7/25/2019 210116_IL_11.pdf

1/1

11THEINDIANEXPRESS,THURSDAY,JANUARY21,2016

N.E.W.S. NORTHEASTWESTSOUTH

WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

ABANTIKAGHOSH

NEWDELHI,JANUARY20

THEGOVERNMENThas beensitting onavaccination for measles-rubella, whichcancause congenitaldefects inbabiesif con-tractedby theirmothersduring pregnancy.

The national advisory body recom-mendedin 2014thata vaccine formeasles-rubella, commonly known as Germanmeasles,be introducedin theuniversalim-munisation programme. More than 18monthssince,MR doesnot figureanywhere

inthe governmentsvaccinepriority list.Ironically, the manufacturer, Serum

Institute,isreadywithastockpileof400mil-liondosesandhasofferedtosellthesetothegovernmentat one-fifththeprice.It isinitialestimatesthatthepublicitycampaignforthevaccinecould endup costingRs 1,500crore

that,accordingtosources,is causingthe gov-ernmenttodragits feet.

TheNational TechnicalAdvisoryGrouponImmunisationhad recommendedduringtheendof theUPAregimetheinclusionofthree newvaccines forMR, injectiblepo-lioand rotavirus.The MinistryofHealth hadalsogivena presentationinthePMO ontherecommendations in July 2014. Inactivatedpolio virus (IPV) vaccinewas introduced inUIPin November2015andphasedintroduc-tion of the rotavirus vaccine starts inFebruary 2016 in four states Odisha,HimachalPradesh,Haryana andAndhra

Pradesh.The MR vaccine, however,may notseethelightofdaybeforetheendofthisyearor evennext year,ministrysources fear.

Everyyear,approximately 25,000chil-drenwith congenitalrubella infectionarebornin India, say estimatesavailable withtheministry.Accordingto a studyby the

UniversityCollegeof MedicalSciences,Delhi,1-15%of allinfantssuspectedto haveintra-uterineinfectionwere foundto havelabora-toryevidenceofCRS (congenitalrubellasyn-drome).About3-10%of suspectedCRScasesareultimatelyproventohaveconfirmedCRSwiththeaid oflaboratorytests.CRS accounts

for10-15% of pediatric cataract.10-50%ofchildrenwith congenitalanomalies havelab-oratoryevidenceof CRS.10-30%of adoles-centfemalesand12-30%ofwomeninthere-productiveage-groupare susceptibletorubellainfectionin India.

Symptoms ofCRS canincludeproblems

withtheeyessuchascataractsanddeafness,apartfrom affectingtheheart andthe brain.Germanmeasleswascentralto the plot ofAgathaChristiesTheMirrorCrackdfromSidetoSide, aMiss Marplemysteryin whichonewomanmurdersanotherresponsiblefor thefirstwoman contracting Germanmeasleswhile pregnant, leadingto thedeathof herchild.

Rubellavaccineisavailablein theprivatesectoras MMRandis a part ofthe manda-tory vaccination schedule of pregnantwomen.Vaccinationfor children, however,isoptionalandisdoneonlyifparentscanpay

forit.Right now weare concentrating onIPVandrotavirus. MRmay not make itbe-foretheendof thisyearormaybenextyear,saida seniorofficialin theMinistryof Health.Itneedsa consolidated campaignto cover45crore-pluschildren agedbetween ninemonthsand15years andthe publicityalone

islikely tocostRs 1,500crore. Weneedtoembarkonit when weare readyfor itandnotina piecemealmanner,

Asandwhenthegovernmentdecidestobuythe vaccine, Serum Institute of India,whichiscurrentlytheworldslargestvaccinemanufacturerbyvolume,hasdecidedtosellitata reducedcostofRs25 perdose.

Replyingto ane-mailquestionnairefromTheIndianExpress,CEOACPoonawallasaid:AlthoughthepriceisRs 125per doseinthemarket,forour governmentSerum InstitutehasdecidedtogiveitatRs25perdose,whichisfivetimesless thanthe prevailingmarket

rate, as a philanthropic gesture toGovernmentof India. SerumInstitute al-ready hasa capacity of 400milliondoses.This willonlybe20 percentof ourcapacityandwe alreadyhavetheproductlyingin ourbasicinventoryfor theentirerequirementofIndia.

15-BILLION-RUPEEQUESTION

German measles vaccine ready at hand, publicity cost holds back rolloutTHEDISEASE

MEASLESRUBELLA:Alsoknownas Germanmeasles,itisa skininfectionwhich, ifcontractedby pregnantwomen,can causecongenitaldefectsin thechild, includingproblemsofthe eyes,ears,heartand brain.

