CNS: Articles of Kulsum Mustafa

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Malaria control cannot succeed without community involvement

Dr Pradeep K Srivastava

Kulsum Mustafa, CNS Correspondent
Every minute a child dies from malaria. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), half of world's population is at risk of malaria. "Mosquito borne diseases are a major health problem in India. Globally every year 3.4 billion people are at risk. Early diagnosis and prompt treatment of malaria prevent deaths," said Dr Pradeep K Srivastava, a well known 'scientoonist'. He advised that adequate preventive dose of malaria are a must when one is visiting a mosquito-prone place. Urging medical alertness and timely blood tests if fever persists beyond a day, Dr Srivastava said that timely detection of malaria and proper medication can help prevent death.

Kulsum Mustafa - CNS
In UP the child sex ratio is 904 per thousand and 899 for 0-6 years. The national figure is 954: Like in all other development indicators, Uttar Pradesh also lags behind in the child birth registration. While only 67.08% children in the state get their birth registered in the government records, out of this it is a very miniscule percentage which actually are issued the birth registration certificate. Unknown to the child and his parents this lack of data puts the child in the ‘invisible’ category and it becomes a big hurdle in getting a correct picture of the number of children born and living, greatly affecting planning. The process of registration is governed by the 1969 national Act of Registration of Births and Deaths.

Kulsum Mustafa
Nautanwa (Maharajganj district in Uttar Pradesh): Statistics never lie - they only help unravel some harsh truths. Like many social indicators in Maharajganj district only confirm that this district is one of the most undesired places for girls to live in. While 73.6 per cent of females here marry before the legal age of 18 years, the female literacy rate is a mere 28 per cent. One can find a child bride in almost every second home. While poverty, human trafficking, low birth registrations are some of the other major issues which the residents are battling with, child marriage undoubtedly tops all these concerns.

[हिंदी] Right to education (RTE) is a top priority, said Dr Dinesh Sharma, Mayor, Lucknow, who was addressing a Child Rights Convention in Lucknow. Over two hundred school children including some differently abled children, hailing from various districts of Uttar Pradesh participated in this convention. Added Dr Sharma: Every child must understand that duties must come first and then rights. He advocated a uniform system of education for all children, regardless of their socio-economic background.

"Increase in the number of women journalists in the past two-three decades has helped to bring development issues, including writing on children to the fore, they are better equipped to deal with such issues with greater sensitivity," said senior journalist and Editor-in-Chief of Outlook, Vinod Mehta. He was addressing the 55th session of Media For Children organized on the fourth anniversary of Media Nest, a pan India forum of journalists at the UP Press Club.

The birth anniversary of late Prof P C Mahalanobis, (which falls on 29th June), the man who made invaluable contribution in the field of economic planning and statistical development has been designated as ‘National Statistics Day’. This year’s theme was ‘Gender statistics’. To celebrate this occasion, a day long programme was jointly organized by Economics and Statistics Division, State Planning Institute, Uttar Pradesh, NSSO (FOD) Lucknow and UNICEF Lucknow, at Yojna Bhawan on Wednesday.

Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE DL) Lord Dr Khalid Hameed has roots in Lucknow, India, although he has dedicated his life in strengthening healthcare in UK. Lord Hameed has worked for three London teaching hospitals. Following this he developed a successful practice in Central London and was appointed CEO and Executive Director of the Cromwell Hospital, London. He is currently Chairman of the Alpha Hospital Group and also Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the London International Hospital, a new Centre of Excellence being created for the treatment of cancer, heart and the brain.

On the eve of National Youth Day, members of Uttar Pradesh Youth Policy Advocacy Campaign shared with the media their experiences about the two year long advocacy campaign in creating awareness about youth policy and preparing a policy draft. Present in the press conference at Uttar Pradesh Press Club were representatives of all the NGOs, forums, which have worked in creating this draft that aims at ensuring a better deal for the youth of Uttar Pradesh.

