Higher Education : how do fair sex fare ?

What percentage of girls go for higher studies beyond high school certificate ?

2009 – 10 Survey data, compiled by India’s Ministry of Human Resource Development, provides following figures :

State                        Boys ( % )                   Girls ( % )

> Andhra Pradesh      21.3                            12.3

> Goa                       26.1                            30.9

> Maharashtra           25.3                            16.9

> Uttarakhand           27.5                            45.2

> Meghalaya              14.8                            16.1

> Mizoram                 28.3                            24.7

> Delhi                      50.7                            44.9

When it comes to “ Gender Inequality Index “ ( compiled by United Nations ), India ranks a poor 129 in 146 countries, lagging behind even Bangladesh, Nepal and Pakistan !

Not surprising, considering that even after debating for over 25 years in the parliament, we cannot pass the Women’s Reservation Bill !

With regards

Hemen  Parekh

Healthcare in India ?

US President Barack Obama recently told US citizens :

“  My preference would be that you don’t have to travel to Mexico or India to get cheap healthcare “.

Of course, 25,500 US citizens who traveled to India in 2010 for medical treatment , would have preferred to get cheap / quality healthcare in their own country – if they could have.

US citizen, Sydney Gambill, who came to India for knee replacement surgery, said,

“ The cost of surgery in US was $ 60,000, whereas in India I paid $ 7,000. Not only the money, but the facilities and post-operative care here is excellent “.

Listen to Mary Knoll, a school teacher from Massachusetts, who got a facelift in India,

“ The surgery was done extremely well and the hospital facilities here is top class “.

Can you blame 150,000 medical tourists to India ( 2010 ), if they got cheap / quality treatment as follows ?

Ø  Angiography……………………………..  $  500 / 600

Ø  Bypass Surgery……………………….   $  5000 / 6000

Ø  Vitrectomy…………………………………  $  800 / 2400

Ø  Cataract ( one eye )…………………. $  500

Ø  Lasik  ( both eyes )…………………… $  600 / 1600

Ø  Gall Bladder Stone……………………. $  700 /  800

[ Source : DNA Money / April 28,2011 and Mumbai Mirror / April 22,2011 ]

With regards

hemen  parekh

Granaries are full ? No, overflowing !

It beats the imagination.

As per a report appearing in Economic Times ( 30 June,2011 ), with a current stock of 65.5 million tons of food grains, India’s granaries are overflowing.

Even as 3 million children die every year due to mal-nutrition ( - Government does not like to call it starvation ! ).

Apparently, that is a minor issue for the government ( - especially, for the Agriculture Minister ), which wants to export 2 million tons of wheat and one million tons of rice , quickly, in order to ,

Ø  stop the grains from rotting in the open

Ø  earn export revenue

Ø  encourage farmers to produce more

So what, if the food price inflation is running at 40 % - 50 % ?

Has any wife of any minister complained ?

People have this bad habit of cribbing all the time !

With regards

Hemen  Parekh

Plan Your Family ! Get sterilized ! Win a car !

This is the story of a small town, Jhunjhunu ( Rajasthan, India ), as reported in Times of India / 30, June,2011 :

Problem  ?

• No of sterilization cases dropped from 13,265 in 2003 / 04  to 10,465 in 2009 / 10 ( - a drop in rank from 1 to 27  )

Solution  ?

• Dr. Sitaram Sharma, Chief Medical and Health Officer announced an incentive scheme for controlling births.

• Residents getting sterilized between July 1 and September 30 , will get coupons

• A draw of lots will be conducted and winners will take away :

            #     A  Nano car

            #     5,  Motor cycles

            #     5,  21” Color TV

            #     7,   Mixer-Grinders

Obviously, a win-win situation.

But even this may not stop India from overtaking China’s population of 1.3 billion by 2025 !

With regards

Hemen  Parekh

Children dying

In Sept 21, 2011 issue, DNA presents following depressing facts :

Ø  55 % of Indian children [ under 2 years ], do not receive basic comprehensive immunization

Ø  2.7 million children [ under 5 years ], receive no treatment for diarrhoea

Ø  900,000 new-born die in India annually [ 102 every hour ! ]

Ø  2.6 million is the number of health-workers India needs to meet WHO standards

Ø  1.04 % of GDP is what India spends on health

How many millions of lives can we save , if all the black money stashed abroad [ and within the country ], including monies pocketed by the “ Corrupt “, thru 2G scam / Air India scam / NRHM scam / PSU scam / illegal mining scam etc. were available and spent on health-care of the poor ?

And do not single out West Bengal. Situation is the same everywhere !

With regards

hemen  parekh