Socio Research & Reform Foundation

Sanitary napkins will now be provided to young girls in rural areas at Re.1 per pack to promote menstrual hygiene in the country, GoI’s Health ministry has approved a Rs 150 crore scheme under NRHM. A pack of six high quality sanitary napkins will be provided to below poverty line adolescent girls in rural areas at Re.1. Above poverty line girls will be charged Rs.5 per pack, a ministry official said. A total of 235 districts have been identified as ‘focus districts’ and workers will be recruited in them.  ASHA are likely to be involved in distribution of sanitary napkins with an incentive of Re.1 for every pack they distribute. However this is an option and state governments could develop alternative mechanisms.

The scheme will be implemented in three phases

In the first year, the programme will be implemented in 150 districts, which is 25 percent of the country. Of these, 30 districts will be from the four southern states, Maharashtra and Gujarat, and 120 districts will be in the northern, central and north-eastern states. The first phase is expected to cover over 1.5 crore girls with approximately 30 percent of them being below the poverty line.

_________________________________

Socio Research & Reform Foundation
(A Non Government Organisation)
512 A, Deepshikha, 8 Rajendra Place, New Delhi – 110008
Tele/Fax: +91-11-25821088, 25817157, 25722044
e-mail: socio-research@sma.net.in

National Advisory Council, with Sonia Gandhi back in the saddle, has been revitalized. It is to play a pivotal role in Govt.’s decision on legislation for Right to Food. Empowered Group of Ministers led by Pranab Mukherjee has asked Planning Commission to come out with criteria for defining poverty. However before planning Commission comes out with final word on this, NAC is likely to discuss the issue. It is likely to cover several issues including specific vulnerable groups as well as broadening the ambit of food security from just cheap food grains to pulses, edible oil, etc.

_________________________________

Socio Research & Reform Foundation
(A Non Government Organisation)
512 A, Deepshikha, 8 Rajendra Place, New Delhi – 110008
Tele/Fax: +91-11-25821088, 25817157, 25722044
e-mail: socio-research@sma.net.in

NAC, in its third meeting on Wednesday, has broadly agreed on the need to universalise food subsidy, though it is yet to finalise its recommendations.

One of the agreement reached is to provide distribution network to cover at least a quarter of every poor district or block in the first year. Although method of distribution is yet to be finalised. The food cover proposed is 35 kg of cereals at Rs 3/- per month per household both in rural & urban areas.

The agreement seem to be a middle ground between govt’s more cautious approach and country-wide coverage covering both BPL as well as APL as suggested by many. It was recognised that creating a country-wide application would require a massive distribution network, which at present is not available.

_________________________________

Socio Research & Reform Foundation
(A Non Government Organisation)
512 A, Deepshikha, 8 Rajendra Place, New Delhi – 110008
Tele/Fax: +91-11-25821088, 25817157, 25722044
e-mail: socio-research@sma.net.in

Remember the stampede in a girl’s school in Khajuri Khas last year, which resulted in death of 5 girls and at least 35 with serious injuries. Well the enquiry report is out which mainly points to lack of planning and timely interventions, being the main reasons behind the tragic incident. At the time there were reports that eve-teasing / molestation by some boys caused a panic among girls causing stampede. While the report has not ruled out this possibility, it has also raised issues what caused it and how simple planning measures could have prevented the same.

In Khajuri Khas, there are different shifts for boys & girls in the same school building. However the authorities decided to conduct common exam for the students of the two shifts. Students generally took the exam in the open ground, however due to heavy rains, the students congregated in the building. Since it was raining, the roofs were leaking and verandahs flooded. Insufficient lighting added to the chaotic situation. Teachers were unable to provide sitting arrangement resulting in a predictable melee. In such a situation, the report observes, that it is very much possible that some boys not only misbehaved, but might have molested some girls, causing panic and the stampede. Thus all this combined with a badly designed staircase caused the stampede resulting in unfortunate loss of life.

Report raises some vital & key issues

• Why the two schools that too of boys & girls who are not used to interacting with each other were made to assemble at one place? Why the district education authorities made this happen?
• Did anyone assess the sitting capacity in the school building before making such arrangements?
• When it had been raining overnight why the students of two school were allowed to assemble?
• Even at the late stage when children had assembled, and realizing the lack of sitting capacity why the exam could not be postponed?
• Electric and other maintenance are the responsibility of DSIIDC. Is changing of bulbs or some minor electric repairs by such a centralized agency the most effective /efficient way?

Answers to most such questions are also the pointers to lack of ownership among school authorities, who are the best judge of the situation that they are facing and not a district officer, who is far removed from the situation.  Since the decision-making is centralized at the district level, school authorities consider that their task is only to inform the relevant officer at the district. The district officer’s phone was switched off at the time of incident and hence no decision could be taken by the school authorities.

The report’s findings provide ample evidence of how decentralization of decision-making, better planning and timely intervention could have avoided a tragic incident.

_________________________________

Socio Research & Reform Foundation
(A Non Government Organisation)
512 A, Deepshikha, 8 Rajendra Place, New Delhi – 110008
Tele/Fax: +91-11-25821088, 25817157, 25722044
e-mail: socio-research@sma.net.in