Hard Work Over Sycophancy?

Finally, the Indian economic tiger is beginning to roam in the valley. Introducing a new style Kashmiri entrepreneur named Abdul Hamid Bhat

In Kashmir, Entrepreneurs and Educators Preach Optimism and Self-Reliance

Dropping out of high school may have been Abdul Hamid Bhat's best move. After failing the examination to earn his matriculate qualification in 10th grade, roughly the equivalent of a high school diploma, Bhat was on his own. He went on to work as a scooter mechanic, earning a few U.S. dollars a month. But he had big plans even amid the hardest-hit days of militancy that roiled Kashmir, India's northernmost state, in the 1990s. "My passion is to do something for society," says the 45-year-old Bhat. "I have the will. If you have the will, you can do anything."

Bhat is now CEO and managing director of the Rahim Group, which consists of three companies including a Maruti car service center, in the Kashmiri capital of Srinagar. The group turnover is US$4.5 million. Bhat has also spearheaded tree-planting and green technology initiatives.

It all stems from an interminable zeal that animates his elfin figure. Bhat's ubiquitous white sneakers, worn even to weddings and conferences, are a testament that he's constantly on the move. There's little time for pause on his mission to promote private enterprise and break what he sees as an over-reliance on a government sector that has ballooned in the past two decades. But as Bhat encourages a new crop of entrepreneurs to learn from his example, he also tells them to integrate what he calls "common-man social responsibility" from the very beginning.

In this Himalayan valley, when it comes to inquiring about someone's employment, the perennial question is whether he or she works "in government or private." The look on the questioner's face reveals local perceptions; the answer "government" gains approval, while "private" elicits a frown. During the past 20 years, some private industries such as retail and tourism and banking have held up. But government postings are a safety net amid ongoing political anxieties, with those on the state payroll guaranteed a paycheck even when strikes and curfews hit. Instability has also failed to inspire outsiders to invest in the valley.

Students Turn to MBAs

Meanwhile, the ripple effects of India's economic rise can now be seen in the flocks of Kashmiri students pursuing their MBAs and earning coveted placements at major companies. In this case, "private" is no longer viewed with disdain, and the esteem granted a business degree is climbing up there with medical and engineering degrees. Yet, this appears to hold true mostly for those who land a job anyplace outside Kashmir, be it Delhi, London, or Seattle. Within the state, the aspiration or only option for many remains bagging a government job, even if that means, say, a young man joining the police forces against which he or his friends might have pelted stones.

However, there is an emerging contingent of business graduates and other young people taking the plunge into entrepreneurship. Initiatives helping them include the Start Up Kashmir Youth Entrepreneur (SKYE) Development Project, run by the international NGO Mercy Corps and funded by the Scottish government's South Asia Development Program. The project aims to establish 200 youth enterprises across Kashmir and a network for young entrepreneurs.

A detailed July report from SKYE assessing youth entrepreneurship found that many young Kashmiris are interested in entrepreneurship, but 90% of them think that becoming an entrepreneur is either "challenging or very challenging." With some 600,000 educated yet unemployed youth populating the valley, the study suggests that entrepreneurship could help combat growing unemployment by making room for self-employment tracks.

The government has also gotten into the game. The state-run Jammu & Kashmir Entrepreneurship Development Institute offers entrepreneurs training and educational loans for professional and technical courses as well as loans for projects in areas such as tourism, agriculture and handicrafts. Other government departments also have some public-private partnership schemes in which the agency provides funding or resources. For instance, the fisheries department works with individuals to harvest trout in private farms, with the fish then being sold in the market.

Educators Preach Entrepreneurship

At the academic level, some educators are trying to do their part in advancing entrepreneurship. Parvez A. Mir, an associate professor in the School of Business Studies at the private Islamic University of Science and Technology in Awantipora, Kashmir, counsels students looking to start small businesses. Mir tells them: "It is better to be an employer than an employee." To parents, he stresses that with globalization and increased privatization elsewhere, the government won't be the center of livelihood in coming years. The future is in the private sector. "I am trying to groom my teachers to tell their students to only go for entrepreneurship so that our economy as a state will be independent," he says.

Despite his optimism, Mir says that young people often feel they are stuck. On top of the uncertainties of entrepreneurship, the social apprehensions about private jobs and uneasy geopolitics, budding entrepreneurs are discouraged by red tape in the form of clearance certificates needed from the state government to create a new business. The prolonged wait time for such documentation has forced some of his students to give up their plans. Mir says that compared to the states of Gujarat or even neighboring Himachal Pradesh, entrepreneurs in Kashmir face exceptional hurdles on cultural, governmental, political and educational fronts. Students need role models, he adds.

Established businessmen such as Bhat view their success, especially during volatile times, as a sign of the possibilities for innovation in the economy. But in narrating how he started from the bottom, Bhat emphasizes that he has remained independent of the government. For one, he has never taken subsidies to run his companies. Although he dodges political issues, he isn't shy about echoing the oft-repeated charge Kashmiris lodge against the government -- boundless corruption. Bhat hopes to wean people from the crutch that the public sector has become and advocate what he calls a "self-made system."

In 1996, while working as a mechanic, Bhat wanted to start a repair shop of his own and asked his father to provide him some of their farmland in Hyderpora, an area once filled with paddy fields on the outskirts of Srinagar, which has since become a bustling suburb. His father refused the request. "I [said], 'I will do something, please give me a chance,'" Bhat recalls. The skeptical father eventually relented and the son built a tin shed and hired two workers. Soon after, he joined Maruti Suzuki, India's largest automaker and a subsidiary of Suzuki Motor Corporation, as a service provider. There was next to no profit in the first year.

Building a Large Shop

Rahim Motors, an enterprise that Bhat named after his father, is now a large complex that includes a tidy body shop and other stations catering to vehicle upkeep as well as offices that handle car insurance and warranties. Bhat's operations also include two additional companies at other sites, Rahim Automobiles and Rahim Engineering Works. There are currently 225 employees under him.

At the service center's waiting room, customers can watch their cars getting fixed through wide windows or peruse the "library." The mustached Bhat, in jeans and a green polo shirt, proudly exhibits a cupboard with glass doors, with titles ranging from U.S. President Barack Obama's "Dreams From My Father" to books on Kashmiri history.

Although he left school, Bhat maintains that he continued to read. He credits religious traditions, specifically texts that he read on Islam's Prophet Muhammad -- who, it is said, started out as a merchant -- with building his business acumen. "I have no formal education, but I have a seerateducation," he says using the Arabic term for the stories covering the Prophet's life. From these teachings, he plucked virtues that he translated into his business practices. Otherwise abstract or lofty principles, some seemingly simple, become serious corporate methodologies in his mind.

For instance, Bhat expounds on the necessity of being honest, first exercising it himself, and then telling his employees to be honest. Then he talks about discipline, strong work ethic and being sincere with customers. For him, a manifestation of this can be seen at his call center, where workers ring up clients listed in hefty records, inquiring how the customer's service went and following up on any complaints. He says such efforts have resulted in him being recognized as the only Maruti "service master" in the state of Jammu & Kashmir, denoting the highest satisfaction label possible.

The Dignity of Work

In his workplace, Bhat recognizes employees for their performance through salary hikes and other gestures of appreciation. There are also prayer spaces for Muslims and followers of other religions, such as Sikhism, and a bus service for workers. A training center on the top-floor houses 20 desks and multimedia equipment. Such efforts cut against some of the hierarchical strictures of South Asian work culture that leave many laborers as unsung "peons."

A shelf in Bhat's office is crowded with plaques, trophies and awards from universities, NGOs and Maruti marking his achievements. Above, a mounted television juts from the wall, with the screen split into 16 panels, displaying surveillance video streaming from across the service center.

