क्या जल जंगल जमीन कार्पोरेट की भेट चढ़ेंगे ?

1:57 AM / Posted by SHIV SHAMBU / comments (0)



काले अध्यादेशों, प्राकृतिक संपदाओं की कम्पनी लूट की खुली छूट और जन-प्रतिरोध  राष्ट्रीय अधिवेशन
 सन् 2014 के आखिरी हफ्ते में मौजूदा मोदी सरकार ने भूमि अधिग्रहण के लिए एक अध्यादेश जारी किया। इस अध्यादेश के जरिए से सरकार और कम्पनीयों द्वारा भूमि अधिग्रहण की प्रक्रिया और आसान हो जाएगी। क्योंकि इस अध्यादेश में सन् 2013 में बने हुए संशोधित भूमि अधिग्रहण कानून में जो थोडे़ बहुत जनपक्षीय प्रावधान थे, उसे भी खत्म कर दिया गया और साथ ही साथ 13 अन्य कानूनों जैसे वनाधिकार कानून 2006, वन संरक्षण कानून आदि के प्रावधानों को भी अध्यादेश के अन्तर्गत कर लिया गया, जिससे इन कानूनों में लोगों के लिए जो अधिकार सुरक्षित रखे गये थे उसे भी निष्प्रभावी कर दिया गया, यानि के सरकार व कम्पनी द्वारा व्यक्तिगत और सार्वजनिक ज़मीनों का जो अधिग्रहण/अतिक्रमण होगा उसके खिलाफ कोई कानूनी प्रक्रिया अब नहीं होगी। सरकार ने एक झटके में जल,जंगल,ज़मीन व खनिज पर लोगों के जो भी सीमित अधिकार सुनिश्चत थे उसे भी खत्म कर दिये।

मोदी सरकार ने जो जनविरोधी कदम उठाये है वो सरासर संविधान विरोधी हैं। भारतीय संविधान में अनु0 39बी में प्राकृतिक संपदाओं पर नागरिकों के बुनियादी अधिकारों को सुरक्षित रखने के लिए जो प्रावधान हैं यह अध्यादेश उन प्रावधानों को खारिज करता है। कोई भी निर्वाचित सरकार न्यायोचित ढ़ग से ऐसा कृत्य नहीं कर सकती है, ऐसा अध्यादेश केवल विशेष परिस्थिति में या आपातकालीन स्थिति में ही जारी होता है। सरकार ने न तो संसद में और न जनता के सामने ऐसा कोई कारण दर्शाया है, तो फिर ऐसे अध्यादेश की ज़रूरत क्यों पडी़ ? यह सच्चाई देश की जनता के सामने लाना जरूरी है। और तो और मोदी सरकार ने इन्ही दिनों में संसदीय प्रक्रिया का उल्लंघन करके कई काले अध्यादेश जारी किए। 

संसद का शीतकालीन अधिवेशन 23 दिसम्बर 2014 को खत्म हुआ, जिसमें इन विषयों पर संसद में बहस चल रही थी। लेकिन धर्म परिवर्तन के मुद्दे पर सरकार की हटधर्मितापूर्ण रवैए के कारण बार-बार संसद का सत्र बाधित होता रहा और जिसके कारण भूमि अधिग्रहण कानून के संशोधनों पर दोनों सदनों में विस्तृत चर्चा पूरी नहीं हो पायी थी। ऐसी परिस्थिति में सरकार को अगले सत्र के लिए इंतज़ार करना चाहिए था जो कि 2 महीने बाद बजट सत्र शुरू होना है। बजट सत्र संसद के सबसे लम्बा सत्र होता है जो लगभग 3 महीने चलता है। जिसमें इन संवेदनशील मुद्दों पर पूरी बहस हो सकती है। 

