WORLD HEALTH DAY (7th,April) - Wage a war on Mosquitoes & all -Who should Die? You or the Mosquito?- You decide- Mosquiotes have already decided!

WORLD HEALTH DAY

7^TH,APRIL,2014

7^th,APRIL, every year,  is – “World Health Day”. 

It is celebrated all over the world under the guidance and sponsorship of the World Health Organization (WHO). Each year, WHO organizes international, regional and local events on the day, in relation to a particular theme. 

In 2012, the theme was "Good health adds life to years" and last year it was "Healthy heart beat, healthy blood pressure".

The theme for 2014's World Health Day is "Vector-borne diseases". The theme, also dubbed by the WHO as "Small bite, big threat", highlights dangers and threats from some of the most commonly known vectors - such as mosquitoes, sand flies, bugs, ticks and snails.

Vector-borne diseases - Fact sheet

Vector-borne diseases account for more than 17% of all infectious diseases, causing more than 1 million deaths annually.

More than 2.5 billion people in over 100 countries are at risk of contracting dengue alone.

Malaria causes more than 600 000 deaths every year globally, most of them children under 5 years of age.

Other diseases such as Chagas disease, leishmaniasis and schistosomiasis affect hundreds of millions of people worldwide.

Main vectors and diseases they transmit

Vectors are living organisms that can transmit infectious diseases between humans or from animals to humans. Many of these vectors are bloodsucking insects, which ingest disease-producing microorganisms during a blood meal from an infected host (human or animal) and later inject it into a new host during their subsequent blood meal.

Mosquitoes are the best known disease vector. Others include ticks, flies, sandflies, fleas, triatomine bugs and some freshwater aquatic snails.

(A)      Mosquitoes  :  (1) Aedes ( Dengue fever, Rift Valley fever,       Yellow fever, Chikungunya ); (2) Anopheles (Malaria); (3) Culex ( Japanese encephalitis, Lymphatic filariasis, West Nile fever) 

(B)      Sandflies ( Leishmaniasis,  Sandfly fever); 

(C) Ticks (Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever, Lyme disease, Relapsing fever or borreliosis, Rickettsial diseases, Tick-borne encephalitis,    Tularaemia); 

(D)      Triatomine bugs (American trypanosomiasis); 

(E)      Tsetse flies ( Sleeping sickness or African trypanosomiasis);

(F) Fleas (Plague transmitted by fleas from rats to humans,    Rickettsiosis) ; 

(G)      Black flies ( Onchocerciasis or river blindness);

(H)      Aquatic snails ( Schistosomiasis or bilharziasis)

So what shall we do with these VECTORS and the diseases they give us. Here are my suggestions :-

1.  First decide – who should survive and thrive in your house and your surroundings – Vectors or You and your loved ones? You must decide Now. Because, Mosquitoes etc have already decided !

2.  If you are overly sympathetic to vectors – understand that they are not overly sympathetic to you. You are their Food – It is not the other way.

3.  Vectors don’t just suck your blood- which is bad in itself. They inject into you harmful bacteria/virus, which give you deadly diseases.

4.  Vectors grow terribly fast. And, all of them have a single aim – your Blood!

5.  Killing Vectors is not optional; it is a MUST, it is a duty, if vectors have grown all around you. The Best thing is – to ensure that they don’t grow anywhere around you.

6.  What Lord Krishna told Arjuna in  Bhagavad Gita applies especially to VECTORS (in my view); They deserve to be Killed. So, Kill them; Don’t even leave their EGGS. It is misplaced sympathy. The last 2 sentences are my extension – not Krishna’s.

7.  Stagnant, dirty water is a great place for Vectors to live in. Don’t assume that the stagnant water is 2 meters away from your house. While the water doesn’t travel 2 metres to your house, all the vectors will travel - even if it is 20 metres or more. Ensure cleanliness of at least that much space around you.

8.  Trees are Health giving. But, use sprays etc with appropriate pesticides to keep them clean. Keep them Healthy.

9.  Our cooking place is a great Place for vectors to thrive. Usually, all of us keep a DUST BIN there and throw all cut / waste vegetables and other organic matter into them. Empty the Dust Bins at least 6 hours once. Let the Dust Bins be clean and free of dust especially at Night, when you sleep. That’s the time, when vectors want to travel from the dust bin to your bed side and have their feast.

10.             While WHO document doesn’t mention COCKROACH, I will include that too in my advice. There is never a single Cockroach in your house. If you spot one in your house, assume that a whole lot of them are there tucked in somewhere. If one is there now, in a month, there will be Hundreds/ thousands. Decide whether you want to kill/get rid of this one when you spot it – or wait until it becomes a hundred.

11.             If you catch one disease from a Mosquito, the Mosquito will then happily transmit it from you to all of your people in due time.

12.             So, what keeps you waiting?

PS :- I am more non-violent than Mahatma Gandhi – but killing vectors ,I believe, is totally NON-VIOLENT. It promotes, peace, love, compassion, Health, happiness, and all other Good things that we cherish.

