Amidst cheers & fears, Earth home to 7 Billions

Arrival of two baby girls in Uttar Pradesh and Manila marks the milestone
New Delhi, October 31
The world’s population today crossed the seven billion mark with the arrival of two baby girls, one in India and the other in Philippines. That the birth of girls should mark the milestone is good augury in times when there’s greater evidence than ever before to point out that women have a larger role to play in population stabilisation.

As the world welcomed its symbolic 7 billionth babies -- Nargis born to Ajay and Vineeta in Mal, 20 km from Lucknow, and Danica May Camacho born in Manila - UN Population Fund Executive Director Babatunde Osotimehin commented, “Given greater opportunities and rights, women make decisions that slow population growth, and this impact is being seen worldwide.”
His sentiment was echoed by policy planners back home, with the Registrar General of India and Census Commission C Chandramauli pointing out that now is India’s best chance of reducing population and sustaining that reduction.
“Census 2011 revealed rapid strides in female literacy. Not only was female literacy more than male literacy in urban and rural areas, even the gap between the two had reduced substantially. If this trend continues, women’s aspirations for smaller families and better standards of living will grow. This will fuel population stabilisation,” Chandramauli told The Tribune today.
Asked how he viewed today’s landmark, the Census Commissioner said it was a “mixed event”. “We must celebrate the arrival of every child but we must also seriously introspect. According to projections, we will cross China’s population in 2030. This is a revised projection. Earlier, we were to cross China’s numbers in 2060. We must work to revise the 2030 projection and push beyond,” he said.
The Registrar General pointed out that current trends in population reduction were promising and if sustained, they could prevent us from crossing China’s population by 2030. “A revision of 2030 is very much possible provided we sustain our gains. For the first time in three Censuses, our most populated states showed a decline of 4% in population growth rate in 2011. Decadal growth rate of population also declined for the first time ever to 17.64%. It had been otherwise rising. Uttar Pradesh, which had been growing in excess of 25% in three Censuses, grew at 20% in 2011. This was true of other populous states. If we sustain these levels, we can surprise ourselves,” Chandramauli said.
Census 2011 trends showed that the population growth in UP dropped from 26 to 20% between two decades; in Bihar from 29 to 25%; in MP from 24 to 20% and in Rajasthan from 28 to 21%.
Chandramauli further pointed out that in 2011, India posted a record high gap in its numbers with China. “The population gap between India and China was 238 million in 2011. In 2011 it was just 131 million. This means we can do well provided we create an enabling environment powered by education and health where couples realise the importance of smaller families. Our strategy must be multi-pronged and the focus should be on improving the quality of people and reducing their quality by population stabilisation,” he said.
The RGI described investments in the education and skill development of youth as critical if the fruits of demographic dividend are to be reaped.

Issue of interim capital rocks UK House

Dehradun, October 31
The issue of interim capital once again rocked the state Assembly today after Uttarakhand Kranti Dal MLA Pushpesh Tripathi raised objections to the building of new premises for the Uttarakhand Assembly in Dehradun when it continues to be an interim capital of Uttarakhand.
During Question Hour, Congress MLA Amrita Rawat asked the government about the pace of the construction of the new premises for housing the Uttarakhand Assembly for which the Centre has already allocated funds.
Replying to the starred question, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Prakash Pant said the Uttarakhand Vidhan Sabha Committee constituted for the selection of a suitable spot for locating the new Vidhan Sabha had not presented its report so far.
He said only the Vidhan Sabha and not the government could ask the committee to present its report within a specific time frame.
He said Rs 88 crore had been sanctioned by the 13th Finance Commission for the new Assembly building which had to be utilised within five years. The delay could automatically lead to a lapse of funds.
Intervening in the matter, Pushpesh Tripathi expressed surprise how money could be spent for a new Assembly building when Dehradun has not even been accorded the status of a permanent capital. In protest, he walked out of the House.