लेकिन सरकार ने शीतकालीन सत्र खत्म होने के एक हफ्ते के अन्दर ही इन काले अध्यादेशों को जारी किया। यह संसदीय प्रणाली की घोर अवमानना है, जिससे देश की प्रजातांत्रिक व्यवस्था कमजोर होती नज़र आ रही हैं। एक तरह से इन अध्यादेशों से सरकार जानबूझ कर एक राजनैतिक अराजकता की स्थिति पैदा कर रही हंै, और जनता का ध्यान मूल समस्याओं जैसे महंगाई, बेरोजगारी, भू-अधिकार, भ्रष्टाचार से हटाने की साजि़श कर रही है।

इन परिस्थितियों से देश के करोडो़ं आम नागरिक, प्रगतिशील समाज, न्यायविदों और विपक्षी राजनैतिक दलों में हड़कम्प मच गया, सभी के लिए एक ही चिन्ता का विषय है कि मोदी सरकार के शासनकाल में केवल 7 महीने के अन्दर ही देश के संवैधानिक ढ़ाचे पर शासक दल का आक्रमण शुरू हो गया है और इसके चलते हमारी प्रजातांत्रिक व्यवस्था अब खतरे में पड़ गयी है। 

भारत एक बहुभाषी, बहुसांस्कृतिक और बहुवर्गीय राष्ट्र है और शासकीय स्तर पर एक बहुराज्यीय संघ है। भारतीय संविधान इन विविधता और बहुलता को एकताबद्ध रखने का एक बुनियादी आधार हैं, यह महज़ एक दस्तावेज़ नहीं हैं, बल्कि लाखों करोडो़ं देशवासियों को एक जुट रखकर एक सशक्त राष्ट्रनिर्माण की प्राण है। अतः भारतीय संवैधानिक ढ़ाचे की छेड़खानी और इसकी अवमानना राष्ट्रहित के खिलाफ है। दरअसल मोदी सरकार प्रजातांत्रिक राष्ट्र व्यवस्था जिसमें सभी नागरिकों की सुरक्षा निहित है, उसे तोड़कर एक ऐसी व्यवस्था कायम करना चाहते है, जिसमें सिर्फ देशी और विदेशी कम्पनीयों (कारपोरेट) के निहित स्वार्थों की पूर्ति की जाएगी, साथ ही साथ इन कम्पनीयों के राजनैतिक, आर्थिक और सामाजिक तावेदार फलेंगे-फूलेंगे और आम जनता बेहाल।  कम्पनीयों के दबाव के चलते मोदी सरकार को जल्द से जल्द यह काम पूरा करना है और इसीलिए देशी-विदेशी बड़ी कम्पनीयों की आवभगत देश-विदेश में जोरो-शोरो से चल रही हैं। 


इस तरह से भारतीय गणराज्य फिर से गुलामी के दौर में पंहुच जायेगा। इन काले अध्यादेशों को जारी करके मोदी सरकार ने अपनी मंशा को साफ कर दिया, और अब मौजूदा सरकार के चरित्र के बारे में कोई भ्रम की गुंजाईश नहीं हैं। भले ही इस सरकार ने अपने चुनावी वादों में आम लोगों को अच्छे दिन लाने के बड़े-बडे़ सपने दिखाये थे, अब केवल पूंजीपतियों और इजा़रेदारों के लिए ही अच्छे दिन आएगें। अब कम्पनीयों को देश की प्राकृतिक संपदाओं को लूटने की खुली छूट मिलेगी और विकास के नाम पर बडे़-बडे़ कर्ज मुहैया कराये जायेंगे जिसका सारा बोझ आम जनता के कन्धों पर होगा और इनका हाल बदतर से बदतर होता जाएगा।

