Railways to upgrade security infrastructure

Railways to upgrade security infrastructure

: NEW DELHI, Feb 19: Amid heightened threat perceptions, Railways have decided large-scale commando training for their RPF personnel apart from standardising and upgrading zonal RPF training centres and installing ‘integrated security system’ in the four metro cities. In two years, five zonal training centres of RPF will be upgraded and equipped with modern devices to train the personnel to thwart terror attacks, Minister of State for Railways R Velu said in the Lok Sabha today.

He said proposals have also come for creation of three more battalions of the Railway Protection Force (RPF). In a written reply, he said slots have been sought in reputed training institutes of other paramilitary forces for the commando training of the RPF personnel. Railways have also released Rs 14 crore for procurement of vehicles for RPF for improved mobility of the force, he added. The five zonal RPF training institutes identified for upgrade are in Kharagpur, Kimber Garden in Southern Railway, Bandikui in North Western Railway, Rajahi Camp in Gorakhour and Mokama in East Central Railway. (PTI)

Extreme negativity amongst schoolchildren: NCERT study

Extreme negativity amongst schoolchildren: NCERT study

: NEW DELHI, Feb 19: Concerned about the mental well-being of children as they grow into adults, the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) is conducting a nationwide survey to analyse the emotional experience of children in schools and the initial results have not been encouraging.

“The initial results of the survey have revealed that there is extreme negativity amongst schoolchildren,” NCERT director Krishna Kumar said at a panel discussion on corporal punishment in schools here on Thursday.

“There is so much pressure on a child these days that it becomes difficult for him or her to deal with stress. From examination stress in grade one right up to the pressure of performance at the IIT and MBA entrance examinations, the narrow mindset of parents and teachers that marks, are all that a child needs to build his future is frustrating.
“To analyse the emotional experience of children as they go through school, we decided to conduct a nation wide survey. The result of the survey is expected to be out by August-September this year,” Kumar told IANS on the sidelines of the discussion.
He was also extremely critical of ‘the system’, which he says refuses to take a wider view of education.
“We have failed to convince the government to stop centralized examinations at grade 10. There has to be a wider view of the education system so that subjects don’t become terrorising for a child,” Kumar said. (IANS)

Illegal trade in endangered birds flourishes in Delhi

Illegal trade in endangered birds flourishes in Delhi

: NEW DELHI, Feb 19: Hundreds of colourful parakeets, pretty canaries, menacing falcons and other endangered birds can be found in the national capital - not in zoos or forested areas but in the cages of illegal bird sellers who openly flout laws to make a quick buck. “If there is demand, there will be supply. Several ministers and big people come here to buy these birds. This keeps us going despite seizures and prohibitory laws,” a bird seller near Jama Masjid told IANS on condition of anonymity. Jama Masjid in Old Delhi is just one of the several places in and around the capital where laws are flouted to sell endangered birds. Behind the Red Fort, at INA Market, Moolchand crossing, Minto Road and Noida’s Sector 18 market, many vendors flaunt the birds without fear.

“I have broken several cameras. If you want the same thing to happen to you then go ahead and take pictures,” threatened a bird seller in Noida’s Atta Market but didn’t attempt to hide his illegal wares, which included the rare macquacaca.
“The root cause of this business flourishing is that the wildlife inspectors who seize the endangered birds show only the less important birds in court, allowing the illegal sellers to be let off after a meagre fine of Rs 100,” said Ashok Kumar, a trustee of the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI). The illegal vendors usually sell each parakeet for Rs 40-50, but those wanting talking birds have to shell out Rs 500. A falcon can cost as much as Rs 20,000 depending upon the breed, while owls are priced only marginally lower. The pretty hill mynahs are sold for about Rs 2,500.
According to Kumar, endangered birds worth hundreds of thousands of rupees are smuggled into Delhi every day from Bihar, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh. “On any given day, around 50,000 birds are brought here - mostly parakeets, mynahs, munias, bulbuls, koels, hill mynahs, canaries and eagles,” he said.

“The rose-ringed parakeet, which is a talking species, is much in demand. Then come other parakeet varieties like Alexandrian and red-breasted species. The black-headed munia and finches are also widely traded,” Kumar added. Some birds are kept as status symbols since they are very expensive and exotic. However, many are also bought for religious, superstitious and medicinal reasons. The claws and feathers of birds like great-horned owls, pariah kites and even bats are used by those who believe in sorcery.
Kumar feels that the present laws are inadequate to prevent trade in endangered birds. According to him, the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 and Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) need to be strengthened to ensure that the lovely winged creatures do not become extinct and are free to fly. (IANS)

Arjun tank gets vote of support from Indian Army chief

Arjun tank gets vote of support from Indian Army chief

: NEW DELHI, Feb 19: In a reversal of the Indian Army’s stand on the indigenous main battle tank (MBT) Arjun, which has been 37 years in the making, Army chief General Deepak Kapoor has written to the Defence Ministry appreciating the tank’s performance. The Army chief’s letter has come months before the MBT Arjun, which India has been trying to manufacture indigenously for more than three decades, is headed for head-to-head ‘comparative trials’ with the Russian T-90 tanks that the Army currently operates.

“The Army chief for the first time has appreciated Arjun tank for performing well. In a letter written earlier this year, he said that the tank was subjected to the most strenuous of tests and it performed ‘admirably well’,” a Defence Ministry official told IANS on the condition of anonymity. The letter from the Army chief came after last year’s winter trials of the tank, which has already cost the exchequer Rs.3.5 billion ($71.7 million). The stand is a complete u-turn as the Army had made it clear that it would buy no more than the 124 Arjuns it has contracted for because it is unhappy with the tank on various counts.