Over lemon tea and samosas [an Indian snack], the father of two explains how, by dipping into the same prophetic teachings from his faith, he also discovered notions relating to corporate social responsibility and giving back to society. "Everybody is responsible for social responsibility," he says. Out of this vision, a trust styled Rahim Greens was born a few years ago. Bhat says he diverts some 25% of his company's profits for his social responsibility projects. The adrenaline gets going as he begins ticking off his initiatives such as sponsoring underprivileged students, repairing ambulances for social service organizations, and forming a youth soccer league.

One of the trust's main objectives is nurturing young entrepreneurs. This takes Bhat to schools and colleges and youth gatherings where he duly dons his white tennis shoes and brings students and fledgling entrepreneurs to his headquarters. He talks to them about his experiences, garners some laughs, and encourages them to pursue private enterprise, often speaking in his native tongue of Kashmiri. The idea, he says, is to provide them with a "moral education" that covers self-sufficiency, the kind of values that anchored his own business understanding, and teaching them to be effective corporate leaders.

Bhat becomes even more impassioned while discussing Rahim Greens' other priority: environmental protection. The group has planted 46,000 trees around the Kashmir valley since 2009. His goal for next year is 70,000 trees, including in areas of deforestation, which has become a concern throughout the valley. At his service center, he has machines that check and control a car's pollution output. He has also donated 50 solar lights to be used for studying in the remote homes along the India-Pakistan border. "We are destroying the Kashmiri environment," he says, "in the name of development, industry, in the name of power."

Bhat says the valley has tremendous potential in using its natural resources for private sector enterprise, but big industry that creates more pollution or that harms the ecosystem must be avoided. In this vein, he launched the Rahim Green Solution in August, a for-profit, solar business. The offerings will comprise solar panels, solar lighting and solar water-heating systems. Besides helping the environment, Bhat says, the aim also is to create jobs.

The lines between CEO, entrepreneur and conservationist begin to blur. Bhat unveils his long-term vision: "I want to go into the pollution-free business. My dream is to make a car from solar." That might sound farfetched given the restrictions that come with the context of living in a conflict zone. But Bhat is already taking his cause to the international stage: He has been invited to the Asia-Pacific Climate Change Adaptation Forum 2011 at the United Nations Conference Centre in Bangkok in October; then he's also off to conferences in Korea and Colombia on international volunteering, and later to the U.K. for another climate change meeting.

Bhat has got places to go. And, just in case you fail to take note, he'll point out that he's got his running shoes on.

Closing the Loophole

The Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) reacts to Muzaffar's complaint

(Dr. Raja Muzaffar Bhat, 36, was born in Wathoora village in the Budgam district and matriculated from Tyndale Biscoe Memorial High School in 1993. He completed his Bachelor's degree in Dental Surgery from from the Karnatka University in 2000. He has a private dental practice in Chandoora and is a social activist dedicated to educating public on the Right To Information (RTI) legislation. He is the Convener of the J&K RTI Movement and associated with the Commonwealth Human Rights Intitiative (CHRI) office in New Delhi.)

Make IAS, KAS officers’ assets public: CIC to Govt

Faheem Aslam (Greater Kashmir)

Srinagar: In a significant decision, the Chief Information Commissioner of Jammu and Kashmir GR Sufi has directed the state government to put the details assets of the Indian Administrative Service and Kashmir Administrative Service officers on website within 15 days.

Disposing off a complaint filed by Dr Raja Muzaffar Bhat against the General Administration Department, the CIC ruled that the “commission holds that they [GAD] should hoist such immovable property details of officers which are owned and acquired by them out of their own sources of income on government website.”

However, the CIC said, the assets “which are owned by their family members or spouses out of their own sources and Stree Dhan need not to be hoisted on the website because IAS officers have not done the same.”

“The commission has already informed the First Appellate Authority of the GAD about this decision,” the CIC’s judgment in the case reads.

While some of the KAS officers had objected to the declaration of assets citing “security scenario in J&K”, the CIC set aside the argument saying “the commission is constrained to observe that there is no express prohibition in the Act in this regard. The worthy IAS officers are at times performing more important functions and responsibilities with regard to law and order and security problems and they are obviously in senior positions than KAS officers. However the Commission is also conscious of the fact that the IAS officers have hoisted only immovable property returns of All India and Central Services Rules. On the principle of equity, the same principle should be applied to the KAS officers.”

THIRD PARTY OPINION
The State’s Chief Information Commissioner had earlier come under sharp criticism of observers on seeking “third party opinion” on the issue. The CIC had observed that Section 11 of the J&K Right to Information Act of 2009 was involved in the issue. But some of the RTI activists clearly differed on the assertion, arguing that the matter could be resolved in ‘much simpler ways.’

Section 11 of the RTI Act envisages that where a Public Information Officer intends to disclose any information or record, or part thereof, on request made under the Act, which relates to or has been supplied by a third party and has been treated as confidential by that third party, the PIO shall within five days from the receipt of the request, give a written notice to such third party to make a submission in writing or orally regarding whether the information should be disclosed. “As such the submission of the third party shall be kept in view while taking a decision about the disclosure of information,” the Section mentions.

GAD had issued the notice in July, inviting objections from all J&K cadre IAS/KAS officers [third party in this case] on whether the information regarding their property statements should be disclosed to the appellant, Dr Muzaffar Bhat, or not.

The CIC judgment in the case says the First Appellate Authority [FAA] did comply with the directions. “He did ask for the objections, if any, from all the IAS/KAS officers of the state. As per the FAA only some of the KAS/IAS officers gave objections within the prescribed time. It is important to note that the FAA has confirmed that some officers have not raised any objections for any such disclosure,” the judgment reads. “The FAA has agreed with few officers who have objected to the disclosure of information on the please that it amounts to invasion of privacy and would expose the officers to all sorts of risks by endangering their lives. Besides, the FAA says the disclosure of information is not going to serve the larger public interest and has no relation to the public activity.”

An officer has argued before the GAD that “we are the field officers and due to the prevailing law and order situation our property at times becomes targets for attack. Sharing such information without any cogent reason or specific purpose is against the mandate of law and purpose of the Act. Once this information is shared, there is every apprehension that the properties of officers will get targeted due to law and order problems.”

Another officer has argued that “there have been good number of cases in the country where children of high profile private sector executives have been kidnapped for ransom. Even some private sector employees drawing huge salaries also expressed their reservations to media regarding disclosure of their income as it has security implications. The security situation in J&K continues to be fragile and majority of employees do not have the security cover especially to their families. So the sharing of information can become a big threat from criminals.”

CIC DIFFERS
The Chief Information Commissioner has however ruled that with regard to the first FAA contention that the supply of information would not serve larger public interest, the commission “is of the considered opinion that this contention is not correct.” “The very concept of public servant implies that the Government servant has to serve in and for the interest of public at large in a system that we have under the constitution of India and the constitution of the state. Hence if assets acquired and obtained by public servants out of their own funds, which flow from the government exchequer, an argument is rightly made that the public have interest to know the details of assets acquired through public funds,” the CIC ruled.

He says the concept has been widely elaborated in a Madras High Court judgment which reads: “It is now widely recognized that openness and accessibility by the people to information is a vital component of democracy.”

With regard to objections by IAS/KAS officers that details of assets falls in the ‘personal information’ category, the CIC has ruled that the Madras High Court judgment says “the information relating to assets declaration of IAS officers cannot be said to be an information which cannot be accessed by the a public authority. As those informations are either not more confidential or private informations.”

“The Madras High Court has noted that as the details of assets of IAS officers have been hoisted on website, therefore privacy clause no more holds good,” the CIC has ruled.

ANOTHER LIMB
With regard to another limb of Bhat’s complaint that how many IAS/KAS officers have not submitted their annual property statements since last 10 years, the CIC has ruled that “it is surprising that even this information was denied by the PIO and FAS without any cogent and convincing reasons.”