THEVACCINERUBELLAVACCINEMMR,

availablein privatesector,ismandatoryfor pregnantwomenbut optionalforchildren.For governmentprogramme,Serum Institutesaysitisreadywith400mndosesof vaccine(pictured).

2 Trinamool Congworkers,a CPM leaders nephewand2 whowork outsideMaldaARSHADALIprofiles the12 arrestedfor vandalism, arsonatKaliachak police station;photos byPARTHAPAUL

LALUMOMIN, 40One of six broth-ers whose fami-lies sharea houseinBeliadanga bythehighway.On

January3(whenarallywasfollowedbymob violenceatthe police sta-

tion),wewerenttherebutinAdiraforapicnic,said LalusbrotherNazrul.Policecamethefollowingnight.WetoldthemLaluisaTrinamoolworkerbuttheytookhimaway,Nazrulsaid.Lalu,whohas ateastall,is marriedwith twodaughters.

GAFFARSHEIKH,30A T ri namo olworker as de-scribedbyhiswifeFatimaSheikh,26.He is managerandsupervisor ofa brick kiln inSultangunj andlivesin a concrete

house, recently paintedparrot green.Thatdayheworkedatthekiln.Heneverwenttotherally,Fatimasaid.Whenpo-licearrived at night,she said,oneofthempointeda gunatmy child.Theyhavefour daughtersand twosons.

MDRASHIDULHAQUE,24His uncle AbdulRauf is a CPMleaderamongtheaccusedfortheat-tack; RaufswifeShefaliKhatoonisa former CPMsabhadipati.Abdul Khair,

RashidulsfatherandRaufsbrother,saidhehas beenestrangedfromhis brotherfor14yearsbutalleged policetried totarget thefamily.Rashidul is a labourcontractor, his motherNooressaBibisaid.

EKHLASURRAHMAN, 40Ekhlasur, whodeals intimber, isalso the chief ofAsirHajiparalo-cality of Beliadanga vil-lage. His neigh-bour RabMominsaid they felt asif

someonehaddied inthe area.Ekhlasurwasthechiefof theareaandhadjudgedmany disputes.It issuchan insultto arespectable familylike histhatthe po-lice shouldcomeandarresthim,Rabsaid.

MOTIURRAHMAN,30H e i s o ne o f Delhiscountlessmigrantworkersand had arrivedhome atChuriwala Morethree daysbefore

therally. Hedidparticipate in the

rallybuthe wasnotamongthose whoransacked the policestation, saidhiswifeAyeraBibi,standing outsideherhome with herfourchildren.She saidherhusbandhad notimeforany politi-calactivity.

BENARUL SHEIKH,24Theconstructionlabourersmeagreearnings sustainfivesistersand abrother inSultangunj. HewenttoDelhiand

Jodhpur forworkbutfellillandre-

turned.He wasweakandoftenin bed,includingon theday of therally, saidhiseldersisterZaitunBibi.He hasbeenadmittedtothe Malda jailhospital. HismotherAuloBewa said hewas notin-terestedinpoliticsbutdid casthisvote.

MDASHADUL HAQUE,37Originally fromNorthDariyapur,he works as aquackwitha clinicinKaliachak andliveswith hispar-ents,brother,wifeand two children.We know himas

a TMCsupporter buthe neverpartici-patedin anyofthepartysrallies.He didtake partin theKaliachakrally, oneofhisfriends said.

JABDULSHEIKH,30SINNAT SHEIKH,25Brothers,theylivein Guduagramvillage,15km fromKaliachakpolicestation.Jabdulhadgonefor apicnicwithfriendstoFarakkahbarrage.Sinnatwasat home,tendingto cattle,saidIdul Sheikh,thethirdof fivebrothers.Wetried toarguewiththepolicebutthey abused us andthreatened toshoot ourchildrenif weresisted,said Jabduls wifeSeba Biwi.SinnatswifeRajina Bibisaidthefamilyhasnever hadany politicalaffiliations.

BADRUDDINMOMIN,37IMRANSHEIKH,20These twowerearrested daysafterthefirst10arrests. Badruddin,of ChuriwalaMore,erectspandalsfor a living.TheIndianExpress foundthreechildrenplay-inginthedamp,80sqfthouse.MaahasgonetovisitBaba.I amtakingcareofmysiblings, said Samiul, 9, the eldest.Imran, a daily labourer, wasarrestedfromBaliadanga. Policesaid hehas ad-mittedattendingtherallybutdeniedat-tacking thepolice station.