देश के तमाम मेहनतकश किसान, मज़दूर, कर्मचारी, लघुउद्यमी, छोटे व्यापारी, दस्तकारों, मछुवारे, रेहडी़ व पटरी वाले और इसके सर्मथक प्रगतिशील तबकों के लिए यह एक अति चुनौतीपूर्ण दौर हैं। अब शासकीय कुचक्र के खिलाफ संघर्ष के अलावा कोई और विकल्प नहीं है, बीच-बचाव करने का अब कोई सुराग भी नहीं बचा। इस जनविरोधी व्यवस्था के खिलाफ एक निर्णायक जनसंघर्ष ही एक मात्र विकल्प है। जिसमें तमाम शोषित, पीडि़त और प्रगतिशील शक्तियां एकजुट होकर एक नई राजनैतिक प्रक्रिया को जन्म देंगे। ऐसी प्रक्रिया जो लोकहितकारी और जनपक्षीय व्यवस्था की स्थापना करेगी। आज तमाम विरोधी पार्टियां भी जो ज्यादात्तर अब तक उदारीकरण नीति को ही अनुसरण कर रही थी, उनके अस्तित्वों में भी खतरा पैदा हो गया और वे भी अब एकजुट होने की कोशिश कर रहे है और जनसंघर्ष के साथ भी संवाद कर रहे है।

 हालांकि ये निश्चित नहीं है कि राजनैतिक दलों में से कितने दल लंबे समय तक जनसंघर्ष के साथ में चलेंगे लेकिन फिर भी एक उम्मीद तो जागी कि कुछ दिन तक ये संवाद तो जारी रहेंगे और मज़बूत भी होगे, वक्त का तकाज़ा भी यही हैं। जनसंघर्षों के लंबे समय से जुडे़ हुए संगठनों ऐसी परिस्थिति में स्वाभाविक रूप से करीब आ रहे हैं, और सामुहिक चर्चा की प्रक्रिया शुरू हो गई है। अलग-अलग जगहों में अलग-अलग तरीके से अपनी मांगों को लेकर प्रक्रियाएं चल रही हैं। इन अलग-अलग प्रक्रियाओं को एक साॅझा मंच में समाहित होना हैं, ताकि अपनी संघर्षों और विचारों को और मजबूत करें। अलग-अलग रहकर अब लम्बे समय तक संघर्ष को जारी रखना सम्भव नहीं है। फिलहाल सबके लिए सबसे अहम मुद्दा इन काले अध्यादेशों को खत्म करना है। इस जनविरोधी व्यवस्था को ध्वस्त करने के लिए यह पहली कड़ी है।


इसी संदर्भ में कुछ प्रमुख जनसंगठनों ने मिलकर दिल्ली में 23-24 जनवरी 2015 को एक  दो दिवसीय् राष्ट्रीय अधिवेशन आयोजित करना तय किया हैं। हालांकि वर्तमान परिस्थिति के दबाव के चलते और जरूरत को देखते हुए यह सम्मेलन जल्दी में आयोजित किया जा रहा है। लेकिन कोशिश है कि ज्यादा से ज्यादा प्रमुख जनसंगठनों के प्रतिनिधिगण इसमें शामिल रहें, ताकि कुछ रणनीतिक और फौरी फैंसले लिए जा सके और आगे बढ़ सकें। निश्चित रूप से यह प्रयास यही खत्म नहीं होगा बल्कि राज्य व क्षेत्रों में ऐसे अधिवेशन/सम्मेलन का आयोजन किया जायेगा। ताकि एक निश्चित समय में सभी आन्दोलनकारी संगठन सामुहिक रूप से एक राष्ट्रीय जनान्दोलन खडा़ कर सकेगें ऐसा जनान्दोलन जो इस जनविरोधी व्यवस्था को चुनौती दे सकें।
इतिहास गवाह है कि भारत में पिछले 250 वर्षों में औपनिवेशिक काल में तथा आजा़द भारत में भी बार-बार ऐसे जनान्दोलन की रचना हुई और शासक वर्ग को धवस्त भी किया गया, लेकिन यह भी सच्चाई है कि हर बार जो भी नई व्यवस्था आयी वो भी लोगों को शोषण मुक्त नहीं कर पायी और ऐतिहासिक अन्याय जारी रहा। क्योंकि सत्ता परिवर्तन के साथ-साथ जनसंघर्ष और प्रगतिशील राजनैतिक शक्तियां विघटीत होती गयी और सत्ताधारियों को अन्यायपूर्ण व्यवस्था को चलाने की छूट मिलती चली गयी। इस बार जनसंघर्षकारी संगठनों को और भी जागरूक होकर संगठित संघर्ष को चलाना होगा ताकि जनसंघर्ष अपनी मंजिल तक पंहुच सके। 

दुधिया लाइव के साभार से

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news alert

12:39 AM / Posted by SHIV SHAMBU / comments (0)

n the ongoing case of bullying-turned-racketeering that morphed into exchange of “protection money” and favours from about 150 students of the four elite private schools in the city by three youths, the police have started recording statements of the students.

