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TOI : PUNE: A lack of issues and an apparent disconnect between voters and candidates have been cited by political and social experts as some of the main factors behinds large-scale apathy towards voting among urban residents.

The city saw a paltry 45% voting in the state assembly elections on Wednesday. In contrast, rural areas, particularly in western Maharashtra, registered a relatively much higher turnout largely because of some keen contests and a stress on local issues, exerts say.

A higher turnout was also expected for the assembly elections in the city this time around, thanks to numerous efforts and appeals to the electorate by the government and social organisations. Polling day was also declared a public holiday and commercial establishments were directed to give a paid holiday to all employees.

Former Fergusson college principal and head of its political science department, V M Bachal, said the issues of common people had been completely neglected during the election campaign. “There was hardly any discussion on the issues facing the people. Instead, the public got to hear a lot more about political wrangling,” he stated.

While the voter turnout in elite areas in cities has always been on the lower side, he added, a new trend witnessed in recent elections is a decline in polling figures among the urban poor.

Bachal expressed surprise at the low polling in Pune as the average turnout, he said, ranges between 50 to 60 per cent. “I had hoped that the figure may cross 70 per cent this time.”

Explaining the sharp difference in turnout in urban and rural parts, he said urban voters felt removed and apathetic. On the other hand, there was greater focus on development issues in the elections in rural areas. Besides, many seats there saw keen contests and a large number of rebels. This led to a higher turnout, Bachal pointed out.

Suhas Palshikar,…More

TOI : PUNE: The Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) will be giving Rs 10,000 in cash to its employees this festive season. The amount is part of the bonus and ex-gratia amount which was earlier announced for the 10,000-odd employees of the corporation.

Speaking to TOI on Wednesday, Subhash Dumbre, additional commissioner, said that the remaining amount of the bonus would be given after Diwali but before December 31. Sudhakar Deshmukh, assistant commissioner, said that most class IV employees will get the entire bonus and ex-gratia amount, as the total amount is less than Rs 10,000.

Speaking to TOI, Baban Zinjurde, president, Pimpri-Chinchwad Mahanagarpalika Karmachari Mahasangh said, “We had demanded that the bonus and ex-gratia amount be paid to the employees before Diwali. The PCMC and other municipal corporations had not issued orders to give the bonus before the election code of conduct came into force. As a payment by cheque made now would not benefit the employees, we had demanded that cash be disbursed.” Topics: Pune PCMC More Stories from this section Sena candidate escapes unhurt in firing on car 57 pc voting in Satara Lack of issues, disconnect with voters cause for low turnout Setback for anti-spitting drive as tenure of PMC squads ends Section of pune-mu…More

TOI : PUNE: After the hectic month-long election campaigning, it’s time for the contestants to cool off. The candidates are looking forward to celebrate Diwali with family and friends. Visits to native place and places of worship, outing with family and friends are also in the itinerary as declaration of poll results are scheduled for October 22.

Ujwal Keskar, contesting from Kothrud, will celebrate Diwali in Panchgani with family and friends. “I am leaving on Friday for two days to my bunglow in Panchgani. I will celebrate Diwali there,” he said.

On Wednesday, Keskar met his supportes. “I thanked them for their support and encouragement.”

Many candidates just relaxed and spent time with their family on Tuesday. Congress candidate from Shivajinagar Vinayak Nimhan caught up on sleep and woke up late. “During the election time I hardly slept for four-five hours a day. Today I slept for nearly 10 hours. I am relaxed now. I plan to go out with my family and watch a movie.”

He plans to celebrate Diwali in the city. “I will not be out of station. I will be in regular touch with the party workers.”

Meanwhile, the Congress candidate from Pune cantonment, Ramesh Bagwe, plans to visit some places of worship. He is also looking forward to celebrate Diwali at home. “We like to stay at home during festivals. I will celebrate with my family and friends. After Diwali we will have a meeting to discuss future plans. In the meanwhile, I will meet the party workers, too.”

For PMC opposition leader Vikas Mathkari, the Shiv Sena nominee from Shivajinagar, its returning to routine life. “From tomorrow I will bicycle 15 km. That gives me pleasure and relief. I will also spend time with friends and pets, besides catching up with my reading. I want to complete the pending work that I could not do it in the last…More

TOI : PUNE: A lack of issues and an apparent disconnect between voters and candidates have been cited by political and social experts as some of the main factors behinds large-scale apathy towards voting among urban residents.

The city saw a paltry 45% voting in the state assembly elections on Wednesday. In contrast, rural areas, particularly in western Maharashtra, registered a relatively much higher turnout largely because of some keen contests and a stress on local issues, exerts say.

A higher turnout was also expected for the assembly elections in the city this time around, thanks to numerous efforts and appeals to the electorate by the government and social organisations. Polling day was also declared a public holiday and commercial establishments were directed to give a paid holiday to all employees.

