There are hardly any worthwhile steps mentioned in the three-year report either for improving the productivity and profitability of small farms, or for generating more income and employment opportunities through improved post-harvest technology.

We are not able to achieve the U.N. Millennium Development Goal in relation to hunger and poverty elimination largely because the majority of consumers are marginal farmers possessing less than one hectare and assetless labour. Their income is not sufficient for balanced nutrition

Inadequate financial allocation is not the primary cause of the present agrarian crisis. For example, the report card refers to an allocation of Rs.16,000 crore for 31 districts affected by farmers' suicides. Considering what is happening in Vidharbha, the epicentre of the farmers' suicides, the agrarian distress alleviation packages are not working.

The year 2007-08 marks the mid-way point in the time frame set for achieving the U.N. Millennium Development Goals. The first among these is reduction of hunger and poverty by half by 2015. Today, hunger and deprivation affect about 260 million people in the country. India is home to 40 per cent of the world's underweight children. Iron deficiency anaemia is estimated to affect 75 per cent of children under the age of five; 57 per cent in the same age group suffer from vitamin A deficiency. Under-nutrition in women of reproductive age contributes significantly to child hunger. Consequently 30 per cent of babies weigh less than 2.5 kg at birth leading to multiple handicaps in later life, including in cognitive ability. No wonder India ranks 126 out of 177 countries in the UNDP Human Development Index.

The twin challenges facing Indian agriculture are: improving the productivity of small farms (less than two hectares), which constitute over 86 per cent of the operational holdings, and the launching of an agro-processing and agri-business revolution.

If we are to make hunger and farmers' suicides history, four urgent steps are needed.

First, is a change in mindset. The well fed individuals in government bhavans should not view agriculture as a mere food producing machine, but should recognise it as the backbone of the livelihood security system for 70 crore of our population and a basic requisite for national sovereignty.

Secondly, they should not describe farmers as `beneficiaries' of their often ill-conceived programmes, but as our hosts on this earth. We all live on this planet as guests of the sun and of the farmers who convert sunlight into food through green plants. The scant respect for the farm women and men who toil in sun and rain to keep us alive is seen from the fact that, in spite of the plea of NCF, they do not find a place in the list of Padma awardees.

Thirdly, we should recognise that small farmers and those engaged in mini-retail business constitute the majority of the self-employed. A livelihood impact statement must be made mandatory before steps that may lead to their marginalisation are introduced in the garb of promoting greater foreign or national investment.

Finally, the UPA Government should stop appointing committee after committee to examine the same issues. Overcoming paralysis by analysis is the greatest challenge before the UPA Government.

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The water is “Virtual� because it is not contained anymore in the product. for e.g. to produce a Kg of wheat we need about 1000 litres of water.

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TABLE 1 gives the?Virtual water content of some common products.

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Let us build on this a bit further and link food, water and trade. If a country exports a water-intensive product to another country, it amounts to exporting water in a Virtual form. This “Virtual water trade� is nothing but the Virtual water content of the product times the trade volume of that product. What this means for the importing country is that it does not have to consume that amount of water in domestically producing the product.

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If the importing country is already facing water scarcity, this represents real water savings and less pressure on its water resources. If the water-exporting country has abundant resources, the entire flow becomes an efficient instrument in improving global water use efficiency. Thus Virtual water trade has been touted as a “very successful means by which water deficit economies can remedy their deficits�

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But in reality, things don’t happen so neatly. The following table will illustrate this to you. The global volume of crop-related virtual water trade is estimated to be about 695 gm³ ??per year on an average between 1995 and 1999.

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The Figures in the?TABLE 2?shows the India is predicted to be heading for some serious water shortages in the future.

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The problem with the so-called water abundant countries is whether they will remain so in the future if they continuously “export� their water resources.

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Thus virtual water exports may seem feasible now, but not without its adverse consequences for these countries in the future

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There are also some extremely important issues that come forward while talking of virtual water trade as a solution to water scarcity mainly from the point of view of the importing countries.

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FINANCING OF IMPORTS

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The water savings from the projected large increase of food imports by the developing countries are particularly beneficial if they are the result of strong economic growth that generates the necessary foreign exchange to pay for the food imports.. More serious food security problems arise when high food imports are the result of slow agriculture and economic development that fails to keep pace with basic food demand driven by population and income growth.

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FOOD SECURITY AND FOOD SELF-SUFFICIENCY

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A Country must be food secure before any trade can begin.

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Some countries which have to import food for one or other reason, if economically well off (high GNP) can import food products (virtual water import). But countries such as Sub-Saharan having food deficiency and low GNP or those countries having food sufficiency with low and low-middle GNP may not prefer to practice virtual water trade. Their socio-economic and other societal compulsions may not allow it.

