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TOI : PUNE: Setting the new target of total fertility rate (TFR) at 1.8 till 2010, state public health and family planning minister Vimal Mundada on Friday stressed on the need to initiate awareness campaigns at all levels to achieve the target.

The minister also declared awards to encourage gram panchayats and Zilla Parishads to propagate marriages of girls at the age of 20 and above among the masses. Gram panchayats, who would work extensively to create awareness regarding this and make it possible, would be awarded a cash reward of Rs 15,000, while Rs 25,000 award has been declared for the Zilla Parishad.

Mundada was speaking at the programme organised by the state public health department in the city to mark the world population day on July 11.

Drawing attention to the rising number of sex determination tests in the state, Mundada declared that a cash prize of Rs 15,000 each would be given to NGOs if they brings into light such illegal acts. He eulogised the remarkable work done by Pune Zilla Parishad in controlling population growth. ZP president Vaishali Abane, chief executive officer Shyam Vardhane, district health officer H.H. Chavan and chairman of health committee Ranjit Shivatare were felicitated.

Ophthalmologist Sudha Kankaria, who is actively involved in propagating case of female children, expressed concern that more than one crore cases of female foeticide have been reported in the last 20 years in the country. She also exhorted citizens to spread the national toll free number 1800110500 on which anyone can register a complaint about a sonogrphy centre that undertakes sex determination test.

MLA Kamalatai Dhole-Patil said a complete change in the psyche of people to have a biological baby is need of the hour. Most of the educated couples, instead of grieving about not conceiving a child should adopt a baby, she said.

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TOI : PUNE: The National Society for Clean Cities (NSCC) will organise ‘Save Dhanori lake’ campaign on Sunday at the Dhanori Lake, which has become a dumping ground for construction rubble.

In order to save the lake, and as a show of solidarity to the Dhanori Citizens Forum, which is fighting to save the lake, the NSCC and members of all mohalla committees will be gathering at the lake at Ambanagri Society Gardens, Dhanori road, Vishrantwadi.

According to NSCC, the lake is covered under survey nos 47 and 90 and the total area is nearly 11 hectare. “According to the development plan, survey no 47 is a residential zone and no 90 is an agriculture zone. While studying the survey of India map of Pune, published in 1971, we found that this area has been shown as a quarry and hence wondered how it could ever be shown as a residential zone in a much later DP. Even a study of the development plan of 23 villages shows it to be a quarry and also shows a rivulet flowing from it,” president of NSCC, Satish Khot, said.
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TOI : PUNE: After taking a break for 23 days, the south-west monsoon finally covered the entire nation five days before the normal time, Medha Khole, director (weather, central), India Meteorology Department (IMD), told TOI. The monsoon was making a good progress till June 16, after which it made no progress till Thursday.

However, the monsoon has not boosted the chances of a good rainfall in Maharashtra. “The absence of the offshore trough or any other rainfall system near Maharasthra is the reason behind the lack of rain,” Khole said.

The presence of a low pressure near Madhya Pradesh is helping the current rainfall in the state. Some parts of Kokan and North Maharashtra will witness rainfall in the next 48 hours, she added.

The onset of the monsoon was marked by early rains over most parts of the country. It advanced over the south Andaman sea on May 10, almost 10 days earlier than the normal date, and reached Kerala on May 31. The rains rapidly advanced to more parts of the southern peninsula and north-east by June 2, and to most parts of Konkan and Goa and north interior Karnataka.
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TOI : PUNE: With the number of admission-seekers largely exceeding the sanctioned student intake for degree and post-graduate courses this year, the University of Pune (UoP) has decided to approach the state government for the latter’s clearance to new divisions.

Vice-chancellor of UoP, Narendra Jadhav, had earlier announced a special meeting of the university’s academic council (AC) to deliberate issues like the multiplicity of regulators (AICTE, UGC, NCTE etc.) and their impact on the functioning of state universities as well as the growing number of deemed universities (DUs) eating into the funds available with the University Grants Commission (UGC) for the state universities.

On Friday, a special session of the AC was held and apart from the pre-determined agenda, the issue of excess admission-seekers and degree nomenclatures came up for discussion.

The AC favoured at least 10 per cent increase in the existing intake for courses that were facing an unusually high demand, a senior member of the council told TOI on Friday.

For instance, he pointed out, courses like bachelor’s degree in business administration (BBA), computer application (BCA) and foreign trade (BFT), among others, have drawn quite a high number of pleas this year. “Accommodating as many aspirants as possible becomes a priority,” the member said.

In another decision, the UoP body decided to approach the UGC with a plea that the titles of certain degree and PG courses, which existed much before the UGC effected a change in nomenclature by way of a fresh list of courses, be retained.

Courses, offered by the UoP, like Bachelor of Computer Science (BCS) and masters in personnel management (MPM) had developed into popular brand names before the UGC effected the change in their nomenclature. For instance, BCS was re-named Bachelor of Science (B.Sc - Computers). The change had resulted in a drop in the number of students seeking these courses….More

TOI : Learning a lesson from bitter experiences caused by heavy rains in the past, idol makers from Pen in Raigad, known for their Ganesh idols, have made it a practice in recent years to dispatch their creations well in advance of the Ganesh festival. Although the festival starts on September 3 this year, the first consignment of Ganesh idols from Pen landed in the city on Thursday.

“Last year, the first batch arrived in Pune a month before the festival. This year, it has arrived much earlier,” said Mandar Desai, director, Desai Bandhuwale, one of the main Ganesh idol merchants in the city. According to Desai, idol-makers were doubtful of being able to dispatch them after the monsoon begins in full swing. “Since the rains are yet to peak in the Konkan, idol makers are hurrying dispatches to Pune,” he said.

The idol makers, however, will have to wait longer to send their wares to Mumbai, as they have to pay octroi on the idols if they send them to the state capital earlier than one month before the festival. Mumbai makes up for 70 per cent of the Pen Ganesh idol sales, while Pune accounts for the remaining 30 per cent.

The idols, he informed, are made mostly of clay. “Moreover, due to environmental concerns, idols are now painted with water colours and not oil paint,” he said. Desai noted that the demand for smaller idols has been on the rise in the last few years. “Even housing societies would rather not have large idols,” he said. Taking note of this, manufacturers have started making fewer large idols and have limited their height to 1 ft to 2.5 ft. Print EMail DiscussNew B…More