Sikh body approaches HC seeking ban on dera chief's film 'MSG: Messenger of God'

4:47 AM / Posted by SHIV SHAMBU / comments (0)

n the ongoing case of bullying-turned-racketeering that morphed into exchange of “protection money” and favours from about 150 students of the four elite private schools in the city by three youths, the police have started recording statements of the students.

Monsanto Roundup weedkiller and GM maize implicated in ‘shocking’ new cancer study

5:27 AM / Posted by SHIV SHAMBU / comments (0)

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Environmental Toxins to Blame for Declining Fertility Rates?

2:28 AM / Posted by SHIV SHAMBU / comments (0)

Environmental Toxins to Blame for Declining Fertility Rates?
published 11:00 a.m., Tuesday, July 10, 2012

 

Exposure to toxic chemicals in our environment may be negatively impacting fertility rates. Currently, infertility impacts 15% of all couples with causes equally attributable to both the male and female partner. Fortunately, by identifying and better understanding how to avoid these harmful toxins, couples can minimize the negative impact they have on their fertility. Following are 10 simple steps to doing just that.
Bellingham, WA (PRWEB) July 10, 2012
Over the last couple of decades, environmental and reproductive health advocates have been sounding the alarm about the devastating impact that short-term and long-term exposure to toxic chemicals in our environment has on male and female fertility. And, these folks are not just crying wolf: The mounting evidence linking exposure to environmental toxins with impaired reproductive function (including decreasing fertility rates and increasing rates of pregnancy complications) grows larger and larger with each passing year.
While many tend to associate infertility issues with the female partner, that is often not the case. “It’s a fact that one in six couples will have difficulty conceiving, but many aren’t aware that almost half the time, it’s the male who is the cause of the problem,” said fertility expert, Dr. Amos Grunebaum. According to a study in the British Medical Journal, average sperm count in adult males has decreased by an alarming 50 percent since 1938 and continues to decline at a rate of 2 percent each year. Exposure to environmental toxins is suspected to be a contributing factor.
Unfortunately, it is virtually impossible to completely avoid exposure to the chemicals that harm reproductive health, which is certainly unsettling news for trying-to-conceive couples. These chemicals, often referred to as endocrine disruptors because of their ability to wreak havoc with the normal function of our hormones, are everywhere in our environment. You breathe them in, drink them in, eat them, and apply them to your hair and skin when using cosmetics and shampoos.
While it is impossible to completely avoid exposure to toxins in today’s world, there are steps you can take to mitigate their effect on your reproductive health. Here are 10 things you can do to reduce the toxic burden in your body:
1.    Get to know the enemy. Here is an introduction to the chemicals that may be reducing your fertility. By familiarizing yourself with these names, you can take steps to reduce your exposure, remembering of course, that some exposure is inevitable.
Bisphenol–A: BPA is used to make the plastics found in food and drink containers, the lining of tin cans, toys, baby bottles, dental sealants, flame retardants, and plastic wraps. The story of BPA clearly illustrates the uphill climb that environmental and reproductive health advocates face when trying to initiate change. Armed with a large body of scientific evidence (based on animal research) that reveals that BPA exposure contributes to heart disease, diabetes, as well as fertility and reproductive issues, advocates have been lobbying for years to get BPA banned. In January 2010, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) did officially state concern about the health effects of BPA exposure, although no additional action was taken to restrict the use of BPA in the manufacturing of plastics.
Parabens: These chemicals are found primarily in cosmetics and pharmaceuticals as a preservative, appearing on ingredient labels with names like methylparaben, ethylparaben and propylparaben.
Phthalates: These chemicals are added to plastics to make them more flexible and resilient. Phthalates are found in lots of different products that we come in contact with daily, including detergents, plastic bags, food packaging, shower curtains, children’s toys, soaps and shampoos, and hair spray. Again, it is important to read labels, as these chemicals may appear in the ingredient listing with names like DBP (di-n-butyl phthalate) and DEP (diethyl phthalate). 