“Such information also be hosted on website of GAD. And compliance to this judgment be made within 15 days of its issuance,” the CIC has ruled.

Drug Addiction in Kashmir

Zubair grapples with a burning social issue in the valley

(Mr. Mir Zubair Rashid is a Counselor, PRC, University of Kashmir, and member CAUSE (Concerned About Universal Social Empowerment), a professional social workers group working for drug free Jammu and Kashmir.)


The Business of Drug Addiction in Kashmir

The political upheaval in our state has been the most prominent factor in triggering an explosion in the drug abuse. The continuous sense of insecurity and threat to life and property resulted in the emotional instability of the population in general, and of youth in particular. With partial or complete sense of frustration, the Kashmiri youth are luring to the abuse of drug addiction, as an attempt to escape from the harsh realities of life. Drug abuse poses a great threat to the humanity. The drug trafficking and abuse leads to various types of violence and criminalities which include several political and economic dislocations. It seriously affects the sociopolitical order and economic security of many states. It also encourages corruption in states where public earning is low and unemployment is rising.

Our Kashmiri society is falling prey to this social evil. The two-decade-long conflict has begun to show its negative impact. Prescription-drug addiction, which sometime back was alien to Kashmir, has now become embedded in the Kashmiri society. Benzodiazepine, Korex, Alprax are the most commonly used drugs followed by the traditional Cannabis (Charas), Opium, Brown Sugar and Alcohol addiction.

Even though it has become an open wound, people are not willing to share information about their near and dear ones falling into this trap. Ethical issues to the treatment of a person with drug abuse are not the same as in the treatment of any other disease. While getting into the trap is very easy, the process of getting out of it is painful. There are few drug De-addiction centers in Kashmir and that too not having enough capacity.

Reasons For Rise In Drug Addiction In Kashmir:
• Socio-political disturbances
• Free availability of drugs
• Stress of growing up, failing exams, failed love relationships
• Lack of parental guidance
• To escape from harsh realities of life
• Bad company
• Too much pocket money
• Myths about drugs causing happiness, no harm, no addiction etc.

Broken homes, unhealthy parental attitudes, increasing behavioral disorders, and a desire for temporary excitement with friends may lure people to experiment with drugs. Socio political disturbance, un-employment and poverty are the grave problems in this province which are also the causes of drug abuse Now the production, trafficking and consumption have reached to peak with the availability of all types of drugs from street peddlers, vegetable and fruit sellers, tea shops, gyms, in fact from anywhere or any place depending upon the demand. No amount of checks by the enforcement agencies could dismantle the supply network which is facilitated by mobile phones etc.

Dangerous methods for using these drugs ranging from tablets, syrups, powders, creams, injections, inhalations have developed along with the increase of abuse and there is also increase of problems. The HIV, AIDS, Infective Hepatitis, among the intravenous drug users and their changing style in relation to their high risk behavior and its severe consequences.

Kashmir is heading towards the situation were we will have drugs as the back bone of our economy, like some of the countries are having. Even today we a have good number of families whose sources of income is drug trafficking. Cultivation has moved for south to north Kashmir and other parts of Kashmir as well, a good economic source. Cultivation of poppy and cannabis has led to many other industries, like cricket Bat industry, fruit industry. “poppy and cannabis fetch us more money than any other crop, so we are cultivating it. I have also suggested it to my friend from north Kashmir”, said by a cultivator from south Kashmir.

Not only cultivation but medicinal or prescribed drug companies are doing good business in Kashmir. They are earning like anything in Kashmir and no body is to object? What for we need these medicines in such a quantity every time? Why are they easily available? Even those drugs which are only allowed in Operation Theater are easily available. It is a matter of business and not a matter of concern!!!

Drug Policy Falls Short

Dr. Ishaq points shortcomings in the 2009 draft

(Dr. Geer Mohammad Ishaq teaches at the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Kashmir, and has written this article on behalf of Civil Society Forum that has been pressing for effective implementation of a drug policy in the state)


Flaws in J&K Draft Drug Policy

After years of advocacy and lobbying by various civil society and professional groups, Ministry of Health, Government of J&K framed a draft drug policy in the year 2009, published it in local newspapers and placed it on the ministry website for comments and review. Even though a couple of years have passed since then, promulgation and effective implementation still eludes a robust and comprehensive drug policy in this state. Per se the draft looks quite elaborate but there are several areas of crucial importance that have been left unattended. Almost all major issues of serious public concern that inter alia include sale of spurious and sub-standard drugs, menace of drug addiction, unethical drug promotion practices of pharmaceutical companies, unethical drug prescribing practices of some unscrupulous doctors, sale of drugs by licensed but unqualified pharmacists have been completely ignored in the draft. It seems that all stake-holders, experts and professionals in the field have not been consulted before framing the draft policy. Therefore in the light of the huge impact of these missing vital policy inputs, it becomes mandatory to revisit the draft, consult all relevant sections of the society and address these flaws in the draft in right earnest before a final shape is given to the proposed policy so that the health and welfare of common masses do not get jeopardized in any manner whatsoever.

First and foremost, proposed draft drug policy of the J&K government does not lay out any standards of quality that the drugs purchased by the health department have to comply with. Standards of quality and purity of drugs have to be in accordance with Indian Pharmacopoeia, 2010 and National Formulary, 2010. This is a technical hitch in the draft with far-fetched legal ramifications. Draft policy just mentions that the drugs will be centrally procured by J&K Medical Sales Corporation but does not put forth any broad policy framework before the proposed corporation as required for tendering, supplier selection, pre-qualification, post-qualification, quality assurance etc. This can pave way for gratification practices and bending of rules to one’s illegitimate advantages. No Drug Recall Policy has been specified in the draft that can cause severe financial losses to the state besides leading to over-stocking of useless medicines. Recalls are actions taken by a firm to remove a product from the market on a firm’s own initiative, by FDA request, or by an FDA order under statutory authority.

Draft policy of the state govt. does not put forth any policy parameters required to curb the menace of spurious drugs or on the need for introducing WHO-IMPACT approved anti-counterfeiting technologies in the drug procurement system. There is no mention of constituting legal and intelligence cells for speedy culmination of prosecutions and busting of fake drug rackets respectively. There is also a dire need to conduct a comprehensive statewide survey on spurious drug trade wherein large number of samples need to be lifted from every nook and corner of the state to arrive at a firm conclusion about the magnitude of this problem prevalent in the state. There is no roadmap for countering the menace of drug abuse/addiction. Even though this draft is not meant to cover narcotic drugs that fall under the purview of Excise Department, yet abuse of prescription drugs and psychotropic substances has to be tackled in this draft. This aspect too has been blatantly neglected in the draft. Drug licenses for selling Schedule X drugs have to be limited only to those retailers with spotless track- record in dealing with such drugs. There is no clarity in the draft as to how drug price control mechanism will function when the available field staff, the drug inspectors, are not authorized to take action in cases of overcharging on drugs; since as required under law, they are not notified under Essential Commodities Act because they fall under non-gazetted cadre at present.

There is no policy outlined in the govt. draft for licensing, monitoring, regulation and control of drugs belonging to Indian System of Medicines in absence of which anybody can carry on with illegal business of such drugs with impunity. Therefore provisions relating to AYUSH drugs as provided under Chapter-IV A of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 need to be enforced through the drug policy and adequate powers need to be delegated to the inspectorate staff. Need for having Drug Inspectors at block level in the state instead of district level, as is presently in vogue, for greater and effective control and vigil has not been emphasized in the draft. Draft talks about Quality Control system but fails to outline the importance of a comprehensive Quality Assurance System that includes perpetual surveillance besides testing and includes not only technical activities but managerial aspects too.