-     Sarve Janaah Sukhino Bhavanthu

Always Yours friendly

= V.Vijayamohan

MODI vs BJP - Modi sprints-BJP Crawls - 300+ ACHIEVABLE - Leaders must unite - Talk vision - talk what U will do

MODI VS BJP

While Narendra Modi has been sprinting faster, faster and faster towards the Goal (of winning 300+seats), the rest of BJP has not been even crawling towards this Goal. This is increasingly evident and Highly discomforting.

What is so difficult about releasing a manifesto? Manifesto is a set of promises, most of which are usually impractical and never implemented by any Party. Very rarely, a manifesto can also look like a VISION DOCUMENT, which is how it should be. That is the fact in India – and it is so even in the western countries including US. Is Obama able to implement his Manifesto? How much are the Congress and the Senate co-operating even with some of the well orchestrated, Manifesto supported Bills of Obama? Who remembers Obama’s Manifesto today? Is Obama himself looking at his Manifesto at least monthly once? But, that said, President Obama, is well responding to the situations that arise in US Economy and political situation. This is how it is always, in most of  the advanced, western countries who are much more organized than India.

But yet, a Manifesto is needed; it has become a ritual; a formality for every Political Party – to indicate the Broad thinking of the Party and candidates contesting. 

Congress always promises the Moon, the Sun and also the stars in its Manifesto. All that it could manage was taking the Rupee-Dollar Parity to Rs.66 = $ 1 during its 66 years reign. This one measure is enough to throw out the Congress from Governance at least for some years. All its Manifestos and all its Policies were a Huge Failure – as indicated by this one single measure.

 That the rupee is strengthening just before Elections is almost singularly due to the sentiment among foreign Investors that a decisive leader like Narendra Modi will head the next Government. There is nothing much that RBI or the Government did for this – except keenly watching what is happening!

Today is Friday, the 04^th April,2014. Can a Manifesto not be released today? Why should it wait for the eve of the Elections, attracting the ire of the Election Commission on some sticky point that BJP may insert in some small print somewhere inside the Manifesto?

A BJP manifesto can be a tick mark against most items in the TOI MANIFESTO – and a slight improvement here and there. Add a few more Economic items if you like. A BJP Manifesto can be completed in a single Hour.

And what BJP actually does later will certainly be much better than the Manifesto.

5 Long , Dynamic Years of a country's life certainly will not and should not depend on a static document like the Manifesto.

But, almost inevitably, when the Manifesto gets released, we will find the Mandir issue, the stupidest issue possible on earth, inside it somewhere. BJP or any member of Sangh Parivar or any other Party or Organization in India can do practically nothing about it, as this is before the Highest Court of the Land – and the Court is wisely keeping it for later review – as far as I know. 

Narendra Modi never ever talks of the Mandir Issue - and most wisely too. And yet, someone in BJP or Sangh Parivar wants to lose people and allies and Votes on such a stupid issue, which is  Sub-Judice and beyond any Political party to do anything about it. All condemnation of BJP till today is on this one single issue. And, this is also not a Political issue and should not be on the Political agenda of a Political party like BJP. When the Supreme Court gives its final verdict, some religious organization will construct Ram Mandir. But, BJP especially shouldn’t make it a Political issue – because, it definitely is not a Political Issue. The one and only reason why India never ever had a viable Opposition to Congress was , is and will be this insane issue. BJP must drop this Hot Potato, or rather, the bruning Coals from its Palms – lest, its Palms should get burnt once again and again and again. This is my sincere feeling and advice to BJP.

Every Individual and every organization is said to have a suicidal instinct in itself somewhere. For BJP, it is this Mandir issue, probably thrust on it by same sangh parivar members.

All the Gains that Modi brings in by his all-inclusive, Politically and nationally WISE campaign do get frittered away by such insane issue likely to be raised in its Manifesto by some persons in BJP or its fringe groups.

A Political Party must release a Political Manifesto – which includes Political, social and economic angles – and definitely not religious angles. If this is the reason for delays, God save BJP again – despite blessing BJP with the winnable Modi factor. 

I am a Modi Fan myself. In fact, very large sections of India are now Modi fans. But, sadly, they are not yet full BJP fans. If people approve of Modi but not of BJP, BJP must understand that it must follow the leader who so closely follows people’s hearts and makes them follow him too. Let us hope BJP will release its Manifesto – and without vexatious, impractical, insane issues in it -IMMEDIATELY

Let us move on to other issues now.

In one of Modi’s Face Book pages, I had suggested that he and BJP must aim for 300+ seats. Some of his other FB fans ridiculed my idea then, as overambitious. But, now, Modi himself has adopted 300+ as the Goal. That is a true leader’s Hall mark. All other BJP leaders must also try for it. Every leader must strain every nerve of his / her to reach the 300+ mark. Apart from Modi, the campaign is still LACK-LUSTRE. We don’t see much of Sushma Swaraj, an excellent orator herself. Advaniji is nowhere, except periodically sulking against Modi, the presently chosen leader, for almost no reason. Jaswant Singh is out of BJP. Yaswant Sinha, usually an insightful orator, is also not talking of winning points in Polls and is speaking as if he is speaking in a debate in Parliament. 