Dioxin: A general name given to a group of hundreds of chemicals that are formed during industrial processes that involve the use of chlorine, including waste incineration, chemical and pesticide manufacturing, and pulp and paper bleaching. Dioxin is released into the air and settles onto the ground where it contaminates soils, and thereby makes its way into the food supply. 
Organophosphates and organochlorines: These compounds are used in the manufacture of pesticides and herbicides.
Heavy metals: Due to industrial processes, pollution from automobiles, cigarette smoke, and heavy pesticide use, heavy metals (such as cadmium, mercury, lead and arsenic) pervade our food supply and our environment. As a result, most people are exposed on a daily basis to these metals, which can accumulate in our organs and impair reproductive health.
2.    Support organic farming. Whenever possible choose organic produce, dairy products, and meats. Buying “organic” guarantees that your food will be free of pesticide residues and artificial growth hormones. And, it is important to remember that many toxic chemicals are stored in fatty tissues, which means that organic dairy products and meats that contain fat (which all of them do to some extent) will have fewer contaminants than animal products coming from conventionally raised livestock.
3.    Break the habit. Cigarette smoke is a major source of heavy metal exposure.
4.    Say no to BPA. Avoid purchasing food and drinks packaged in plastics containing bisphenol -A. And, never microwave food in plastic containers.
5.    Drink filtered water. And, be sure to avoid bottled water packaged in plastic bottles containing bisphenol-A.
6.    Supplement with fish oil. Omega 3 fatty acids (found primarily in fish oil) are an important part of a healthy diet, and especially important for trying-to-conceive and pregnant women. But, unfortunately, the fish that are high in Omega 3s also tend to have high levels of mercury. By supplementing with a chemical-free, high-quality fish oil supplement, such asPregnancy Plus Omega 3, you will reap the benefits of the omega-3 fatty acids without the risk of increasing your mercury levels.
7.    Put the green in clean. Use only non-toxic cleaning supplies in your home.
8.    Free yourself from parabens and phthalates. Read the labels of the personal care products you use very carefully, and avoid products that contain phthalates and parabens.
9.    Don’t contaminate your yard. Choose natural, non-toxic alternatives to conventional pesticides and fertilizers for your lawn and garden care needs.
10.    Detoxify! Fairhaven Health has gathered a team of doctors and nutritionists to develop FertileDetox, a comprehensive formulation designed to enhance fertility in women and men by helping the body's detoxification systems to neutralize and remove the toxic compounds that diminish reproductive health.
“FertileDetox helps promote the elimination of environmental toxins that can damage reproductive organs, decreasing fertility for both women and men,” says Dr. Chris Meletis, a fertility expert and former Naturopathic Physician of the Year who helps to formulate products for Fairhaven Health. “Before actively trying to conceive, men and women should focus on creating truly fertile ground for conception by eliminating the toxins we’re exposed to every day.” FertileDetox was formulated for both women and men and should be taken 3 months before actively trying to conceive and up until pregnancy is achieved. FertileDetox retails for $34.95 and is available at http://www.fairhavenhealth.com.
About Fairhaven Health and their Medical Advisors 
Fairhaven Health’s safe, natural products promote healthy reproduction, from preconception through pregnancy and nursing. Fairhaven’s supplement products are based on clinically-established science and all manufacturing is governed by strict Good Manufacturing Practice Regulations overseen by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Distribution partners include hospitals, fertility clinics, pharmacies, specialty retail stores and online retailers such as CVS.com, drugstore.com and walgreens.com.
Dr. Grunebaum is a New York based physician who is double-board certified in obstetrics/gynecology and maternal-fetal medicine (high-risk pregnancy). He is recognized as one of New York's foremost Ob/Gyns as evidenced by his regular inclusion in Castle Connolly's "Top Doctors: New York."
Dr. Meletis is an internationally recognized naturopathic physician and respected educator in the field of natural medicine. A former Dean of Naturopathic Medicine and Chief Medical Officer for the National College of Naturopathic Medicine, Dr. Meletis has authored 14 books and over 80 published articles.
For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/prweb2012/7/prweb9672821.htm