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Many countries could resort to virtual water trade in order to achieve a sufficient food supply for their people, but many governments do not want or simply cannot afford to become dependent on global trade. This is crucial for countries like India and China…. they feel that because they have such large populations, the world market would not be able to supply their food demands in any crisis and so, as much as?? possible , they want to take care of their own food needs.

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IMPACT ON LIVELIHOODS

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Virtual water trade as a policy option also has implications on local situations and people. When a country opts consciously for virtual water imports to alleviate its water problem, it is also making a choice of altering its cropping patterns in a significant way. This could deprive farmers and their families of their livelihoods unless alternatives are developed in terms of other crops or alternative employment. In their absence, this choice could have serious fallout, as unemployment is a problem most of the virtual water importing countries already face.

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It may be said in conclusion that, in spite of all its shortcomings, the concept of virtual water has certainly lent a new perspective to discussions on water management and the Interlinking between water, Food and trade. It also extended itself to newer concepts like WATER FOOTPRINT.

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- L.Ezhilan

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Research measured the effect on our behaviour when thinking always about Money. They found that although money makes us more self-sufficient, it also makes us more Selfish.

௧௧௧௧௧௧௧௨௨௨1) Thinking about money seems to make us more Independent
and less likely to call for assistance.

2) But does it also make us less likely to help others.

3) Exposure to large money causes us to become less sociable.

4) Money may make the world go around but it doesn't make new
friends.

So, Although money may not be the root cause of all evils, the love of it does seem to make us more Cantankerous.

Finally lets all emphasise in the teaching our Children, the Values of money, the way to earn it and of course the way to spend on it with a morale to stick with it.

- L. Ezhilan.

These NEWS are very rarely broadcasted under the title "BEAKING NEWS" or "FLASH NEWS" by our biased English News Media. Millions of people voices are not at all echoed in Parliament or in Media or elsewhere.

These all done in the name of LPG (Liberalisation, Privatisation, Globalisation) initiated by the so-called soft spoken Politicians and MONGRY (meaning : very much money hungry) MNCs

One of them is the Anguish Real Story of SHEONATH RIVER in Chhattisgarh

To the best of my knowledge, Sheonath River is the first one in the world to be Privatised.

The project, was handed over to Radius Water Limited (RWL) by the Madhya Pradesh government, The Rs.9-crore project was formalised on October 5, 1998, between Madhya Pradesh Audyogik Kendra Vikas Nigam (MPAKVN) and RWL on a build, own, operate and transfer (BOOT) basis for the construction of a BARRAGE on the Sheonath to supply up to 30 MLD(million litres of water per day) to the Borai Industrial Growth Centre in Durg district. The barrage construction was completed in two years and operations began in January 2001.

The agreement, which was carried out by the Chhattisgarh State Industrial Corporation (CSIDC) when the State was formed out of Madhya Pradesh in 2000, which gave RWL exclusive access to a 23.6-kilometre stretch of the river for a period of 22 years (including two years for project construction). RWL secured monopoly rights over the supply of water to all sectors and all land for the project was provided free of cost.

RWL began harassing villagers near the river and held self-laudatory press conferences in Delhi.

The contract clearly states:

"Minimum guaranteed purchase of 4 MLD water quantity by the Corporation... in case the demand reduces below 4 MLD, the payable bill shall be for 4 MLD from the applicable first tier of tariff." Early termination of the agreement was possible only by "reimbursing all outstanding loans and credits of the Project [estimated at a minimum of Rs.6.5 crores] ... and by compensating the likely profit that the project company is expected to earn in the balance concession period. The irony the Exit penalty which could be as high as Rs.400 crores. "

So ,the corporation has been trying to ensure the profitability of RWL inspite of its own losses.CSIDC Chairman Rajinderpal Singh Bhatia. Admitted that this Project is a loss-making enterprise for the Chhattisgarh government.

A major problem is the lack of sufficient demand. Borai has only two large and medium-scale industries, and their combined water requirements is between 1 and 1.5 MLD - while the CSIDC pays for 4 MLD as per the contract.

The government claims to be pushing hard to attract more industry, but that might force the CSIDC deeper into debt. "We purchase the water at Rs.15.02 a kilolitre (1,000 litres). However, we sell it to industry at only Rs.12 a kilolitre," explains a senior official in the Accounts Department of the CSIDC. Thus, the CSIDC makes a loss of 20 % on every unit of water sold, and an increase in demand will simply mean increased losses

In March alone, the Chhattisgarh government suffered a loss of Rs.12 lakhs. "You could say we have lost Rs.6 crores in the last five years," concludes the official.