Rly Minister expresses concern over misuse

Nainital, October 31
Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi has expressed concern over gross misuse of the Tatkal Seva offered by the institution.
He said if the number of complaints pertaining to the seva did not come down in the future, the Railways would be left with no other option but to close it down and look for a viable alternative.
Talking to mediapersons while returning from the Dhanachuli area of Nainital where he had come on a personal visit, Trivedi said the Railways was mulling initiating a probe into the misuse of the seva by a premier investigating agency like the CBI.
He said it was important to unmask the persons responsible for misusing the facility extended by the Railways for passengers needing to travel in emergency situations.
To a query on the issue of the security of passengers, he said the entire security set-up of the Railways was being streamlined and there were plans to bring the entire rail security network under the ambit of the Railways Protection Force.
He once again reiterated the commitment of the Railways to improve the facilities for the passengers travelling by the general class. He said since 90 per cent of the people travel by this class on a daily basis, it was pertinent to ensure that they received proper basic facilities for their travel. He said focused attention would be paid to the needs of these general passengers.
He himself got a first-hand experience of the people travelling in the general class when he entered the general bogey of Doon Express at Kathgodam station last evening.
A delegation of those in the tourism industry in Nainital met the minister seeking a direct rail connectivity to Mumbai from Kumaon. The minister said this could only be done once the basic infrastructure was improved for which work was under way.
During his two-day visit to the region, the minister has hinted at starting a Shatabadi link between Kumaon and New Delhi soon. It is learnt that the officials have got down to the business of preparing a proposal for the same. The introduction of a Shatabdi between Kathgodam and New Delhi will go a long way in promoting tourism and other business in the region.

Vivekananda Express arrives in city

Chandigarh, October 31
Vivekananda Express, the special exhibition train showcasing the life and philosophy of Swami Vivekananda, arrived at the railway station this morning. The train was launched in January this year by Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee on the eve of the 150th birth centenary of Swami Vivekananda.
Mayor Ravinder Pal Singh Palli, Special Secretary (Finance) CS Talwar and Ramakrishna Mission general secretary Swami Anant Atmananda were among those who inaugurated the four-day exhibition in the five-boggie train near platform 1. An exhibition-cum-sale of books was being organised near the train.
“The train was launched by the Railways at Howrah with a view to disseminate Swami Vivekananda’s legacy among the younger generation. His signatures and some of his sayings are also on display,” said a senior Northern Railway official.
The exhibition threw light on the life and achievements of Swami Vivekananda. It had six coaches, in which photographs, write-ups and other exhibits were on display. Two other coaches contained rare photographs and archival material.
Black-and-white images of Swami Vivekananda’s brothers, Mahendranath Dutta and Bhupendranath Dutta, his ancestral house, the grand reception hosted for him at Calcutta in 1897 and disciples of Ramakrishna Paramhansa soon after his demise were among those on display.
The official added, “The train has arrived from Ambala and will remain at the local railway station till November 3. Then it will move to Kalka for four days, before leaving for Patiala on November 7. The train will also go to Ludhiana, Amritsar and Jammu before ending its year-long journey at Varanasi in January next.”

Pargat Singh justifies high expenditure

Bathinda, October 31
Punjab Sports Director Pargat Singh today justified the expenditure by the state on the second Kabaddi World Cup. Admitting that it was a "bit in excess", Pargat Singh, a hockey veteran, pointed out that the Union Government, too, had spent crores on hosting the recent Commonwealth Games in Delhi. "Then why can't the Punjab Government show a similar enthusiasm for kabaddi," he asked.
Singh, who was in Bathinda to oversee preparations for the event, claimed kabaddi and hockey were the only two popular games in Punjab. "The expenditure on entertainment alongside kabaddi is also the need of the hour." He also refuted allegations that the Punjab Government was only promoting one sport for its own benefits.
The Sports Director said companies like DLF, Pearl, Trident and a few others were sponsoring the event this time. "Money to the tune of Rs 10 crore is likely to be collected from sponsorships," he said. Pargat Singh said nearly 25,000 people were expected to watch the inaugural ceremony.