Organic foods are not healthier or better for the environment – and they’re packed with pesticides, argued Rob Johnston in his article “The great organic myths” published in these columns on August 8. Here is the counter view

12:41 AM / Posted by SHIV SHAMBU / comments (0)

Organic foods are not healthier or better for the environment – and they’re packed with pesticides, argued Rob Johnston in his article “The great organic myths” published in these columns on August 8. Here is the counter view 
Myths about industrial agricultureDr Vandana Shiva
INDUSTRIAL agriculture is an inefficient and wasteful system which is chemical intensive, fossil fuel intensive and capital intensive. It destroys nature’s capital on the one hand and society’s capital on the other, by displacing small farms and destroying health. It uses 10 units of energy as input to produce one unit of energy as food.
Farm workers spray fertilizer in a paddy field at a village near Amritsar. Our food is as healthy as the soil on which it grows.
Farm workers spray fertilizer in a paddy field at a village near Amritsar. Our food is as healthy as the soil on which it grows. Photo: AFP
This waste is amplified by anther factor often when animals are put in factory farms and fed grain, instead of grass in free range ecological systems, Rob Johnston celebrates these animal prisons as efficient, ignoring the fact that it takes 7 kg of grain to produce one kg of beef, 4kg of grain to produce 1 kg of pork and 2.4 kg of grain to produce 1 kg of chicken. The diversion of food grains to feed is a major contributor to world hunger. And the shadow acres to produce this grain are never counted. Europe uses seven times the area outside Europe to produce feed for its factory farms.
Targeting small farmsSmall farms of the world provide 70% of the food, yet are being destroyed in the name of low “yields”. Some 88% of the food is consumed within the same eco-region or country where it is grown. Industrialisation and globalisation is the exception, not the norm. And where industrialisation has not destroyed small farms and local food economies, biodiversity and food are bringing sustenance to people.
The biodiversity of agriculture is being maintained by small farmers. As the ETC report states “peasants breed and nurture 40 livestock species and almost 8,000 breeds. Peasants also breed 5,000 domesticated crops and have donated more than 1.9 million plant varieties to the world’s gene banks. Peasant fishers harvest and protect more than 15,000 freshwater species. The work of peasants and pastoralists maintaining soil fertility is 18 times more valuable than the synthetic fertilizers provided by the seven largest corporations” (ETC Group, “Who Will Feed Us?”).
When this biodiversity rich food system is replaced by industrial monocultures, when food is commoditised, the result is hunger and malnutrition. Of the world’s 6.6 billion, one billion are not getting enough food, another billion might get enough calories but not enough nutrition, especially micro nutrients. Another 1.3 billion who are obese suffer the malnutrition of being condemned to artificially cheap, calorie-rich, nutrient-poor processed food.
Hunger by designHalf of the world’s population is a victim of structural hunger and food injustice in today’s dominant design for food. We have had hunger in the past, but it was caused by external factors – wars and natural disasters. It was localised in space and time. Today’s hunger is permanent and global. It is hunger by design. This does not mean that those who design the contemporary food systems intend to create hunger. It does mean that the creation of hunger is built into the corporate design of industrial production and globalised distribution of food.
The dominant myth of industrial agriculture is that it produces more food and is land saving. However, the more industrial agriculture spreads, the more hungry people we have. And the more industrial agriculture spreads, the more land is grabbed.
Productivity in industrial agriculture is measured in terms of “yield” per acre, not overall output. And the only input taken into account is labour, which is abundant, not natural resources which are scarce.
A resource hungry and resource destructive system of agriculture is not land saving, it is land demanding. That is why industrial agriculture is driving a massive planetary land grab. It is leading to the deforestation of the rainforests in the Amazon for soya and in Indonesia for palmoil. And it is fuelling a land grab in Africa, displacing pastoralists and peasants.