Govt. draft mentions about developing human resource in pharmaceutical science but how is that possible in absence of central Pharmacy Act and in absence of any Education Regulations within J&K Pharmacy Act. In absence of pharmacy education regulations anybody can run a pharmacy college without following any rules and anybody can enter this profession without earning a legal qualification. Draft drug policy makes no mention of the J&K State Pharmacy Council whose constitution and functioning has been kept restricted and not all-inclusive. There is no representation from academia, hospitals or drug industry in the Council. It hasn’t framed its executive committee even after more than a decade of its constitution. Council is responsible for mushroom growth of drug stores along the length and breadth of the state that are sans qualified pharmacists by offering a never ending process of registration under J&K Pharmacy Act. No minimum qualification required for the issuance of drug licences in the state has been specified in the draft policy since at present any Tom, Dick and Hary can get a licence by first registering himself as a pharmacist with the J&K Pharmacy Council merely on experience basis. Draft lays down no roadmap for providing life-saving medicines free of cost to poor patients living below the poverty line by strengthening and implementing Rashtriya Swastha Bhima Yogna and by constituting State/District Illness Assistance Fund, District Drug Banks and Revolving Funds for BPL families. Annual testing load and average testing time of the drug testing laboratories shall have to be fixed for greater accountability. Draft drug policy while emphasizing upon involving private sector laboratories in ensuring quality of drugs in the state, does not spell out the importance of getting such private testing laboratories approved by CDSCO, in absence of which their test reports will not be held valid by the court of law.

There is no policy spelled out in the govt. draft for disposal of expired and unwanted drugs which has of late proved to be a grave environmental concern worldwide owing to their potential to pollute underground water reserves and return back to our systems. Draft policy does not lay down any policy for establishing in-house Quality Control cells within hospitals and providing clinical pharmacy and pharmaceutical care services to patients there with a view to maximize clinical outcomes of drugs. Draft drug policy does not specify minimum drug budget requirements of the state nor does it fix a minimum per capita per annum expenditure on drugs out of the total hospital budgets. Draft drug policy is silent about the provisions of Drugs and Cosmetics Act dealing with regulatory control over sale, storage and distribution of Cosmetics since lack of any regulatory control has led to the flooding of markets with cosmetic products that are either spurious or are not of standard quality.

Draft policy does not emphasize upon the need to have a robust system for reporting and recording quality problems at various sites throughout the year. No pre-qualification criteria to be met by the drug suppliers has been outlined in the draft policy that leaves room for wrongful selection of suppliers during tendering process. Other criteria for vendor selection like their ORG rankings, GMP standards, market standing, annual turnover etc have also not been specified in the draft. It does not specify whether drugs will be procured by the J&K Medical Sales Corporation directly from the manufacturers for cost-effectiveness or otherwise. Importance of pre and post-shipment analysis/testing of drug consignments has not been emphasized upon in the draft. Apart from drug advertising, rational drug marketing practices too need to be adopted in the draft policy. All drug promotional practices of pharmaceutical companies have to be in accordance with 2010 amendments of the MCI code of Medical Ethics (professional conduct, etiquette and ethics) Regulations, 2002 and the prescribers have to adhere to these guidelines in letter and spirit. Drug Policy must ensure rational prescribing practices by doctors, rational dispensing practices by pharmacists and rational use of medicines by the consumers in an integrated and seamless manner. Civil Society Forum Kashmir, that has been knocking at every door to get these flaws in the draft drug policy rectified, is of the firm belief that the draft needs to be reframed after a thorough revision and a robust and comprehensive drug policy needs to be implemented in the state as soon as possible.

J&K Census 2011

Population zooms up by 23% in the last decade. Two reports on the Census figures

J&K’s population reaches 1,25,48,926

Srinagar: Informing about the population trends in rural and urban areas of Jammu and Kashmir, second part of the Census 2011 is indicative of growing urbanization in the state, and Srinagar city being the highest urbanized district.

There has been a shift in occupational pattern of people in the face of increased urbanization in the state in last decade, the Census reveals.

The percentage of urban population in the state has increased from 24.81 in 2001 to 27.21 in 2011 census, Director Census Operations, Jammu and Kashmir, Farooq Ahmad Factoo told reporters here while sharing the findings of the Census 2011.

Srinagar, with 12,34,245 people tops the 22 districts in the urban population. It also has the lowest number of rural population with only 15,928 people.

Jammu follows on the second number with 7,57,829 urban population and Anantnag is at third number with 2,78,512 urban people.

The largest rural population is found in the Baramulla district of north Kashmir with 8,40,948 people living in villages followed by Anantnag district of south Kashmir with 7,91,237and Kupwara with 7,76,332 rural populations.

Ramban has the lowest number of urban population with 11,786 people living in the towns. Kargil has 12,753 people living in urban areas.

The number of districts has gone up to 22 from 14, while as number of sub-districts has increased from 59 to 82; number of towns has spiraled to 122 from 79, and number of villages has gone down from 6552 in 2001 census to 6551 in 2011 census, Factoo informed while sharing the findings of the Census 2011.

He also informed that the number of uninhabited villages in the state is 234.
The total population of the state is 1,25,48,926 in which 91,34,820 is rural while 34,14,106 is urban population.

Kashmir Valley has a population of 69.08 lakh while Jammu division has 53.50 lakhs, and Ladakh region accounts for 2.90 lakh population of the state, Factoo informed.
The literacy rate in the state has increased from 55 percent in 2001 Census to 68 percent in the 2011 Census, Director Census said, adding that while state has total literacy rate of 68.74 percent, it is 64.97 and 78.19 percent in rural and urban areas respectively.

The literacy rate among the men is 78.26 percent and among female folk it is 58.01 percent. Literacy rate in rural males is 75.51 percent in urban males it is 84.90; similarly among the rural females literacy rate is 53.36 percent and urban female literacy rate is 70.19 percent, the census data reveals.

The total population in the 0-6 age group is 20,08,642 which is 16.01 percent of total population of the state.

The population in 0-6 age group in rural areas is 15,96,076 while in urban areas it is 4,12,566. The total number of male population in the 0-6 age group is 10,80,662 while as female count in this age group is 9,27,980.

The over-all sex ratio (females per thousand males) in the state is 859; in rural and urban areas it is 850 and 854 respectively.

The sex ratio in the rural areas has shown a downward spiral from 917 in 2001 to 899 in 2011. However, the sex ratio in the urban areas has shown an increase from 819 in 2001 to 840 in 2011.

Leh district in Ladakh region has a shocking sex ratio of just 583, which is a massive drop of 240 from the 2001 census.

Considering the sex ratio, Leh district is ranked 22nd in as many districts in the state. Nearby Kargil district is one rank ahead at 21st position with a ratio of 775, down 62 from 2001 Census.

Kulgam and Shopian districts in south Kashmir have the highest sex ratio of 951, which is 11 more than the national average.

The overall sex ratio in the state caused alarm when it was revealed that number has fallen from 892 to 883 in last 10 years.

Factoo also conceded that the data regarding the sex ratio was a cause of worry as numbers had fallen to the level of 1901.

Joint Director Census, C S Saproo was also present on the occasion.

Sapru also expressed concern about the declining sex ratio (0-6) years in the state, especially in Kashmir Valley. He said the sex ratio in Kupwara district has fallen to 854 from 1221 in 2001 census. Likewise, in Budgam district, the child sex ratio has dropped to 832 as compared to 1004 in 2001.


Census 2011

Srinagar: The provisional population census report reveals 23.71 per cent increase in the population of the state; increase in literacy rate to 68.74; and the decrease in sex ratio from nearly 892 in 2001 to 883 at present.

According to the report released by Director Census Operations Farooq Faktoo this afternoon, the population of the state has increased by 2, 405, 226 persons to 1, 254, 8926—an increase of 23.71 per cent since the 2001 census. It includes 66, 65, 561 men and 58, 83, 365 women with the former having recorded a decadal growth of 24.34 percent and the latter marginally behind at 23.01 per cent.