Former Fergusson college principal and head of its political science department, V M Bachal, said the issues of common people had been completely neglected during the election campaign. “There was hardly any discussion on the issues facing the people. Instead, the public got to hear a lot more about political wrangling,” he stated.

While the voter turnout in elite areas in cities has always been on the lower side, he added, a new trend witnessed in recent elections is a decline in polling figures among the urban poor.

Bachal expressed surprise at the low polling in Pune as the average turnout, he said, ranges between 50 to 60 per cent. “I had hoped that the figure may cross 70 per cent this time.”

Explaining the sharp difference in turnout in urban and rural parts, he said urban voters felt removed and apathetic. On the other hand, there was greater focus on development issues in the elections in rural areas. Besides, many seats there saw keen contests and a large number of rebels. This led to a higher turnout, Bachal pointed out.

Suhas Palshikar,…More

TOI : PUNE: The Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) will be giving Rs 10,000 in cash to its employees this festive season. The amount is part of the bonus and ex-gratia amount which was earlier announced for the 10,000-odd employees of the corporation.

Speaking to TOI on Wednesday, Subhash Dumbre, additional commissioner, said that the remaining amount of the bonus would be given after Diwali but before December 31. Sudhakar Deshmukh, assistant commissioner, said that most class IV employees will get the entire bonus and ex-gratia amount, as the total amount is less than Rs 10,000.

Speaking to TOI, Baban Zinjurde, president, Pimpri-Chinchwad Mahanagarpalika Karmachari Mahasangh said, “We had demanded that the bonus and ex-gratia amount be paid to the employees before Diwali. The PCMC and other municipal corporations had not issued orders to give the bonus before the election code of conduct came into force. As a payment by cheque made now would not benefit the employees, we had demanded that cash be disbursed.” Topics: Pune PCMC More Stories from this section Sena candidate escapes unhurt in firing on car 57 pc voting in Satara Lack of issues, disconnect with voters cause for low turnout Setback for anti-spitting drive as tenure of PMC squads ends Section of pune-mu…More

TOI : PUNE: After the hectic month-long election campaigning, it’s time for the contestants to cool off. The candidates are looking forward to celebrate Diwali with family and friends. Visits to native place and places of worship, outing with family and friends are also in the itinerary as declaration of poll results are scheduled for October 22.

Ujwal Keskar, contesting from Kothrud, will celebrate Diwali in Panchgani with family and friends. “I am leaving on Friday for two days to my bunglow in Panchgani. I will celebrate Diwali there,” he said.

On Wednesday, Keskar met his supportes. “I thanked them for their support and encouragement.”

Many candidates just relaxed and spent time with their family on Tuesday. Congress candidate from Shivajinagar Vinayak Nimhan caught up on sleep and woke up late. “During the election time I hardly slept for four-five hours a day. Today I slept for nearly 10 hours. I am relaxed now. I plan to go out with my family and watch a movie.”

He plans to celebrate Diwali in the city. “I will not be out of station. I will be in regular touch with the party workers.”

Meanwhile, the Congress candidate from Pune cantonment, Ramesh Bagwe, plans to visit some places of worship. He is also looking forward to celebrate Diwali at home. “We like to stay at home during festivals. I will celebrate with my family and friends. After Diwali we will have a meeting to discuss future plans. In the meanwhile, I will meet the party workers, too.”

For PMC opposition leader Vikas Mathkari, the Shiv Sena nominee from Shivajinagar, its returning to routine life. “From tomorrow I will bicycle 15 km. That gives me pleasure and relief. I will also spend time with friends and pets, besides catching up with my reading. I want to complete the pending work that I could not do it in the last…More

TOI : PUNE: A Vth standard student of H A School in Kharadwadi in Pimpri was among the five people who tested positive for the H1N1 influenza on Wednesday. “He has been immediately quarantined at YCM hospital in Pimpri,” Ashok Mehta, joint director of state health services, said.

Around 18,881 people were screened across the district, of which 257 suspected patients were administered Tamiflu tablets. Nearly 30,087 people have been given Tamiflu so far, Mehta added.

As many as 16 patients are being treated at present at isolation ICUs of various private and government-run hospitals in PMC and PCMC limits. Of them, eight patients are critical and have been put on ventilators, Mehta said. “Thirty nine patients were discharged on Wednesday,” he added.

A total of 4,293 patients have been discharged after treatment so far. Of them, 894 were positive cases, while 3,399 were suspected cases. Around 5.64 lakh people have been screened across the district so far, Mehta said.

2 positive cases in Satara

Satara: Two people tested positive for H1N1 flu in Satara on Wednesday. With this, the total number of positive cases in the district has reached 68.

“Both patients have been quarantined at the Krantisinh Nana Patil Civil Hospital. Their condition is improving,” Pradip Jhanchure, medical officer at the information cell of the hospital, said. The patients include a 45-year-old woman from Saygaon village in Koregaon taluka and a 10-year-old girl from Padegaon village in Phaltan. The H1N1 contagion has claimed eight lives in Satara district so far. Topics: Pune H1N1 More Stories from this section Sena candidate escapes unhurt in firing on car 57 pc voting in Satara Lack of issues, disconnect with voters cause for low turnout Setback for anti-spitting drive as tenure of PMC squads ends Section of pune-mu…More

TOI : PUNE: An analysis of H1N1 casualties in the state so far has revealed that 7.6 per cent of the total deaths occurred in pregnant women.

