YEH MERA INDIA

Clean water is a mirage to 63 million Indians

Kochi: India has the maximum number of people – 63 million – living in rural areas without access to clean water, according to a new global report released to mark World Water Day. This is almost the population of the United Kingdom, said “Wild Water”, a report on the state of the world’s water.

Lack of government planning, competing demands, rising population and water-draining agricultural practices are all placing increasing strain on water, said the WaterAid’s report. Without access to clean water, 63 million people are living in rural areas in India. Diseases such as cholera, blinding trachoma, malaria, and dengue are expected to become more common and malnutrition more prevalent, it said.

Rural communities dependent on farming to make a living will struggle to grow food and feed livestock amid soaring temperatures, and women –typically responsible for collecting water –may have to walk even greater distances during prolonged dry seasons, the report forewarned.

Describing India as one of the world’s fastest growing economies, it said ensuring water security for the growing population is one of the main challenges facing the country.  According to India’s official Ground Water Resources Assessment, more than one-sixth of the country’s groundwater supply is currently overused. “Droughts have become almost a way of life in the Bundelkhand region of North-Central India. Here, three consecutive droughts have pushed millions of people into a vicious cycle of hunger and poverty,” it said. “India ranks in the top 38% of countries worldwide most vulnerable to climate change and least ready to adapt, according to the Notre Dame Global Adaptation Index.

“With 67% of the country’s population living in rural areas and 7% of the rural population even now living without access to clean water, India’s rural poor are highly vulnerable to the effects of extreme weather events and climate change,” it said.

The report said, 663 million people globally are without clean water and the vast majority of them –522 million– live in rural areas. According to WaterAid India’s Chief Executive VK Madhavan, with 27 out of the 35 states and union territories in India are disaster prone, poorest and the most marginalised across the country will bear the brunt of extreme weather events and climate change and will find it the hardest to adapt.

“This World Water Day, WaterAid is calling on the government to deliver its promise to meet the Sustainable Development Goals, including ensuring access to safe water as part of Goal 6 to everyone, everywhere,” he said in a statement. 

Audit queries pending since 1993-94 in BMC

Mumbai: Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) audit department has revealed that more than 25% of audit queries go unanswered by several departments. The audit department is yet to clear its backlog of past 22 years in order to complete the entire audit report. However, the department have been submitting its annual report even with some unanswered audit queries.

Speaking exclusively, S Bansode, Municipal Chief Auditor, complained that the audit department is troubled by a severe staff crunch. “We have 700 civic officials in the department; however, around 200 positions are still vacant. We need to hire more in order to speedily finish the pending audit work.”

Surprisingly, out of all the civic departments, health and education department have majority of unanswered audit queries. Bansode said, “There are nearly 3,000 queries pending from the health department. Also, around 1,000 audit queries are unanswered by the education department.”

In the wake of multi-crore scams being unearthed in BMC, the BJP-ruled state government last year had appointed Bansode. The appointment was opposed by Shiv Sena saying the state cannot intervene in the functioning of the civic body.

In order to finish the audit process quickly, Bansode said officials from the audit department will start visiting the hospitals to clearly review the budget allocation and expenditure of the health department.

“I have held a meeting with the city’s deputy municipal commissioners in order to take necessary actions for completing the audit process,” added Bansode.

The issue of pending audit report once again cropped up in the standing committee meeting when a status report on pending audit reports since 1993-94 was submitted.

BJP along with the opposition demanded that audit remarks to be submitted soon to the committee. They went ahead and demanded that the municipal commissioner and chief auditor submit their audit remarks before the standing committee and, if they fail, they would not clear this year’s civic budget.

Career advancement more important than 

ethics for Indians: Survey

Mumbai: Career progression is far more important than ethical behaviour for a significant number of working professionals in India, a survey has found.

About 41% of Indian respondents said they are prepared to act unethically to enhance their own career progression or remuneration package, according to the survey conducted by professional services firm EY.

According to EY’s Europe, Middle East, India and Africa (EMEIA) Fraud survey, 41% of Indian respondents would not report fraud, bribery or corruption incidents due to loyalty to colleagues.

Globally, 1 in 5 respondents said they would be prepared to act unethically for their careers.

The survey said 44% Indian respondents admitted they are unlikely to report fraud, bribery and corruption concerns if it could hamper their future career development within the company.

“The perception of fraud and corruption in corporate India has seen a marginal but positive shift, led by amplified regulatory scrutiny and emphasis on transparency and governance. “However, unethical behaviour at the workplace, including Gen Y, has become a serious cause of concern,” EY India Partner and National Leader, Fraud Investigation and Dispute Services, Arpinder Singh said.

While improved enforcement action has restored confidence in businesses, companies should encourage millennials to strengthen their moral compass, communicate the importance of upholding ethical standards and develop programmes to motivate future leaders make right choices, he said.

Only 30% were aware of whistle-blowing hotlines used for monitoring compliance with anti-bribery and corruption laws, while 20% assented to withholding information or concerns due to internal pressure. The survey said 59% would report concerns around unethical behaviour to a law enforcement agency, 52% to a regulator.

No money to bribe for wheelchair: patient uses toy tricycle

Hyderabad: The state-run Gandhi Hospital authorities constituted a committee to probe into the allegations that a patient was denied wheelchair for being unable to pay “bribes.”

In the absence of the wheelchair, the patient, with severe mobility problems, has been left moving around in the hospital for treatment, on a kids’ tricycle of his son, that his wife brings to the hospital while visiting it with him. S Raju in his 40s had been visiting the hospital for a follow-up treatment for the burn injuries that he had suffered due to electrical shock last August. His wife Santoshi alleged as she did not have money to pay “tips” to the ward-boys, he was not being given wheelchairs and had to use a tricycle to move around in the hospital.

Santoshi said they had been coming to the hospital for the treatment and the doctors had told her that her husband, a painter, needs to undergo surgery. But the hospital authorities, she said, have been postponing it on various pretexts, including the paucity of beds. She further said as ward-boys had been demanding Rs 100 to Rs 200 for providing a wheelchair; she had been bringing their son’s tricycle to the hospital during their visits.

“At least on five to six occasions, I paid the amount. But, on Wednesday, I was not able to pay because I did not have the money. I brought this tricycle to the hospital and made my husband sit on it to move around in the hospital premises for treatment,” said Santoshi, who stays in Begumpet.

Meanwhile, Gandhi Hospital’s superintendent Dr. Manjula told PTI “We have not got any written complaint from the attendants’ of the patient. However, on the basis of media reports, we have constituted an inquiry committee to look into the matter. “A report is likely to be submitted within a day. Based on the report, the necessary action will be initiated against those responsible for the incident.”

Dr Manjula said the patient, who had suffered electric burns, had undergone treatment at the hospital for over three months and got himself discharged against the medical advise, though he had been visiting the hospital as outpatient.