check out the results here
PUC Results - Karnataka PUC results 2008
Over 16,000 school and college students in India committed suicide in the last three years, says the health ministry, shedding light once again on the sorry state of mental healthcare in the country.
As per the ministry, 5,857 students committed suicide in 2006 and the figure for 2005 was 5,138. Similarly, in 2004, 5,610 students committed suicide.
"We know about the gravity of the situation and are going to re-strategise the national mental health programme," Anbumani Ramadoss told IANS.
Experts, doctors and even the World Health Organisation (WHO) believe that a multi-pronged strategy needs to be put in place to tackle problems ranging from anxiety, depression, stress and finally suicidal tendencies.
Cherian Verghese, a specialist with WHO India, said: "The mental health system needs an overhaul. Our schools might be giving good education but we need education in life skills. From counselling to increasing the number of mental health workers, the strategy should be holistic."
"Students are a vulnerable group. Age, competition and relations in the family are all contributing to the growing cases of suicide among schoolgoers," Verghese said.
He said some private schools in India had started appointing counsellors but "government schools across the country need to make a move now".
"There is a gamut of problems; India lacks the required number of psychiatrists as well. The social taboo around mental health also fuels the problem. A country which houses a huge number of youngsters must not take mental health lightly," Verghese added.
He said since India faces a lot of natural disasters and deaths thereof, the country needs a brigade of social counsellors. Their job is to counsel people during post-disaster trauma disorder.
Nimesh Desai, a leading psychiatrist in the national capital, said: "India needs a 10-fold increase in the number of psychiatrists. Across the country, there are not more than 3,500 such processionals."
"The doctor-patient ratio, social stigma, growing competition and the desire to succeed in every field are leading to a higher level of anxiety, stress and acute depression," Desai said.
Health ministry officials said the mental health programme in India would be revamped. Under the new plan, regional mental health institutes would be established.
All mental health hospitals would be modernised and the district authorities would be asked to go for community mental health services, life skill education and counselling would be introduced in schools.
Indo-Asian News Service
India successfully tested the pilotless target aircraft Lakshya from a base in Orissa Wednesday, official sources said.
The indigenously developed aircraft had a successful test flight at about 12 p.m. from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur-on-Sea, in Balasore district some 230 km from the state capital Bhubaneswar.
Developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Lakshya has been tested several times earlier.
Lakshya is a sub-sonic, reusable aerial target system, which is remote-controlled from the ground. It is designed to impart training to pilots in destroying incoming enemy targets.
Indo-Asian News Service
A six-year-old Dalit girl was in a serious condition in Uttar Pradesh after an eight-year-old boy pushed her into a burning heap of garbage in Mathura district.
With over 50 percent burn injuries, the girl, daughter of Saudan Jatav in Chhata village of the district, was battling for life in a hospital. The boy belongs to the high-caste Thakur community.
"It appears to be a case of a prank that may have turned serious," a police officer told IANS, adding it might be incidental that the girl belonged to a lower caste.
The incident occurred when Kamlesh was playing outside her house and ran towards Sunny Thakur. His father had set the garbage on fire.
With her mother chasing her, Sunny caught her and flung the girl into the fire, a police spokesperson told IANS Wednesday.
The father and son have been arrested and booked for attempt to murder under Section 307 of the Indian Penal Code.
Indo-Asian News Service
India is expected to retain its current position as the second largest producer, user and exporter of cotton in the new season beginning in August, says the Washington-based International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC).
India overtook the US to occupy the number two position after China during the 2006-07 cotton season, says the ICAC. According to ICAC's analysis of the current global cotton situation, India does not face any challenge to its position as American farmers are shifting to other crops like corn.
The ICAC, in which India is a founding member, is an international organisation dedicated to promoting cooperation in cotton trade.
Agreeing with the projection of the Cotlook Index, the ICAC said: "India is expected to continue in the same position in the next season as well, as in addition to US farmers, growers in other countries are also inclined to shift to the production of soybeans and wheat besides corn."
Cotlook is a Britain-based organisation that provides international cotton market information and analysis on natural fibre.
The ICAC noted that India has so far produced 4.74 million tonnes (MT) of cotton in the current season as compared to 4.7 MT of the US. This season, India's output has been pegged at 5.34 MT as against 4.14 MT of the US. According to Cotlook's estimates, India's production next season is likely to touch 5.61 MT while that of the US would decline further to 3.19 MT.
China continues to be the number one in production, consumption and imports. This despite a fall of over 100,000 tonnes in cotton production. Beijing is estimated to produce 7.62 MT cotton this season against last year's 7.72 MT.
The fall in Chinese cotton crop has led to increased exports by other countries. The world cotton exports are expected to rise by 10 percent to 9.1 MT from last season's 8.2 MT.
The ICAC has also forecast that the cotton prices will go up in the international market because of an expected decrease in the stocks-to-mill use ratio in the world.
Indo-Asian News Service
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)