FAROOQUESHEIKH, 43Worksin Jodhpuras a mason. Hiswife Firo said hewas at home inSultanganj thatday, unwell. On

January 4, policealsowantedtoar-rest ourson Aliul

butlethimbe when I fell onmy kneestopleadthatheis appearingforhisclassXfinals,said Firo.Theyhavea daughterandanother son.

KANCHANVASDEV

CHANDIGARH,JANUARY20

ONFEBRUARY13, KhadoorSahibwill electanMLA whowillserveforhardlya yearbe-forePunjabgoestopolls.ThatisthewayonesectionoftheCongresswouldliketo viewitasit urgestheleadershiptoignorethe bypollandfocus instead onthe largerbattle.TheAamAadmiParty hasalreadyoptedout. Theother section in the Congress, however,wouldrathernot givethe ShiromaniAkaliDala walkover,especiallywiththehighsym-bolisminvolved.

The assembly seat is a segment ofKhadoorSahibLok Sabhaconstituencyin theborder districtof Tarn Taran.Threereasonsmake thebypolla prestigebattle fortheAkalis. Khadoor Sahibis frequently identi-

fiedwith apanthiccharacter.Out ofthe ninesegmentsof theLok Sabhaconstituency,theCongresswononly threeinthe 2012assem-bly polls, and Khadoor Sahib was one ofthem.Third,the CongressMLA hasresignedforpanthic reasons.

RamanjitSingh Sikki steppeddownlastOctobertoprotestagainstthedesecrationoftheGuru GranthSahibin Bargariand thegovernmentsinabilityto bringthe guiltyto

book.Clearthattheycouldnotaffordtolosetheseatnow, theAkalistookup the battleimmediately.As earlyas November,ChiefMinisterParkashSingh Badalwenton asan-gatdarshantour throughthe constituencyandallocated Rs 35crore forvarious civicprojectsthere.Apartfrom identitypolitics,theAkalisarealsoworriedaboutadefeatbe-inginterpretedas asign ofanti-incumbency.

A defeatfor theCongress,on theotherhand,couldreflectpoorlyonnewstatepartychiefCaptAmarinderSingh,consideringthatit is a seat the Congress holds. But it isAmarinderspoliticalstrategist, PrashantKishor,whohassuggestedthatthepartyig-noretheinconsequentialbypollandconcen-trateon 2017instead, asource intheir campsaid.The other campis worriedabout opt-ingout being interpretedas runningaway.Thecentralleadershipisyet todecide.

Sikkiiskeentorecontest.Knownasapo-tatokingfor hiscultivationand coldstores,heisanAmarinderloyalistwhoquitasMLAwithout consulting thenAICC chiefPartapBajwa.Sikkihas notbeen talkingin publicoflate.He willcontest if thehigh commandwantshimto,saidhisaideRanaGurjit.Lasttime,Sikkiwonby barely3,000votes.

TheAkalicandidateis RavinderSinghBrahmpura, a choice thatcouldreopenold

rivalries. Ravinder is the son of RanjitBrahmpura,the sittingMP fromKhadoorSahib.In the2012 assemblyelections,Sikkihad defeated the father, whom the SADfieldedforthe LokSabhatwoyearslater.

RavinderBrahmpurasaidhe hadbeenlooking forward toa contest with theAAPandtheCongress.Butitseemsbothpartieshave chickenedout,he said.I willwin.Peopleare sick ofSikki,whohas notkeptintouchwiththem. Hetriedto winbrowniepoints byplayingthe Sikhcardand resign-ing. Butithas workedagainsthim.

AAPis widelyseen asa strongchallengertotheCongressandthe SAD-BJPin 2017.Itsdecisionto stay outshouldcome as a relieftobothsides,butit stillleavesotherpotentialspoilersin thefray.Two AAPrebels,BhaiBaldeepSinghand SumailSinghSidhu,haveannounced thatthey willcontestas inde-

pendents.Yogendra Yadavs splintergroupSwarajLeharisbehindBhaiBaldeep.

AAP state convener Sucha SinghChotepursaidtheycouldnotaffordtospendsomuchon anelectionforthe sakeofbeingintheassemblyfor onlya fewmonths.Ourparty hasneitherthemoneynortheenergytobe wastedon this election.We arepre-pared for2017 evenif they announce thepollstoday,he said.