Jammu district, as revealed by the census, continues to be the most populated district in the state followed by Srinagar and Anantnag. Jammu has a population of around 15, 26,406 while that of Srinagar is 12, 50,173.

Kargil in Kashmir division has, however, emerged as the district with least population. Its population has been recorded at 1, 43, 388.

The figures also reveal that urbanisation has picked up in the past decade. Since 2001, the rural population has shown a growth of 19.77 per cent while the urban populace has increased by 35.66 per cent.

Correspondingly, the percentage of urban populace in the overall population
has increased from 24.81 percent to 27.21. The highest urban population
is in Srinagar district followed by Jammu and Anantnag. Ramban and Kargil have the least urban population.

The highest rural population has been recorded in Baramulla in North Kashmir followed by Anantnag in South. Srinagar, however, has the least rural population.

The report, however, yet again reveals a decline in the state’s sex ratio. According
to the report the state has 883 females per 1000 males, which is significantly
lesser than in 2001.

The state, according to joint director Chander Sapru, is lagging behind Himachal Pradesh in terms of sex ratio.

“Our figures are worse than that of Himachal Pradesh. We are only ahead of Punjab and Haryana,” the joint director, Chander Sapru, told reporters during his presentation.
The decline in the sex ratio generated a serious debate immediately after the release of the first paper of the 2011 census. The separatists as well as civil society members vehemently condemned female foeticide, which was seen as the reason for decline in the ratio.

The report, however, shows the rural districts with slightly better figures than the urban ones.

The sex ratio for rural districts is 899 while that of the urban areas is only 840. The districts that have recoded the best sex ratio figures are Shopian and Kulgam. Both the south Kashmir districts have 951 females per 1000 males.
Srinagar falls at the tenth number with only 878 females per 1000 males. Jammu has 871 females per 1000 males.

The worst sex ration has been recorded in Leh and Kargil, which, however has been traditionally low. The former has a sex ratio of 583 while the latter is slightly better with 775 females per 1000 males.

The state, according to the census report, has a standing child (0 to 6 years) population of 2, 008,642, which includes 1, 080, 662 male and 9, 279, 80 female children.

The child population has underwent an increase of 35.19 per cent since 2001, reveals the report. The number of boys has increased by 41.19 per cent while the increase in case of females is just 28.81 per cent. District Kupwara has the highest child population (1, 96, 983) and Kargil (20, 407) has the least.

Presently, children comprise 16.01 per cent of the total population, which is nearly two per cent better than 14.28 percent in 2001.

The child sex ratio has also come down from 941 in 2001 to 859. Kargil has the best child sex ration, 978, while Samba has the worst, 787.

The state’s literacy rate has witnessed an increase in the literacy rate in the past decade. From 55.52 in 2001, the literacy rate has increased during the decade to 68.74. The increase is seen in both male and female literacy rates. While the former has increased to around 78.26 the latter has a literacy rate recorded at 58.01.

Notably, the rural areas have shown a significant growth in the literacy rate from 49.78 to 64.97 while the urban areas have shown only marginal increase from 71.92 to 78.19. However, Jammu district has recorded the highest literacy rate.

While responding to the queries the director revealed that the number of uninhabited villages in the state has decreased from 281 to 234.

Pertinently the number of districts in the state has in the past decade increased to 22 while the number of sub-districts has increased to 82. The number of towns has increased by 37 while the number of village has gone down by 101.

Leading the Way

Aditi finds a determined group of ordinary citizens, who happen to be all women, determined to exercise their right yo vote (This is a dated story that was written before the Panchayat elections in J&K.)


(Ms. Aditi Bhaduri's bio sketch is available from the webmaster.)


Fair Resurgence in Kashmir

As I left the main road, all roads disappeared. There was nothing but dirt tracks that had turned slushy because of the recent rains. Baki Aker village in Handwara, Kupwara district, is only a two-hour drive from Srinagar but it seemed to inhabit another planet, with puddles in place of footpaths and electricity available for at most an hour per day.

I had come here to meet a special woman. At first glance, Sharifa Begum, 33, looked like any other Kashmiri village woman. Dressed in a khaki green phiran, a kangri close to her chest and the dupatta framing her face, she welcomed me warmly. She was one of the many brave women contesting the first panchayat polls held in the valley in more than a decade.

Sharifa decided to contest the polls, taking advantage of the 73rd amendment to the constitution, that mandates 33 percent reservation for women in local bodies, and she is doing this in difficult, conflict-marked times. Indeed, a couple of houses away lies the debris of a house that was blown apart a few months ago in an encounter between the security forces and a militant. More recently, just two days before I visited Sharifa, a letter had arrived at the local mosque during Friday prayers in the nearby Gulina village, asking the villagers to boycott the polls. And, there were many villagers too with hardened attitudes who wanted everybody to boycott the polls.

A mother of two small children, Sharifa, who has studied till Class X in this village is married to a cloth shop owner. She is well known in the village, having often counselled young girls on domestic matters. When I asked what motivated her to stand for elections, she explained that when she had voted for the first time in her life during the 2008 assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, she had liked the fact that her vote mattered. So when panchayat elections were announced this time, she was thrilled to know that she could be a candidate herself.

Her husband also encouraged her, as did the villagers when she began campaigning from house to house. Since most of the household heads are male, her husband accompanied her and did his bit to convince the men about his wife’s candidature. I asked her whether being a housewife left her unprepared for her role as a public figure. Sharifa answered slowly, “I am mentally prepared. I know my community well and we will sit together and make decisions on what needs to be done.”

It is fitting that Baki Aker village has been reserved for women. It has 150 voters, the majority of whom are women. While Kashmir has a number of high-profile women politicians, women’s political participation in the valley is still low. As Sharifa put it, “Women here will be able to approach a woman leader more easily with their particular problems. They cannot discuss everything with men.”

Sharifa’s opponent is Parveena Begum, who is in her early 50s. When Parveena campaigned, it was her husband, Peer Abdur Rasheed, who did most of the talking. He explained that Parveena had always wanted to “do something for the poor” and that’s why she decided to contest. Is Parveena not intimidated by the boycott calls, I asked. He immediately piped up, saying that local elections have nothing to do with politics. “We are not going to Delhi. We only want to improve the lot of the village,” Rasheed said.

In neighbouring Dudipora village, I met another candidate, Hasina Begum, 30, wife of Bashir Ahmed Mallik, a fruit vendor. The couple has three children. Hasina was supported not only by her husband and brother-in-law but also her mother-in-law. As the older lady put it, “We encouraged her to contest. Someone in the village has to become the local leader, after all. I am sure my daughter-in-law will do justice if elected.”

Who will do Hasina’s chores when she has to go out to attend meetings, and look after other matters, should she win? “We will. I have another daughter-in-law who can help,” chirped Hasina’s mother-in-law. What about her husband, I asked. “No,” she replied with a smile, “Men do not do housework in our culture.” Some things never change, it seems.

At a short distance was Rosie Begum’s home. Slight of frame, Rosie, 25, was all ready to take on Hasina for the reserved seat of Dudipora. Her husband is a driver for a local businessman and she has two children, aged five and three. Rosie has studied up to Class VIII and been twice to Srinagar.

What motivated her to contest the elections, given that she has had no prior experience, and that there had been boycott calls? Rosie dismissed these queries, but confessed that her husband is an activist with the People’s Democratic Party, and his colleagues were keen that she contested. Rosie claimed to be confident of securing 80 percent of the 200 votes expected to be cast in Dudipora.

Rosie had grown up in another village but moved to Dudipora six years ago after her marriage. She has since come to love the village. “There are no footpaths, no electricity and many of the men are unemployed,” she stated. She advised people to use their vote carefully to ensure genuine improvement.