The state registered 160 deaths till Monday, of which 12 were pregnant women. All the 12 women who fell victim to the infection were between 20 and 30 years. Surprisingly, the state also registered two cases where the severely-ill infected women recovered and delivered babies without any complications.

“There seem to be two reasons for the death toll among H1N1 infected pregnant women. The first is the altered immune status of pregnant women making them particularly vulnerable to the virus. The second is that late pregnancy compromises lung function. If a pregnant woman gets pneumonia as a complication of the flu, it is particularly difficult to ensure that she gets enough oxygen,” said gynaecologist Sanjay Gupte, president-elect of Federation of Obstetrics and Gynaecological Societies of India (FOGSI). However, early initiation of medical treatment can make lot of difference, added Gupte.

Elaborating on the H1N1 casualties among pregnant women, D S Dakhure, director of the state health services said, “Of the total 12 H1N1 causalities among pregnant women, five occurred in rural parts of Maharashtra while seven were in urban parts.” It may be noted that two severely-ill infected pregnant women recovered and delivered babies safely without developing complication – one each in Mumbai and Pune, added Dakhure.

“Since throat swabs of severely- ill patients are only considered for test, we don’t have the data of total number of positive cases in pregnant women in the state. Suspected cases are administered Tamiflu without going for the test,” said Ashok Mehta, joint director of the state health services.

“Pregnancy weakens a woman’s immune system, so much so that she is more likely to suffer from pneumonia when she catches the flu,” said Pradip Awate, medical officer (epidemic) of the state health…More

TOI : PUNE: The concepts of people’s management propounded by political economist and this year’s Nobel Prize winner Elinor Ostrom may find relevance in India a country that has suffered for many decades from an inefficient handling of basic natural resources and from looking askance at their privatisation for a better delivery, academicians and researchers said on Tuesday.

The Indiana University researcher has demonstrated through her lab-tests and elaborate proposition that if people’ are made the owner-managers of a nation’s resources which she calls commons’ the results are more likely to be better than when the management of these resources was left entirely to the government or to private sector, the scholars told TOI.

Ostrom showed how common resources forests, fisheries, oilfields, grazing lands and irrigation systems can be managed successfully by the people who use them, rather than by governments or private companies. “What we have ignored is what citizens can do and the importance of real involvement of the people as opposed to just having somebody in the country’s capital… make a rule,” Ostrom had told reporters in a brief session in Bloomington, Indiana after the prize was announced.

Deepa Gupta, director of Symbiosis School of Economics, said Ostrom’s views can be extended to Indian conditions in looking at moving the management of natural resources from a government mechanism such as Gram Panchayat to people’s groups. “In a country as vast as India, smaller and sharply local groups of people will be able to plan the use of resources to optimise them,” Gupta said. Ostrom’s work challenges economist Milton Freidman’s argument that oligopolies (many business units that have an equal knowledge of opportunities and equal capability to tap them) will not work in the long run, Gupta pointed out, adding that implying the initiative of local people in planning will help optimise resources such as irrigation.

Rashmi Tripathi, economist with the Bank of Maharshtra, said…More

TOI : PUNE: As part of its platinum jubilee celebrations, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has launched an outreach programme in the country with an aim to create awareness among villagers about banking and its benefits.

The RBI is trying to develop Khopi, located 30 kilometers from Pune, as a model village with a target to motivate every villager to have his/her own bank account. The model will then be replicated in other villages. Besides Khopi, eight more villages around Pune including Kalyan, Shivare, Vinzer, Kusgaon, Shivapur, Kelad, Sangvi and Velhe have been selected for the outreach programme.

The RBI had reasons to identify Khopi for its pilot project. Forget about villagers not having bank accounts, Khopi does not even have a single doctor. People need to rush to Pune for every small medical necessity. So when Maya More, an MBBS aspirant, approached the RBI seeking an education loan, her request was readily accepted.

Maya comes from a poor family and could not afford to study medicine until Wednesday, when RBI disbursed her an education loan.

Maya received an amount of Rs 2.80 lakh for the next five years after which she took admission into Bharati Vidyapeeth Medical College in Katraj.

“My parents are not very well off. We do a bit of farming, but we are hardly able to run a family of four with what we earn. We don’t get enough price for our crops. And studying MBBS is not easy with the exorbitant fees. When I learnt of this scheme, I told my father about it and he willingly agreed to approach the RBI for a loan, which was accepted.”

Maya is not the only beneficiary though. “There are several self-help groups (SHG) operating in the villages. In order to strengthen their business, SHGs also need loan but they do not have access to banks as they are unaware of the…More