MUZAMILJALEEL

NEWDELHI,JANUARY20

HIZB-UL MUJAHIDEEN chief Syed

Salahuddinhas taken responsibilityfor thePathankot attack,calling ita continuationoftheir activity,targetingIndianmilitaryin-stallations.He hasalso criticised PakistanPrimeMinisterNawazSharifsKashmirpol-icy.Thesecomments arepartof aninter-viewto anUrdu newsportal,Wajood,basedinPakistan.The militantcommander isalsothe head of the United Jihad Council, anamalgam of militantoutfits operatinginKashmir, aspokesman forwhichhad calledanews agencyinSrinagarto claimresponsi-bilityfor thePathankotattack.

Pakistan is a primary party to theKashmirissueand itsadvocate,Salahuddintoldthe interviewerin responseto a ques-tionon Sharifspolicy.Whilesmoothingitsrelations withIndia,it (Pakistan)is account-ableforconsidering theemotionsandaspi-rationsof theoppressedKashmiris.Youcan-notbe anadvocateof themurderedandafriendof themurderer simultaneously.

Toa questionaboutthePathankotattackbeing a conspiracyto stallIndo-Paktalks,

Salahuddinsaid inthe interview:This per-

ception is cent per cent wrong. ArmedMujahideenareengagedwiththeeightlakhIndian forces forthe last26 years andeachday, Mujahideenare targeting Indian mili-taryinstallations. Pathankot is a continua-tionofthatactivity.Ithasnothingtodowiththedialogue process.

Aboutthe Pakistangovernments policy

on dialogue with India, Salahudin said:Therehave beenmorethan 150 rounds ofdialogueand Kashmir issueas a core issuehasnt comeup fora discussion evenonce.Thiscontinuedand aimlessdialogueprocessisonlyaimedat deceivingthe internationalcommunitybyIndiawhile itgains time to

strengthen itsmilitary hold(over Kashmir).

Whetheranybodyunderstandsitor not,weKashmirisunderstandthemannerinwhichitis donevery well.Toanotherquestion,hesaid, Indiais neitherreadyto hold talks onthe basicissue ofKashmirnorisit readyto

acceptoccupiedKashmir as a party,so thisdialogueprocessis...a waste oftime.

Healso dismissedthe perceptionwithinPakistan thatclaimingresponsibility forthePathankot attack harms the interests ofPakistan. Azad Jammuand Kashmir is myhomelandandbasecamp.Morallyandaspertheinternational law, we areright tocarryoutanyactivityfortheindependenceof ouroccupiedland.Peoplewhoarescaredof Indiacanabandonadvocatingour cause,he said.

Hewarnedthatthemilitantmovementisfar fromover. ...Theanti-India sentimentamongthepopulationandthe passionforji-hadamongthe youth of thestatewillkeepproviding strengthtoit.

Heruledouta peacefulsolutiontotheKashmirissue. The traditional obstinacy...andmilitary arrogance of India...and thedoublestandardsof worldpowershavede-stroyedtheessenceof peacefulmeans.Theyouthof thestate areunitedin the under-standing that thereisntany solutiontotheissuebut througha result-orientedarmed

struggle,he said.

PunjabChiefMinisterParkashSinghBadalduringa tourofKhadoorSahibconstituencyshortly afterthe CongressMLA resigned.RanaSimranjit Singh

WhysomuchfussoverthisbypollSymbolismrunshigh asAkalistreatKhadoorSahib asprestige battle; Cong divided overitsimportance

PUNJAB

PAKISTAN

Chandigarh

KhadoorSahib

LahoreLudhiana

KHADOORSAHIB

1.7 lakh+ voters2012:RamanjitSinghSikki(Cong)defeats RanjitBrahmpura(SAD)by 3,000votes

2014:RanjitBrahmpuraelectedtoLokSabha

2017:RavinderBrahmpura,the MPsson,is SADcandidate; Congressundecided,

AAPoptsout

Pathankot attack part of our activity, nothingto do with Indo-Pak dialogue: Hizb chief

You cantbeadvocate ofthe murderedandfriendof murderersimultaneously,SalahuddinsaysaboutNawaz Sharifin aninterviewto Pakistan-basedportal.

BIHARSGENDERGAP

71%Male

literacy

52%Femaleliteracy

Bihar,whichhasrolledout35%reservationforwomenin governmentjobs,has a huge gendergap to correct.Nationally, the gap in literacyrate is82%maleto 65%female(Census 2011).