Industrial agriculture is responsible for 75% biodiversity erosion, 75% water destruction, 75% land degradation and 40% greenhouse gases. It is too heavy a burden on the planet. And as the 2,70,000 farmers suicides in India show, it is too heavy a burden on our farmers.
The toxics and poisons used in chemical farming are creating a health burden for our society. Remember Bhopal. Remember the endosulfan victims in Kerala. And remember Punjab’s cancer train.
A series of media reports have covered another study by a team led by Bravata, a senior affiliate with Stanford's Center for Health Policy, and Crystal Smith-Spangler, MD, MS, an instructor in the school's Division of General Medical Disciplines and a physician-investigator at VA Palo Alto Health Care System, did the most comprehensive meta-analysis to date of existing studies comparing organic and conventional foods. They did not find strong evidence that organic foods are more nutritious or carry fewer health risks than conventional alternatives, though consumption of organic foods can reduce the risk of pesticide exposure.”
This study can hardly be called the “most comprehensive meta analysis.” For their study, the researchers sifted through thousands of papers and identified 237 of the most relevant to analyse. This already exposes the bias. The biggest meta analysis on food and agriculture has been done by the United Nations as the International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology (IAASTD).
Parading junk scienceAbout 400 scientists from across the world worked for four years to analyse all publications on different approaches to agriculture, and concluded that chemical industrial agriculture is no longer an option, only ecological farming is. Yet the Stanford team presents itself as the most comprehensive study, and claims there are no health benefits from organic agriculture, even though there were no long-term studies of health outcomes of people consuming organic versus conventionally produced food; the duration of the studies involving human subjects ranged from two days to two years. Two days does not make a scientific study. No impact can be measured in a two-day study. This is junk science parading as science. One principle about food and health is that our food is as healthy as the soil on which it grows. And it is as deficient as the soils become with chemical farming.
Industrial chemical agriculture creates hunger and malnutrition by robbing crops of nutrients. Industrially produced food is nutritionally empty mass, loaded with chemicals and toxins. Nutrition in food comes from nutrients in the soil. Industrial agriculture, based on the NPK mentality of synthetic nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium based fertilisers leads to the depletion of vital micro nutrients and trace elements such as magnesium, zinc, calcium and iron.
David Thomas, a geologist-turned-nutritionist, discovered that between 1940 and 1991, vegetables had lost – on average – 24 percent of their magnesium, 46 percent of their calcium, 27 percent of their iron and no less than 76 percent of their copper (Ref :David Thomas 'A study on the mineral depletion of the foods available to us as a nation over the period 1940 to 1991'. Nutrition and Health 2003; 17: 85-115).
Carrots had lost 75 percent of their calcium, 46 percent of their iron and 75 percent of their copper. Potatoes had lost 30 percent of their magnesium, 35 percent calcium, 45 percent iron and 47 percent copper.
To get the same amount of nutrition people will need to eat much more food. The increase in “yields” of empty mass does not translate into more nutrition. In fact it is leading to malnutrition.
Poor nutritionThe IAASTD recognises that through an agro-ecological approach “agro-ecosystems of even the poorest societies have the potential through ecological agriculture and IPM to meet or significantly exceed yields produced by conventional methods, reduce the demand for land conversion for agriculture, restore ecosystem services (particularly water) reduce the use of and need for synthetic fertilisers derived from fossil fuels, and the use of harsh insecticides and herbicides.”
Our 25 years of experience at Navdanya shows that ecological, organic farming is the only way to produce food without harming the planet and people’s health. This is a trend that will grow, no matter how many pseudo-scientific stories are planted in the media by the industry.
Vandana Shiva is the author of “Violence of Green Revolution” and Director, Research Foundation for Science Technology & Ecology, New Delhi

Health a casualty in toxic Bet villages

12:40 AM / Posted by SHIV SHAMBU / comments (0)