Village after village in the valley cries for change. Unemployment is high among the youth, there is no electricity to speak of, and neither are there roads and toilets. Schools and health centres are substandard, and central schemes for rural welfare remain unimplemented. Added to that is the overriding cost of the ongoing conflict. Immediately after polling began in these panchayat elections, a woman candidate from Pakherpora in Budgam district was gunned down. With that a shroud of fear seemed to descend, causing many candidates to withdraw their nominations.

This makes the courage and determination of illiterate homemaker, Zeba Begum, 46, from Zuhama village, also in Budgam district, all the more commendable. Zeba, a mother of four, fought for one of the two seats reserved for women in this block despite the fear unleashed by potential assassins. Zeba has instinctively understood what women’s empowerment is about. As a member of a village self-help group for years, she engaged in crewel work and earned additional income, which translated into an increased clout within the family.

With some encouragement from her husband and the village committee, she jumped into the fray and filed her nomination. She was glad that there is reservation for women, so people like her have a chance to participate in politics. As she put it, “Women’s quotas have at least helped us become visible and make our problems known. The women here will get someone to talk to without embarrassment or fear. They can approach me in a way that they will never be able to approach a male panch.”

Like the others, Zeba too wants to “help the poor” and battle unemployment. She would also like to build proper roads and footpaths, and a place for the children to play in. The fact that another woman had to pay with her life for contesting the elections did not deter her. “Life and death are in god’s hands, and are not dependent on contesting elections. We are fed up of the violence, of the marginalisation of our people. We want change,” she said.

Zeba Begum, Sharifa Begum, Parveena Begum, Hasina Begum, Rosie Begum – they are all semi-literate ordinary village women, without any security cover, who are facing extraordinary dangers in order to transform the lives of others. They have become the face of a new Kashmir impatient for change.

Disposing Srinagar's Solid Waste

Ashraf treads where few have in the past - analyzing and evaluating the problem and potential solutions to solid waste generated in the Greater Srinagar area

(Mr. Mohammad Ashraf Fazili, 68, was born in Srinagar. He received his early schooling from the Government Middle School, Nowhatta, Srinagar, and from M.P. High School, Baghi Dilawar Khan in Srinagar. Mr. Fazili completed his F.Sc. from the Sri Pratap College in Srinagar, and received his Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering from the Annamalai University with honours grade. He joined the J&K government service upon graduation and steadily rose up the ranks to the position of Chief Engineer at his retirement. He managed a number of important infrastructure projects during his government service, including the Model Town Chrar-i-Sharif, Lower Jhelum Hydro Electric Project, Solid Waste Disposal Scheme Srinagar City, Circular Road Project Srinagar City, etc. He has numerous publications to his credit, including Srinagar the Sun City, Our Ancestors and Saints of Kashmir, etc., which were presented in seminar and symposia. He writes for various journals and is presently working on the Jhelum Valley Civilization.)


Solid Waste Management of Greater Srinagar City Lost in Records

Solid waste is the term used internationally to describe non-liquid waste material arising from domestic, commercial, industrial, agricultural and mining activities, and from public services. These include materials such as food waste, discarded packaging and other materials in the form of paper, metals, plastic or glass, leather, discarded clothing and furnishings, garden wastes, construction wastes, which are daily generated in homes, farms, factories and other establishments.

The total solid waste generated in 2000 AD in the Srinagar Town, including those from the fruit and vegetable market, would be about 550 tons/day i.e. about 0.5 kg/head/day. (In 2020 A.D it shall be about 880 tons/day).

The Urban Environment Engineering Department (UEED) engaged Delhi based Universal Environsience as consultants in 1981 for preparation of feasibility report on solid waste management of Greater Srinagar City that made the following recommendations besides suggesting improvement to the then existing collecting and transporting system.

The chemical analysis report revealed that the solid waste of Srinagar is amenable to composting as it contains appreciable amount of organic matter and that C/N ratio is within the desirable limits of 20:1 to 35:1.

The guiding approach for solid waste disposal should be to segregate as much as possible the reusable materials from the solid waste to be followed by the under mentioned methods of disposal as is the practice in other cities like Delhi etc.

I. Maximum possible quantity (which is readily decomposable) is to be disposed off by composting . This would involve construction of compost plant on Delhi pattern at Okhla.
II. The fraction which is hardly decomposable or inert is to be disposed off by sanitary land-fill.
III. The minimum necessary fraction like hospital waste is to be incinerated.
IV. In the congested areas of the city a separate system of night soil disposal to produce manure and also bio-gas need to be adopted, on the similar pattern as in the city of Tokyo (having same latitude and similar climatic conditions as Srinagar), which is having an effective system of collection, transportation of night soil and treatment and disposal in night soil digesters.
Besides, where space permits low cost pit type flush latrine could be popularized which has changed many towns/cities into clean ones? The experiment of Sulabh International for construction/maintenance of even community type latrines has proved to be success on pay-and-use-basis. This has been adopted by 21 UNDP countries.
V. Keep at least 200 meters distance on the banks of river Jhelum and lake fronts free from littering by introducing necessary prohibitive civic regulations (like the one that exists in Singapore). Violators of such regulation may be made to pay heavy penalty. This would immensely help to keep the city water front clean.
VI. For preventing water pollution caused by discharge of various solid wastes including night soil from the house boats and Donga boats, the following methods are recommended:
a) built in digester plant for such individual house boats (like Clovis digester developed in Sweden).
b) Providing two suitably placed containers, one each for garbage and night soil in each boat with the provision of regular collection of wastes by a scavenger boat for safe dry disposal at selected disposal site(s).
c) Providing collective water carrying system for the night soil of the boats and installation of treatment facility(s) in the land nearest to the boats before its disposal.

Alternative (b) was recommended feasible in the context of present arrangement and location of house boat and Donga boats in the lakes and river Jehlum and also due to practical constraints of rear arrangement/modification of the boats and non-availability of land area near the boat.

Kitchen waste could be converted into compost by digging underground pits of size 1M x 1M x 1. 5M duly covered with a wooden lid in which alternate layer of decomposable waste duly covered with a little lime and earth could be deposited. This compost can be used for Kitchen garden, where space permits.

Solid waste collection system could be improved by providing two plastic containers in each home with decomposable bags, in which decomposable and non- decomposable waste would be stored separately and carried away along with the replaceable bag by the service people, who would be paid for the same. This would avoid menace of stinking garbage sheds in the localities.

After exploring various sites it was desired that Syedpora near Idd-Gah may be used for solid waste dumping till the “compost plant” is ready at Waniyar Noorbagh (as an interim arrangement for about five years).

The project was proposed to be implemented in the next five years from 1981 with a capital expenditure of Rs. 5.00 crores, and it was expected that the Srinagar Municipality would be in a position to develop the required management infrastructure in a phased manner., which could be delineated after necessary schemes, designs and other components of the solid waste management system were worked out in the 2nd stage of the scope of the consultancy work.

The final project report may be available from UEED, SMC or Delhi based consultants M/S Universal Enviroscience (Pvt. Ltd.) New Delhi, wherefrom the thread could be picked up by Srinagar Municipality for implementation of the project in the coming years before it is too late. Alternatively consultancy of improved methods of collection and disposal could be obtained from the concerned agencies.

Waiting for the Drug Policy

Where is the State drug policy?


Spurious Medicines Risk Lives


Ishfaq Ahmad Shah (Rising Kashmir)

Srinagar: Despite the draft of the drug policy being ready for almost a year now, it is yet to be placed before the cabinet for review and approval, thanks largely to the lack of consensus between the Health and the Medical Education department over some provisions of the policy.

Meanwhile, in the absence of a drug policy, there is no check on the sale of spurious drugs in the state. The unscrupulous pharmaceutical companies in connivance with some doctors continue to risk the lives of people.