When you are fighting Elections, think of People and People’s issues – not fine technicalities related to Parliamentary Debates. Arun Jaitley is campaigning well but people expect a lot more from a Great Orator like Jaitleyji. His and Sushmaji’s Parliamentary speeches are some of the Best. Now, we want to see some Great speeches from Jaitleyji and Sushmaji both. If nobody is talking about their speeches, it implies that they are not making Great speeches.

There are others like Smriti Iraniji. She too is very good but is frittering away her energies in calling Rahul for personal debate. Is that the only point in Parliamentary Elections? Where is your winning strategy? What do you promise Amethi and the country? BJP must back Smriti FULLY & TOTALLY on her promises for Amethi people. Modi, Jaitley and Sushma must speak in Amethi along with Smriti. That speech will reach the whole of India – quite naturally and will win votes and seats elsewhere too. So these troika must make mature, Great speeches at Amethi - fully backing Smriti on her promises – and showing why Rahul is no good as PM etc. Remember, many people like Rahul  too – for one simple reason that he is not a hardcore Politician and not identified as corrupt. I also agree with this opinion and it is a fact. But, Smriti is a Good, budding, promising Politician and leader and she should prove to Amethi People that their Interests will be in her heart totally for next 5 years. Instead, she seems to be frittering away her energies on small debates on TV where scoring effective points is difficult unless you have a great focus. All that gets done in TV debates is diversionary arguments by all people. The only person who wins is the TV Anchor.

I repeat, I am also a Modi Fan and I want BJP to garner a clear 300+ Seats. But, the way things are proceeding, it seems, some leaders are just waiting to see Modi (and BJP) fail and then point an accusing finger at him. This is time to Pool energies and WIN! Not fritter away energies or idle away time – and wait to fail –and point accusing fingers at each other.

India needs a Good, new Government now. As Modi said, Congress was there for 60 years. Let us Give Modi 60 months. Let him prove himself and prove that India could be No.1 in development and Unity.

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RBI POLICY - NO CHANGE IN RATES - RBI MUST BRING DOWN RATES

RBI’S MONETARY POLICY 

STATEMENT

01-APRIIL-2014

RBI has again released its Monetary Policy statement and the Back Ground Justification for it TODAY. As always, the Micro and macro developments statement of RBI is impressive.

But, the Monetary policy comes separately as below :-  

RBI says - 

“On the basis of an assessment of the current and evolving macroeconomic situation, it has been decided to:

•      keep the policy repo rate under the liquidity adjustment facility (LAF) unchanged at 8.0 per cent; 

•      keep the cash reserve ratio (CRR) of scheduled banks unchanged at 4.0 per cent of net demand and time liability (NDTL); and

•      increase the liquidity provided under 7-day and 14-day term repos from 0.5 per cent of NDTL of the banking system to 0.75 per cent, and decrease the liquidity provided under overnight repos under the LAF from 0.5 per cent of bank-wise NDTL to 0.25 per cent with immediate effect. 

Consequently, the reverse repo rate under the LAF will remain unchanged at 7.0 per cent, and the marginal standing facility (MSF) rate and the Bank Rate at 9.0 per cent.

If RBI had again increased Repo rates, I would have said OH MY GOD – but given that the rates have not increased, I say THANK GOD.

I didn’t say, THANK RBI. I would say that, if RBI had decreased the REPO RATES  by some percentage points.

By now, in India, at least, I, for one, am damn certain that RBI hiking rates never ever threatened Inflation a wee bit. Inflation went up, come rate hike or no rate hike.  In Indian conditions, only supply increases brought down Inflation, not repo rate hikes. UPA Government at centre and most state Governments never ever seem inclined to take tight steps to control Inflation. So, it always depended on the Farmer and the RAIN GOD , not RBI and not Governments to control Inflation.

Hopefully, things may change if Modi comes to Government and allows people to produce more (not more people, but more of other things). The only thing that UPA Government allowed people to produce  more without any restriction was – more people.  That should change.

I respect RBI for all its analysis. But, its final Policy statement looks absolutely reasonless. Forget all your Micro and macro analysis, Sir, but look at the real, honest effect of your Repo rate hikes in the last 3 years. They never mattered a wee bit in controlling Inflation. They didn’t.  That was my honest observation. But, your repo hikes have mattered in controlling – and not permitting GROWTH.

Growth is suffering  very badly. This means, employment is coming down, production is coming down, but not demand. And, this is the precise cause of Inflation. Repo Rates at this level are fueling Inflation and not bringing down Inflation.

So, RBI’s not Hiking Rates does not gladden me at all. But, had they hiked repo rates even now, I would have said, OMG !

That said, market reaction in beating down bank stocks is meaningless. Banks will perform well. Their liquidity is increased; not reduced. Their margins are not under pressure at all. Only their NPAs under pressure. For NPAs also, part of the blame lies on High repo Rates. They should come down. That is my honest opinion.

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