The Sheonath River Project illustrates the tremendous risks involved in the privatisation of common property resources, especially water.

Apart from the ethical issues involved, Companies like RWL can only succeed in markets heavily in their favour, when the state offers them the luxuries of Monopoly, Minimum purchase guarantees, Tax holidays, Generous exit clauses and complete protection from people's protests.

Unfortunately, the Sheonath project is not the only such project in Chhattisgarh. In a working paper on Chhattisgarh's water sector, lists four other projects

• on the Kelo and Khurkutt rivers in Raigarh,
• on the Mand in Jagjir,
• on the Kharoon in Raipur,
• and the Savri in Dantewada.

where water rights to rivers have been handed over to MONGRY private groups on the name of attracting industry to the State.

While the people of Durg fight to regain their rights to a river that has sustained them for generations.

The Government of Chhattisgarh finds itself financing a private water supplier and subsidising a private water consumer on the basis of an agreement that it never signed.

Ah ! GOOD GOVERNANCE.

-- L EZHILAN

GAURDIAN in Britain,HAARETZ in Isreal,LA PRESSE AND TORONTO STAR in Canada,REFORMA in Mexico carried out a International survey using professional local opinion polling in each country.

Research shows that W.BUSH as a greater danger to world peace than
either the North Korean Leader,Kim Jong-il,or Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Bush is seen in Britain as more dangerous (75%) than the President of Iran(62%),the North Korean Leader(69%)and the leader of Hizbollah(65%).

In 2002 INDIA witnessed a well Planned POGROM in Gujarat which took the life of about 5000 general public(predominantly Muslims) whom they have nothing to do with the GODHRA Train Incident.The rule then belongs to BJP.

1982, SHIA clericks Uprising made the Sadam BRUTAL rule unstable, and a strong military hand used to suppress the near revolution. and the result is 148 shia people lives taken away.

If SADAM really deserves a CAPITAL PUNISHMENT(is this ethic or not is a separate line to discuss) for what he has been responsible for, then,

WHAT MAY BE THE PUNISMENT(S) TO

W.BUSH

T.BLAIR

A.B.VAJPAYEE / N.MODI ?

Its entirely upto the creativity of the visitors!

- L.EZHILAN

"SOFT DRINKS ARE STILL UNSAFE"

Finds the 2006 nationwide study by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE)

Little done since 2003, when CSE found unsafe levels of pesticides in soft drink samples from Delhi.

The Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) had asked for standards for carbonated beverages; the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has formulated standards. But the finalised standards have not been notified.

Our health, particularly the health of our children, seems to be of little concern to the so called MNCs,and its Brand ambassadors,regulator,the Union ministry of health and family welfare.

Companies tell us that they are safe because pesticide residues are tiny and are lower in their products than what is found in other products - say, milk and juice.

"But this is scientific jugglery." says Sunita Narain of CSE.

Pesticides are tiny toxins and deadly for us if we are exposed to quantities higher than what is defined as an acceptable limit. In other words, our exposure, through the food we eat and water we drink, must be kept under the threshold of safety. The safe limit - or the standard - in each product is set keeping in mind the nutrition-pesticide trade-off - a quota for residues can be allowed in nutritive food like milk or juice, but not in non-nutritive products like carbonated beverages.

By the by what did CSE found in these soft drinks?

Highlights of the 2006 CSE study on pesticides in colas-II:

1) A cocktail of 3-6 pesticides was present in all samples.
2) Lindane (a confirmed carcinogen) levels were over 54 times above the BIS standard; in one Coca-Cola sample from Kolkata, it was 140 times higher.
3) Chlorpyrifos (a known neurotoxin) levels were 47 times higher; a Coca-Cola sample from Mumbai had a 200 times higherlevel.
4) Heptachlor, banned in India, was found in 71 per cent of the samples, at levels 4 times higher than BIS standards.
5) Average amount of pesticide residues found in all the samples was 11.85 parts per billion (ppb) - 24 times higher than the BIS standards for total pesticides in soft drinks (0.5 ppb).
6) Pepsi cola contained 30 times higher residues on an average.
7) Coca-Cola contained 27 times higher residues on an average.



As a matter of Fact Water is wasted like anything to manufacture these drinks,In producing a single liter of coke / pepsi 6 liters of precious water is wasted as effluent.In country like India water is a lifeline for millions,but these MNCs are wasting water to give us

PESTICIDES IN A COLOURED SWEETENED DRINK !

Think twice before you drink one .

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