Dear friends!

Why should we save energy? We have our brothers/sisters on the coast subject to submergence during cyclones and floods etc. Due to deforestation, industrial and vehicular pollution, fossil fuel based (coal, petroleum etc.) energy use, Green House Gases (GHGs) like CO2, Methane etc. are released raising earth's temperature causing the glaciers to melt. This results in rising ocean levels resulting in submergence of low lying islands like Maldives, Mauritius,Bahamas, Solomon islands and low lying India's coastal areas of 7500 km. Further, GHG release leads to climate changes resulting in frequent and extreme weather events like heat waves, super cyclones, severe droughts, heavy downpours etc. causing untold misery to millions of human beings, cattle etc. To save our fellow living beings, is it not our responsibility to reduce indiscriminate exploitation of natural resources, energy, water and other natural resources and save and conserve them?

Why should we conserve nature?

Because we are evolved from nature and all living beings are truly our brothers and sisters. Inside the soil and oceans there are billions of living beings unseen, and billions living on the soil, all depending on the nature itself for their survival. Man, being the most evolved being on the earth, has the greatest responsibility towards its children of all species, and to protect them. Even if he consumes some for his bare sustenance, it should be done with regard, compassion, fairness and honour.

Dear friends

Today is International Day for the Persons with Disabilities (PwDs), declared by the UN in 1992. In India, there are about 26.8 million PwDs as per 2011 census, with the men (55.9%) outnumbering women and the rural people (18 million) outnumbering the urban disabled. Among the multiple disabled, women are outnumbering men. 

Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa and Jammu and Kashmir have more than 2.51 per cent disabled population.

Th idea of the Day is to create awareness in the general public of the inequality caused due to the disabilities and the unequal opportunities enjoyed by the PwDs and the discrimination suffered by them in every walk of life from family to the society, from education to employment and treatment by the society. 

The observance of the Day also aims to promote an understanding of disability issues and mobilize support for the dignity, rights and well-being of persons with disabilities. It also seeks to increase awareness of gains to be derived from the integration of persons with disabilities in every aspect of political, social, economic and cultural life. 

The general public should be sensitive about the needs of the disabled and empathize with them in stead of sympathizing with them. The PwDs need equal treatment with dignity and not otherwise. They only need to be proevided the opportunity to prove themselves that they are second to none and they have special abilities making them distinct entities.

It is high time we treat them with respect and dignity and provide them the opportunity to grow, get educated and employed and lead a dignified life as an equal citizen of India or the world. They only need suitable platforms ted, schoolo access the facilities provided by the Govt. and prompt medical services to get themselves treated, schools to get educated etc. so that they can prove their mettle and develop into useful citizens to the society. 

World AIDS Day - A grim reminder to all of us to to spread the facts about HIV/AIDS

Dear sisters and brothers

Yesterday was World AIDS Day. There are about 34 million people infected with HIV and about 1.5 million are dying every year in the world. So far, about 35 million have died of AIDS in the world.

India has the third highest no. of people living with HIV in the world, i.e., 2.1 million out of ~4.8 million in the Asia-Pacific region. That is 4 out of 10.

National AIDS Control Organization, NACO is involved in the control of HIV/AIDS in India. HIV treatment coverage is only 36% in India, where about 51% of AIDS related deaths occur. About 64% of people don't have access to ART (Anti Retro-viral Therapy) in India. But prevalence of AIDS in female sex workers has increased in Assam, Bihar and MP. There are ~868000 sex workers in India out of whom 2.8% is HIV positive.

Prevalence rate is high in males (61%) and in 15-49 age group (89%).

Second line therapy for HIV is applied after conducting viral load tests on those who develop resistance to First line therapy. But the test kits are not available. As a result, the second line therapy is given based on clinical findings.

For further facts about HIV: http://www.worldaidsday.org/about-hiv.php

Let's spread the knowledge about HIV/AIDS to contain its spread.