Over 100 girl students of Husain Chutki Bhandar Inter College participated in a poster making and debate competition on the theme 'present condition of youth and their rights.' The competitors from classes 9 to 11, through the medium of brush, colors and words added their voice and support to the urgent need of a youth policy for Uttar Pradesh, which has a large population of youth. The movement for a legal youth policy for the state is being spear-headed through Uttar Pradesh Youth policy advocacy campaign. Read more

To commemorate World AIDS Day, December 1, 2010 some AIDS affected children from Lucknow, Sultanpur, and Bara Banki districts of Uttar Pradesh, had a dialogue with the media at the Uttar Pradesh Press Club. The Uttar Pradesh Welfare For people living with HIV/AIDS (UPNP+) supported by UNICEF and Media Nest, a pan India body of Media professionals, facilitated this one hour long interaction under 'Media for Children'. Read more

Sting operations are morally, ethically and professionally wrong: Kuldip Nayar

Bara Banki: "Sting operations are morally, ethically and professionally wrong, they are pure drama and stunt, aimed at creating sensationalism. This is not responsible journalism." These were the views of veteran journalist and chief patron of Media Nest, while speaking in a seminar "Sting operation: trial by fire", organized by Media Nest at Jahangirabad Media Institute at Bara Banki on 13 November 2010. Read more

Urging media to help focus the attention of society on the inhuman practice of manual scavenging, UNICEF Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) specialist Mr Amit Mehrotra, said that, proper and sustained sanitation drives will surely help in eradication of many killer diseases, including diarrhea, typhoid, jaundice and most importantly polio. Read more

"Child protection is a way of ensuring that children, under-privileged children in particular, are brought under a safety net umbrella. It is a system under which the most unwanted child is ensured the warmth of security, and full enjoyment of the basic rights," said Ratna Saxena, Integrated Child Protection Scheme (ICPS) consultant, UNICEF. Read more

Photo credit: Kulsum Mustafa

Wednesday and Saturdays are Routine Immunization days in Uttar Pradesh. From morning one witness rural women with infants in arms making a beeline for primary health centres. But June and December are more special months for little children in India's most populous state with very poor development indicators. It is in these two months when health call beacons all the under five in remotest corners of the state. Read more

"If theatre and media join hands I am sure that they will be able to shatter many myths that abound in society about AIDS," this is what Ms Tripurari Sharma, associate director, National School of Drama (NSD) said while addressing media persons at 'Media for Children' –a capacity building session organized by Media Nest with support of UNICEF at UP Press Club on Saturday, 14 August 2010. Read more

1-7 August 2010: World Breastfeeding Week
Statistics state that 270,000 infants born in Uttar Pradesh (UP) die in the first month of their birth and every sixth malnutrition child lives in UP. "The grim situation of infant mortality and child malnutrition can be changed overnight if every pregnant woman in the state ensure that her newborn gets mother's milk in the first hour of birth," said Dr KP Kushwaha. A paediatrician and a great advocate of breastfeeding, Dr Kushwaha, Head of the Department of Paediatrics, BRD Medical College, Gorakhpur, was addressing media persons at the monthly Media for Children hosted jointly by Media Nest and UNICEF at the Uttar Pradesh Press Club on every second Saturday afternoon. Read more

State Commission for the Protection of Child Rights is still not top priority of government
It is indeed a matter of grave concern that 20 per cent (1,927,997 to be exact) of India's total (12,666,377) child labour force lives in Uttar Pradesh. It is a fact that there is no dearth of grants, aid, projects and schemes for creating a child-labour-free state and yet, instead of declining, the percentage of child labour is growing by leaps and bound in the state. Read more

Media Nest, a Lucknow-based pan-India forum of journalists that works for the welfare of media persons and their families has initiated a group medical insurance for newspaper persons and their families. The premium rates will be highly subsidized and as per health insurance norms will be 100 per cent exempt from income tax. Read more

"Both the use and acceptance of tobacco usage is on the increase. This is indeed a very alarming sign for society. The Indian anti-tobacco law is strong but in reality its implementation is very weak," said Bobby Ramakant, an activist journalist, at the monthly 'Media for Children' session organized at the UP Press Club, by Media Nest (MN), with the support of UNICEF. MN is a Lucknow based pan-global forum of media professionals that works for the welfare of media persons and their families. Read more

The recent spurt of suicides by students in the state is a matter of great concern for everyone. It simply points to something being drastically wrong in the society wherein we live. It points towards a big communication gap between teachers, parents and students. It shows up the hidden pressure and stress the students are carrying all the while like dynamite strapped to our body. Read more