRIL 5 THIS YEAR, BIHAR BECAME THE second largest state in India to impose total prohibition, after Gujarat. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s sudden announcement had surprised everyone as the new excise policy, notified in December 2015, had only spoken about a ban on country liquor. Indeed, on March 12 this year, liquor manufacturers had been issued fresh licences for new vends in urban areas. While Nitish ascribed his decision to the “overwhelming will of the people”, many linked it to his political goals to grow beyond Bihar. The speculation gained traction when, just a week later, he took over as national president of his party, the Janata Dal (United). The two developments, one administrative and the other political, were clearly part of a well-thought-out strategy for the 65-year-old politician…

CORPORATE TRAILBLAZER ITC LTD, KOLKATA Why it won: For its integrated approach to cleanliness in key areas—sanitation, solid waste management and education. ITC has built 15,500 toilets in the target villages from 2015 to date, and reports an average usage of 93 per cent. It also helps to manage waste by minimising the load at landfills, through garbage segregation at source. Has impacted an estimated 5 million people PUTUL MAJHI OF Mogra II gram panchayat in Tribeni, West Bengal, is ready with her wheelbarrow and rubber gloves. She’s wearing a fluorescent green jacket flaunting the label Paribesh Bandhu (friend of the environment), courtesy ITC’s Solid Waste Management programme. In her early thirties, Putul is one of the many women who have taken to door-to-door collection of waste, rummaging through the…

CLEANEST SCHOOL DISTRICT Kollam, KERALA Why it won: Of 422 government schools in Kollam, 420 have toilets with water supply. Parent-teacher associations and the larger community play a decisive role in upkeep and maintenance. The sanitation message is inculcated among children by teachers. The district collector tops it up by keeping track of changes GOVERNMENT SNDP UPPER Primary School, Pattathanam in Kollam district of Kerala, looks like a private school—well-equipped classrooms, a hightech computer lab, vast playgrounds and free meals. Moreover, it has three toilet complexes, with water, for 651 students. But it’s not the only government school with clean toilets. Among 422 government schools in Kollam district, 420 schools have toilets with water under the Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan scheme. “We have channelised all available funds to construct clean toilets…

BEST PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP Common Effluent Treatment Plant Dept of Industries and Baddi Infrastructure, Himachal Pradesh Why it won: The Rs 62 crore project is funded partly by the Centre and the state government, with every big and small industrial unit operating in the area also contributing KESHAV RAO Chandel, 68, CEO of Baddi Infrastructure, calls it the “future of industrial effluent management in India”. Set up following a 2010 judgement of the Himachal Pradesh High Court aimed at rescuing the ecologically sensitive Shivalik foothills from certain devastation by industrial pollutants, the Common Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP) at Baddi’s Kenduwal village is unique in many ways. Apart from funding, member industries also pay annual user charges according to their size and the volume of effluents generated. Besides this, Chandel says “over…

RIVER CLEANING INITIATIVE Balbir Singh Seechewal, Kapurthala District, PUNJAB Why it won: Along with his devotees, Seechewal physically cleaned the toxic river, Kali Bein, along its 160 km course, designing a decentralised, natural treatment system in the process, complete with oxidation ponds and settling tanks to handle sewage WHEN BALBIR SINGH Seechewal, 54, of Seechewal village in Kapurthala, Punjab, waded into the Kali Bein in 2000, the river was a swirl of sewage from over 100 villages and six towns along its 160km course. Today, the waters of the river, a tributary that originates in the Shivalik foothills and drains into the Beas, are as pristine as when Guru Nanak would have bathed in during his 14yearlong stay at Sultanpur Lodhi in the 15th century. In his trademark kesri choga,…

BEST SCIENTIFIC LANDFILL Vidyaranyapuram, KARNATAKA Why it won The sanitary landfill site has been in operation since 2012 and handles the 400 tonnes of waste generated by Mysuru daily. Waste segregation, compost plant have all helped keep city clean. BUILT BY the Mysuru City Corporation (MCC), the composting plant at the Vidyaranyapuram landfiill handles 200 tonnes of solid waste every day. The plant is operated and maintained by IL&FS under a PPP with the MCC. “Essential bio-culture is sprayed daily on the incoming garbage to avoid odour and environmental pollution. A 26-foot-high barricade has been erected around the compost plant. We have 6,700 trees there and are planting another 3,000 saplings in the coming months,” says MCC commissioner G. Jagadish. The waste rejected (inorganic components that do not have any…

PAGE FROM HISTORY No visitor has been offered as many cups of tea as Mahatma Gandhi, who first visited in 1931, when Lord Irwin took up residence. He was even a guest of the last viceroy, Louis Mountbatten, in 1947 Lady Willingdon, fancying herself as a gifted decorator, had almost everything painted mauve. She did so much damage that Edwin Lutyens had to be called in from England to ‘restore’ it, in 1938 C. Rajagopalachari, the first Indian resident of Rashtrapati Bhavan, initially refused to move in. When he finally elected to stay in the grand residence, he stayed in rooms used for maids-in-waiting President Rajendra Prasad was known to be down-to-earth. At the behest of his wife, a firm believer in the goodness of fresh cow’s milk, bovines were…

1 STOREREVIEW / MUJI SHOPPING PARADISE The long wait for the Japanese retail store Muji is finally over and let us tell you, one visit is going to make you feel like a kid in a candy store albeit a monochromatic, design intensive one. The second in the country, we hear Muji at VR Bengaluru is larger than its Mumbai counterpart. It isn’t one of your run-of-the-mill departmental stores. With neat categories and emphasis on daily essentials, you can’t help but go around in circles exploring every inch of it. From home furnishings to stationery, apparel to crockery and kitchen ware to essential oils and aromatherapy diffusers, Muji has it all. And lest we forget, there’s a skin and hair care range and travel essentials too. A common white and…