Health a casualty in toxic Bet villages Impure water flowing from Budha Nullah has made area residents vulnerable to various diseases
Minna Zutshi
Tribune News Service
Ludhiana, September 9
Sixtyfive years after Independence, residents of Sidhwan Bet area have no potable water or easy access to health services. The highly toxic water flowing from the Budha Nullah have made the residents’ life vulnerable to life-threatening diseases.
At Harnam Singh’s house in Hujran village, an old woman greets us with a faint smile. She is a cancer survivor. It took her almost a year to get the disease diagnosed. Finally, she got treatment from a private hospital in Rajasthan. The disease has aged the woman prematurely. There’s no government dispensary in the village, says her husband. A young woman places two glasses of water on the table.
She insists that we drink the water at once lest it turns yellow. A woman visiting them complains of hepatitis. Another woman from the same village mistakes The Tribune reporter for a doctor. She hastens to narrate her medical history, observing that a medical practitioner in the village is a rarity.
Adjacent to this house is a government school where a girl, after having her midday meal, is gulping water drawn from a hand pump. Some boys are seen queuing up for tap water. We ask them whether any RO system has been installed at the school. “We’re told by a teacher that the school does have an RO system. The teachers drink treated water. We’re told that there’s a plan to dismantle the hand pump and to connect taps to the waterworks in the village,” says one of them.
Apart from the foundation stone at the schoolgate, three other stones announcing various developmental works catch one’s eye. At Bhaini Gujran, students at Government Primary School are drinking water from a hose pipe. The “RO system”, we are told, is out of order.
“As a social worker, it pains me to watch these students drink this foul water. The school does not have a connection to the village waterworks. We’re playing with our children’s health ,” says Kiranjit Kaur, an anganwadi worker at a centre on the school premises.
At Bhaini Araiyan village, a patriarch whose five family members are cancer patients, talks only of the polluted water that the villagers in the Bet area are forced to consume. “The poison flowing from the Budha Nullah is killing the residents,” he says. “No one from the Health Department has ever visited us,” he claims.
At Walipur Khurd, sarpanch Ranjit Kaur’s daughter-in-law Kulwinder says though they get the water from the waterworks, it turns yellowish if kept overnight in a container. The family has installed an RO system at home. The sarpanch, referring to some cases of hepatitis C and cancer, says in case of illness, the villagers have to go to Hambran for treatment though the nearest government dispensary is at Bhundri.
Ghamnewal village sarpanch Manjit Singh says there is a need to bore deeper for waterworks. At the far-end of Walipur Khurd village, four households near the bundh along the Sutlej complain about the water drawn from the recently installed hand pump. “If we keep the water unused for a few hours, it gets spoilt,” says Pal Kaur.
Social activist Sohan Singh Salempura says: “The Bet area is the backwaters of Punjab. The people here, instead of consulting medical experts, prefer to repose their faith in tantriks and quacks. Many villagers are unaware of the grave threat that the polluted water poses to their health. Lack of adequate healthcare services is turning desperate residents towards quacks and tantriks.”
OFFICIAL WORD
Dr Satpaul, Senior Medical Officer, Sidhwan Bet, when contacted, said, “We keep organising awareness camps in the villages. From time to time, we call sarpanches and panches to these camps as we feel that the people will pay heed to their suggestions.”
He claimed that the healthcare facilities were adequate. “In the recent past, we conducted 23 major surgeries. Sixty deliveries were conducted at the Community Health Centre (CHC) in Sidhwan Bet. Out of these surgeries, seven C-sections were done. Our daily OPD gets more than 150 patients. a round-the-clock emergency services are available at the CHC. Ambulance 108 are also available,” he said.
“The bed occupancy rate at the CHC is more than 100 per cent. We have adequate staff. There are 25 sub-centres and 16 subsidiary health centres in the Sidhwan Bet block,” he added.
Legislator Manpreet Singh Ayali said he would make all efforts to ensure that the villagers faced no problem. “We plan to new health schemes for the villagers,” he said

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