High drug levels in water sources

In Patancheru, Andhra Pradesh, it is reported that world’s highest pharma chemical levels are found in water sources. The levels of antibiotics are in the so-called treated water is so high that patients can be treated by gulping down the water. Many have become immune to the antibiotics, which is very dangerous from the considerations of treatment of actual diseases. The People must be undergoing slow poisoning. This also serves as eye-opener, and other water sources close to industrial areas need to be monitored to ensure water quality.

The incident is so serious that the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) intervened and asked for the detailed report. One is shocked at the level of pollution in the water samples and the inaction of the concerned regulators, environment monitoring agencies and NGOs for so long! It seems to be true that everything can be hushed up in India provided one is prepared to bribe the “right” persons in cash or in kind. Satyam’s multi-million rupees fraud is a good example.

Indian Parliament is concerned about Climate Change

Indian Parliament recently took an important initiative by constituting a Parliamentary Forum on global warming and climate change, with broad-based membership cutting across the party lines. The Forum is expected to seek expert advices from national and international bodies to enhance the quality of debate on the issues concerned with the climate change. The forum will provide the necessary inputs to the policy makers so that the environmental impact from the massive industrialization remains as low as possible. Let the message and the awareness is passed down to the Legislatures at state level, Corporators at City levels and village Panchayats at village levels. All are equally concerned.

Global warming is caused by the “greenhouse effect” of some chemicals, such as carbon dioxide and methane in the environment, generated by human activity. Solar radiation is trapped by these chemicals thus raising the temperature. It is reported that the year 2008 was the eighth warmest year on record. World’s average temperature for 2008 was 0.49 degree C above the 20th Century average of 3.9degree C. The resulting climate changes, such as: forest and crop loss, reduced snowfall accumulations, floods, summer draughts and spread of diseases. It is reported that the incomplete burning of biomass over the years has formed brown haze over the Indian subcontinent, particularly in winter.

What we need today is to bring in greater awareness about the environmental consequences of human activity and do all possible to reduce and control emission of the greenhouse gases and other pollutants into our environment.

Political terrorism

Mumbaites continues to suffer from terrorist’s activities, either from external organizations or from political terrorism carried out by local and national-level political parties throughout the year. Political terrorism is much more ruthless since crime is perpetuated on us by our own people! There are umpteen reasons such as regionalism, language, inter-state border disputes, reservations in education and jobs, etc Politicians can’t be allowed to hold innocent people to ransom. The CEO of the party should be held responsible for the actions of the party workers

Judiciary finally decided to come down heavily on the government for not protecting the common man, who suffers ultimately due to the political crimes. Fast track courts should be set to tackle terrorism activities carried out by the political parties. The video tapes showing the miscreants indulging in arson and looting should be treated as adequate proof of identification to nail the miscreants. The party should be made to deposit a minimum of Rs.1Crore as deposit till the case is heard by the judges. Political parties should be made to pay for the damages caused by the political miscreants. Damaging public property should be treated as a serious offence and made non-bailable for week at least. Media should refuse to give unwanted publicity to the political terrorists.

Share mobile towers- A call to the service providers

Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) has send notices to more than 15 mobile service providers for putting up mobile towers illegally. Some of the towers put up by Reliance and Idea were dismantled. Good move, though it is a little late awakening. The towers are erected on the terraces of buildings without permission from the authorities. The number of the mobile towers has been increasing in residential pockets in Mumbai without any control and concern. The people do not actually know who to approach for redressal.

It is true that a little Radio frequency radiation emitted by the towers is not fatal. Researches so far conducted on the effect on the human body (such as induction of cancers/tumors) of long-term exposure to radio frequency radiation are not showing any conclusive evidence of the health effects. Keeping in mind the uncertainty and the gaps in our knowledge about the health effects of exposure to the RF radiation, it is necessary to control its manufacture and usage (in terms of time /day) through regulation. The mobile towers should not be permitted to be put up in residential areas.

The best option may be to share limited number of towers, allowed to put-up in areas where the population density is less.

Farm loan waiver –Justified?

India government earlier brought out a package of whopping Rs.70,000 as farm loan waiver to curb increased number of suicides among farmers. It was reported that the farmers were in debt and were unable to pay back the loans taken from the banks. It is well known that the suicides were reported by the farmers who were in debt from the village money-lenders, rather than from the banks. The loan waiver was mainly cashed-in by the rich middle men and the bank officials. The actual farmers remained in debt and were unable to pay back the loan due to many reasons, some are self-made, and some are natural. The banks were unable to take such a heavy burden.