Reviewing the draft drug policy in November last year, Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah had called for the policy to be urgently placed before the cabinet for review and approval. Eight months have passed since then, but the policy seems to be held hostage to the wrangling between the Health and Medical Education department.

According to sources, even as the basic model of the drug policy is ready, the delay in putting it before the cabinet for approval has been due to some reservations of Health and Medical Education department.

“While as the state health department had proposed setting up of Directorate of Procurement, the health and medical education department demands that there should be an independent corporation that will look into the purchase and distribution of drugs,” sources said.

They further said the opposition to setting up of Directorate of Procurement seems to be influenced by the suppliers who don’t want a single systematic set up to regularize distribution and purchase of drugs in the state thereby giving the unscrupulous pharmaceutical companies a free hand to supply sub-standard drugs in the state.

“I am not against framing a drug policy for the state. My only reservation is with the Directorate of Procurement which, as per the draft policy, is supposed to function under the health department,” said Health and Medical Education Minister, R S Chib.

“I want that an independent body or a corporation should be formed instead, which should be kept away from any political interference. Rest I have no issues with the implementation of the policy,” he said.

Responding to Chib’s reservations, Minister for Health, Sham Lal Sharma said, “We have seen so many corporations here and we have also seen their fate. I will do away with Directorate of Procurement, but will work for speedy implementation of the drug policy.”

Speaking in favour of the directorate, Sharma said, “We cannot delay the policy for this single requirement (Directorate of Procurement). However, the directorate would have not only regularized the purchase and supply of drugs, but would have benefitted the state exchequer as well.”

According to sources in the state drug control department, absence of a drug policy has led to mushroom growth of pharmaceutical companies in J&K selling sub-standard drugs.

“Almost 1500 pharmaceutical manufacturing companies from different states of India are operating in the state and most of them sell sub-standard drugs. The absence of drug policy helps them to grow unabatedly,” they said.

Pertinently, according to the official figures, Jammu and Kashmir consumes medicines worth Rs 600 crore every year out of which medicines worth Rs 400 crore are taken in Kashmir valley alone. Besides, about 3000 wholesalers and 5000 medicine retailers operate in the valley. The annual government budget for the purchase of drugs is almost Rs 72 crores.

Among other things, the draft drug policy provides for procurement and supply of essential medicines as per the World Health Organization norms taking into account the health needs of people.

It also aims to provide for an essential drug list, quality assurance, prompt accessibility and availability of drugs at affordable prices, safety and efficiency of medicines, selection of essential medicines, procurement of generic drugs, setting up of Jan Asudhi Drug stores, management of materials and inventory control, sales and storage, quality assurance and regularization, monitoring and promoting rational use of drugs, creation of drug information centers, monitoring of pharma companies and hospital drug stores.

A senior official of the health department, wishing anonymity, said the nexus between the drug suppliers and doctors is a big hurdle in the implementation of the policy in the state.

“The policy favours prescription of drugs on salt names and not on the names of the companies. With a proper drug policy in place, the doctors cannot prescribe drugs of a particular pharmaceutical company which in turn will lessen their chances of receiving favours from the pharma companies,” the official said.

He said the drug policy will check influx of sub-standard drugs into the state and will also regulate functioning of pharmaceutical companies.

“There are only 350 essential drugs that are approved and included in the policy. All other drugs that are present in the market today will be automatically rejected and this is what the suppliers don’t want and they are influencing the approval of this policy,” he added.

Meanwhile, the health minister assured that the policy would be approved soon “despite the hurdles created by certain quarters of vested interests”.

“Suppliers cannot dictate terms to us. For the benefit of people and for the benefit of the overall health care system of the state, the policy will be approved within a month,” Sharma asserted.

Pertinently, the announcement to frame a drug policy for the state was made by the health minister soon after the formation of National Conference-Congress coalition government in J&K in 2009.

According to sources, the work on framing of the policy was started soon after the announcement and experts from World Health Organization, medical fraternity at national level and all the concerned departments from the state including people from Drug Control Department, Health Department and senior officials from both the medical colleges of the state were engaged for the task.

“Almost three years have passed, but nothing has happened,” they complained.

The Missing Child

Sarosh opens a Pandora's Box

(Dr. Sarosh Ahmed Khan, MD, 48, was born in Srinagar. He pursued his initial schooling from the Victoria High School in Bombay (now called Mumbai), and matriculated from the New Era Public School in Srinagar. He completed his pre-medical college degree from the Sri Pratap College, Srinagar, and received his medical degrees (MBBS, MD) from the Government Medical College (GMC), Srinagar. He is a senior consulting physician st the Modern Hospital in Rajbagh, Srinagar. Dr. Khan is the editor-in-chief of the Physicians Academy, an online medical journal, and the Vice President of the Kashmir Academy of Private Physicians. He is actively involved with the "Chotay Taray" Foundation dedicated to educating mentally and physically challenging children. Dr. Khan in his leisure time enjoys cricket, internet and music.)


Female Feticide in Kashmir

In 2009 I was shocked when I was called to see a patient not willing to lactate her child just because the child was a female. Subsequently I saw similar things in my practice and realized that the malaise is deep. The society has started to rot and nobody is bothered.

The pagans in Arabia, before Islam arrived, used to kill the female child by burying her alive. The modern day man kills her in the womb. What is shocking is that the mother (herself a female) is most of the times responsible.

I have numerous cases of elder neglect of parents, especially of mothers by sons. Till the father is alive the situation is slightly better, but deteriorates fast once he dies. It is the same mother who has pampered the sons and almost neglected the daughters. Ironically most of these widows are brought to the hospitals by the daughters! She cries, but it is too late. As if not learning anything from this experience, the cycle gets repeated as the daughter who cares for her, herself again craves for a son. I have half a dozen cases of elder neglect of mothers whose gazetted officer sons take them in a Scorpio to the government office disbursing widow pension. She waits in the queue till evening to get a paltry sum for her expenses for the month.

The statistics of the last decade in Kashmir are disappointing. The Census 2011 shows drop of 82 points in the child sex ratio (ages 0-6) in J&K–from 941 to 859. The headlong decline has been worse in the Valley districts. Pulwama has come down more than 200 points from 1046 to 831, Kupwara to 854 from 1021, Budgam to 832 from 1004, Shopian to 883 from 1011, Kulgam to 882 from 1003 (1).

There are numerous factors contributing to this tragedy:

Social and moral rot. Unaccounted money and lavish spending by these people. Dowry.

J&K the second most corrupt state in India.

No accountability on any front.

Thousands of cases of rape in last two decades. Victims and their parents say no child is better than a girl child.

Adoption of western style two child model for families.

The Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (Regulation & Prevention of Misuse) Act, came into effect in Kashmir as late as 2006, and allows a person to practice ultrasonography after six months of work experience. These inexperienced, less-reputed practitioners are often guilty of indulging in sexselection tests to earn fast money.

No punishment of the guilty. Unabated running of abortion clinics.

Promotion of the so called ‘liberal Islam” where abortion and other illegal activities are considered modern.

Areas like Kupwara, Leh, Kargil, Poonch, Rajouri — among Kashmir’s 11 districts that have witnessed the sharpest drop in sex ratio — are teeming with armed forces (2).

Lightweight, portable ultrasound machines mean tests can be carried out even in the most remote villages. Around 100 scanners had been seized in the initial crackdown (3), but long-term solutions are also needed which would need to be multi-pronged.

Your comments and suggestions are welcome.

References:

1. Kashmir joins the all-India club of female foeticide. FirstPost. 28 June 2011.
http://www.firstpost.com/politics/kashmir-joins-the-all-india-club-of-female-foeticide-32717.html
2. A dream of freedom and the dead girls of Kashmir. The Telegraph June 23 2011.
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1110623/jsp/opinion/story_14136979.jsp
3. Ultrasound scanners seized in bid to save unborn baby girls. Arab Times. 20 May 2011.
http://www.arabtimesonline.com/NewsDetails/tabid/96/smid/414/ArticleID/169375/reftab/96/t/Female-foeticide-rises-in-Kashmir/Default.aspx

Pain and Tragedy Knows No Boundaries

Pervez investigates a terrorist act in Kashmir, and finds that victims are ordinary citizens of various faiths and shades

(Mr. Pervez Majeed Lone, 34, was born in Ashpora, a hamlet located in Handwara Tehsil in the Kupwara District. His primary schooling took place in government schools in his hometown, and he finished his higher secondary education from the Government Higher Secondary School, Kupwara. He graduated from the University of Kashmir as a Continuing Education student with Sociology, Philosophy and English Literature as major subjects. In 2004, he completed his Master's degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Kashmir. He has worked in various local Urdu journals (Chattan, Pukar) and the Radio Kashmir (Sheharbeen) before joining the Sahara Time, a weekly national news magazine from the Sahara Group. He is passionate about the Urdu language and poetry, and loves to listen to music, read English literature and traveling. The following article has appeared previously in the Sahara Time, New Delhi.)


When a Chinar Burnt!

For the 45-year-old Khadija, treading on foot the one kilometer distance from her home in Khuja Yarbal mohalla of Saida Kadal in downtown Srinagar to the shrine of 15th century sufi saint Sultan-ul Arifeen Shaikh Hamza Makhdoomi, Kashmir’s one of the most revered saint, located on the Koh-e-Maraan hill, was like a worship. Like most of other Kashmiris, she was a devout believer of Makhdoom sahab and used to visit the shrine at least twice a week. On September 12, it was a routine spiritual journey for Khadija to the shrine. Despite the hunger and thirst because of fasting, the faithful lady walked to the shrine on that hot sunny day. She was returning her home with shrine’s Tabaruk (blessed eatables, like sweets etc brought from a holy place) for her family, which never reached them. Half a kilometer from her home, an IED blast tattered her body, as well as the dreams of her ‘fatherless’ children! After many efforts, Khadija’s mashed body was retrieved from the crumbled police bus after three hours.

From the busy Lal Chowk-Dargah Hazratbal road, at Saidakadal locality, a road on the left leads to Makhdoom sahab shrine, Govt Psychiatric Hospital and Srinagar Central Jail. On this road triangle is gurdwara Chattipadshahi, the biggest gurdwara of Kashmir valley. One of the branches of this road passes through a residential colony and takes one to Kashmir’s main jail, Srinagar Central Jail. On the fateful day, a police bus of south Kashmir’s Pulwama district was returning after dropping the prisoners at the jail, who had been taken to Pulwama for routine court hearing. At 5:52 pm, the bus, carrying 13 policemen including the driver, had just covered some 400 meters of its 40 km journey, was hit by a powerful IED explosion, which police says was kept in a Maruti-800 car parked on the road. The bus was torn into shreds. All those on board got injured. Two of them died. The lone passerby at that ominous time, Khadija died on spot. One of the seriously inured policemen Ali Muhammad, is battling for his life in a Srinagar hospital.

A day after the blast, as I walked in this area, I felt as if the deafening sound of the blast is still being heard in the area. Shopkeepers and people walking on the roads of this locality which is known as Kathidarwaza, are frightened. I saw anxious CRPF soldirers on this deserted road looking on every passer by with suspicion. The scene at the blast site was still gory. Bus shreds, ashes, burnt tree branches, clots of human blood, foul smell. Windowpanes of a nearby house were broken. Inmates were still traumatized. Some school children were fearfully looking at the scene. Their innocent, terrified faces seemed to be asking some questions.

There couldn’t have been more cruelty by perpetrators in choosing a place for the explosion! A Masjid is some yards away. The sounds of the shattering blast were heard by the devotees at Makhdoom sahab shrine, gurdwara Chattipadshahi and patients in the Psychiatric hospital. It disturbed the meditating devotees and distressed the already uneasy patients. The patch of road here has graveyard on both sides. Human blood spilled around the silent graves. The blast took place under a majestic Chinar tree. Half of the trunk of the 150-year-old Chinar and its branches were half-burnt. A nest of some bird was still tucked on a branch of Chinar. There was no moment seen there. The birds have either died or fled their abode. Chinar, the pride and identity of Kashmir is known for its grandeur and generous cool shade. Like the people of Kashmir, the tree was wailing on its ill-fate!

So did a 70-year-old old woman, who was passing there. “They be damned… they be cursed,” the woman with bent-back mumbled. “How many died,” she asked me. “Three,” I replied. “Ya Allah, they had no mercy in this holy month!” She told me. “People call me Sar Booba, I live in a nearby locality. Why they ravaged three families in this holy month?”

On the right of blast site, a narrow pathway leads to Khadija’s home. She was just to take the right turn from the road when the explosion killed her. I took this way to reach her home. After passing through narrow alleyways, dotted by clusters of houses, I reached her home. Wails of women and children greeted me. Khadija has lived an agonizing life, I was told by her family.

She was married in her locality. Her husband divorced her in 1993. She was provided shelter by her brother Abdul Rahman Bulla were she had been living separately with her children. “She was not a burden on us, she reared her children by making Vagav (mat made from a particular grass) and working on Charkha (spinning wheel),” said Bulla, 50, an auto driver. Khadija has four children, two sons and two daughters. Only one daughter Hanifa is married. “Our mother has lived a traumatic life. Now we were trying to earn and see her happy, but…,” wailed Yasin, 28,Khadija’s elder son, who is a labourer. Because of poverty and a disturbed life,Khadija couldn’t educate her children. Yasin studied up to 9th standard, others are illiterate. Younger daughter Rehana, 18, does needlework on shawls to help the wretched family. Another son Aafaq was working at an auto workshop. “He underwent spinal cord surgery so is unable to work now,” says a dejected Yasin. “Around 4 pm she left for the Makhdoom sahab shrine. As we were about to break fast, somebody told us a woman has also died in the blast, so we went out to search her” said Bulla. “In the hospital a police officer showed us a picture of a woman on his mobile phone. She was Khadija.”

As Bulla and Khadija’s grief-stricken children were talking to me, a young girl came in the room. She peeled off two bananas and affectionately gave them to Yasin and Aafaq. They were reluctant to take, but the girl forced them to eat them.

“What do you say about the explosion,” I asked to Bulla. Before he could reply, the young girl intervened. “We want an inquiry…government should ensure that no family is ravaged as we are…no one should suffer what we have to endure,” the emotional girl said with moist eyes. “Who will inquire, who cares,” Bulla rebuked the girl. “You know what phuphi (aunty) meant to me,” she said and broke down. So did Yasin, Aafaaq, and two kids whom I had not noticed there yet. The hardness of a reporter in me was caving in. I struggled to hold back my tears.

The young girl is Mahira, Bulla’s daughter, a 12th standard student. “Why shouldn’t anybody stop killing of innocents?” a sobbing Rehana asked. Little did the chap know that this is the biggest question of contemporary Kashmir.

As reached back at the Lal Chowk-Dargah Hazratbal road, I saw buses and flashy cars running as usual on the busy road. People are oblivious of what has befallen on a family just yards away from the road. For them, it was just another blast, another killing. For police it is another occurrence. And for the doctors it is yet another trauma patient. This is the tragic paradox of Kashmir.

Same is the story about south Kashmir villages of Pulwama and Kulgam districts were two killed policemen belonged. Sagar Singh was about to retire. He left behind his wife and five children. Three are unmarried. For another deceased cop Rakesh Kumar, 25, a Kashmiri pandit, his parents were searching a bride for him.

Bombs and bullets don’t differentiate religion, class or caste. The latest act of violence killed three people of three religions. But all the three hapless families share one thing in common. Pain and tragedy!