Under such circumstance, whether it is justified the loan waiver of Rs.6000 Crore announced again in last December by the Maharashtra Government? No. The money is being diverted from the much needed infrastructure projects! It is just vote-bank politics, and money making technique by the corrupt politicians and their “chelas”. .

Drug companies agree for ethics code

Drug promotional activities, such as doling out expensive gifts and foreign trips to doctors are rampant among the drug companies. This practice existed for years and the doctors over-prescribe these costly medicines to patients. It is felt that the government should intervene to curb this menace legally. The Supreme Court has also directed the government to take steps to control price of essential life saving medicines.

The drug company associations have now agreed to frame a uniform Code of Ethics and promises to ensure its effective enforcement, as a matter of self regulation. But, in India self regulation never worked in the past. The government has set up a group of ministers to formulate the “pharma policy” to control the price of life saving drugs and take stringent action against any drug company which deviates from the code of ethics. Now, how to ensure that the medical doctors also follow certain code of conduct so that the patients get a “fair deal” in medical management.

Governments are too lenient on Satyam?

The way, the government of India and the Andhra Pradesh government is falling-over each other to save Satyam and the fraudsters is really surprising and pointing to involvement of bigger political players in the Rs.7000 Crore fraud. This seems to be only the beginning of more such frauds surfacing in the days to come. Wipro is already in line. The central government continues to subsidize state-owned oil companies incurring loss of thousands of Crore of ruppees to save them from bankruptcy. At this rate, the government will be printing currency notes and go itself “bankrupt” similar to USA, which went on printing dollars to finance the Iraq war and other commitments world-wide. The much appreciated capitalism is going down the drain just because some private players are misusing the system in connivance with the corrupt government and regulatory officials.

Tax payers expect the governments come down heavily on the so-called CEOs and guilty officials immediately so as to build-up the public and client’s confidence in the corporate governance.

Ramalingam Raju’s Satyam

Fraud of the order of Rs.7,000 Crore by Ramalinga Raju of Satyam Computer Services came to light today, devastating the client’s and investor’s confidence in the IT sector in general, and of course Satyam in particular. The books were manipulated and the company almost raising its hands expressing utter hopelessness.

Government of India and the market regulator, SEBI should immediately intervene to sustain the domestic and foreign client’s confidence so that the face of Indian IT sector is not tarnished beyond repair. The government should immediately appoint a non-Satyam CEO, and investigate the fraud committed on the gullible investors by the Company in collusion with the auditors, bankers and the Board members for so long. The suspects in the fraud should be put behind the bars for a while so that they do not run away. The jobs of the employees should be protected.

Doctors are unethically “obliged”

It is well known that the pharmaceutical companies are offering “freebies” to doctors, thus obliging them to prescribe their products. There was a report in the Times of India on the subject. The freebies depend on the quantity of the product prescribed, and it can be as expensive as a “trip abroad for two”, “free travel for conferences”, etc. Naturally, this unnecessary promotional expenditure results in enhanced market price of the drugs which is ultimately passed on to the consumer (a patient). For some undisclosed reasons, the India government is very soft in tackling this unethical practice being “practiced” by the doctors, chemists and the pharma companies. This is unacceptable and unethical marketing practice which should be curbed.

The Indian laws to prevent such malpractices are vague in terms of false assurances by the stakeholders of self-regulation and medical ethics. The two concerned organizations, viz., Indian Drug Manufacturers Association (IDMA) and Organization of Pharmaceutical Products of India (OPPI) are not doing enough to curb this menace.

It is time that the Drug Controller General of India should bring in strict regulations, and penalties (such as, blacklisting of the erring doctors and pharma companies) to stop companies from offering of freebies to doctors.

Inefficient fuel subsidies to end in India

The Prime Minister’s top economic adviser said that the retail fuel prices will not be controlled by the government and instead it will be linked to the global crude oil price variations. It seems to be good move at present situation when the crude oil is just over US$45 a barrel and inflation at a 10-month low of 6.38% as on the week ending on December 20, 2008. It is likely that the government may declare a further cut in petrol and diesel prices for the second tome in a month. Good for the consumers.

The oil price was over US$140 in July 2008 and the state-owned crude oil refiners were selling the fuel below the cost. The government is subsidizing the fuel prices so that consumers are not made to pay the higher fuel prices when the crude oil price sky-rocketed in mid-December last year. India’s 75% of the energy needs are met by oil imports and the burden on the government is too much in this inefficient system of subsidies. The government also needs to address the concerns of the oil companies with shrinking profits and downgrading of the credit ratings. De-linking of the oil pricing mechanism from the government pricing control seems to be good policy move.