Bail Granted for A.Raja in 2G Spectrum Case

Over 15 months after his arrest, former telecom minister A Raja was on Tuesday granted bail by a Delhi court in the 2G spectrum case.

“The bail application is allowed,” Special CBI Judge O P Saini said. The court granted bail to the DMK MP on a personal bond of Rs 20 lakh and two sureties of the same amount.

The court while granting bail imposed conditions on Raja that he will not visit Tamil Nadu without its prior permission and will not go to the office of the Department of Telecom (DoT).

The court, in its 14-page bail order, also said that Raja would not try to influence any witnesses while on bail. Raja was arrested on February 2, 2011.

Reacting to the news, Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa said the 2G scam case was getting diluted.

Meanwhile, the DMK welcomed the decision. “We welcome the court’s verdict and are hopeful that he will come out and prove his innocence,” DMK leader Tiruchi Siva said.

Asked if Raja would attend Parliament or do party work, Siva said that he will take part in activities as per conditions laid by the court for his bail. Siva said that some DMK leaders may visit the jail at the time of the release of the former telecom minister.

The court, while granting bail to 49-year-old Raja, said all the co-accused in the case have already been granted bail and his further detention would not serve any purpose.

“In the end considering the progress of the trial, period of the custody of the accused and the fact that all other accused have been released on bail, I am of the opinion that further detention of the accused would not serve any purpose and for these reasons, I am inclined to admit the applicant/ accused (Raja) to bail,” the special judge said.

On the apprehension of the CBI that if granted bail Raja may influence witnesses and tamper with evidence, the court said it addressed them by imposing conditions and restrictions on the accused. The court noted that entire evidence in the case was documentary and was in its custody.

“Moreover, this apprehension of the prosecution (that Raja may influence the witnesses and tamper with the evidence) can be addressed by imposing conditions and restrictions on the accused.

“Furthermore, almost entire evidence in the case is documentary in nature and the same is in the custody of the court,” the judge said. The court also directed Raja to surrender his passport as a prerequisite for bail.

Raja, who has remained in judicial custody for over 15 months since his arrest, had sought bail on the ground of parity as other 13 co-accused have already secured bail either from the Supreme Court, the Delhi high court or the trial court.

Raja has alleged the case against him is “false and fabricated” and “not sustainable in law.”

The CBI had vehemently opposed Raja’s bail, saying he could not be released on the ground of parity as the charges levelled against him were of serious nature. The agency has alleged that DMK-run Kalaignar TV had received Rs 200 crore as bribe from Shahid Balwa‘s DB Group through a circuitous route as a quid pro quo for favours shown by Raja in spectrum allocation.

The agency has also claimed that during the probe, it had come to light that Raja and others had received a bribe of another Rs 200 crore from certain companies under its scanner in connection with the spectrum scam.

The CBI had raised questions on Raja’s alleged links with Mauritius-based Delphi Investment Ltd, in which Reliance Telecom Ltd had allegedly transferred its shares and said if released on bail at this stage, he might tamper with evidence.

Raja had sought bail, saying the Supreme Court, while granting bail to former telecom secretary Siddharth Behura, had not distinguished the case of public servant from that of others. He had submitted that he and Behura were facing similar charges of abetment, conspiracy and criminal breach of trust.

Raja’s counsel had submitted that as his client was no longer a Union cabinet minister, he could not tamper with the evidence or influence the witnesses.

Besides Raja, his private secretary R K Chandolia, Behura, DMK MP Kanimozhi, corporate honchos — Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani group’s MD Gautam Doshi, ADAG group President Surendra Pipara and Senior Vice President Hari Nair, Unitech MD Sanjay Chandra and Swan Telecom promoters Shahid Usman Balwa and Vinod Goenka–are facing trial in the case.

The court has also put on trial Kalaignar TV MD Sharad Kumar, Director of Cineyug Media and Entertainment Pvt Ltd Karim Morani and Directors of Kusegaon Fruits and Vegetables Pvt Ltd Asif Balwa and Rajeev Agarwal.

Besides these 14 persons, three telecom firms – Swan Telecom Pvt Ltd, Reliance Telecom Ltd and Unitech Wireless (Tamil Nadu) Pvt Ltd, are also facing trial in the case.

Raja and others have been charged for the offence of cheating, forgery, criminal conspiracy and corruption besides criminal breach of trust that entails a maximum punishment of life imprisonment.

Source: PTI

Related articles

• 2G scam: Raja gets bail, can’t visit Tamil Nadu (ibnlive.in.com)

Manipal Hospitals to Raise $100 Million for Expansion Plans

 

Bangalore: To fund its expansion plans, Manipal Hospital is to raise almost a $100 Million India Value Fund Advisor (IVFA) by offering minority stakes. The group is planning to use the fund to upgrade the current facilities and technology used in the Hospitals and is eyeing on increasing the bed capacities of the Bangalore, Mangalore and Goa centers.

Manipal Hospitals led by Ranjan Pai had raised about $20 Million from Kotak Private Equity Group earlier in 2010. By 2014, the group wants to establish Greenfield multi-specialty hospitals in Pune, Hyderabad and Bhubaneshwar.

IVFA, which has been actively participating in deals happening in the health sector, was planning to acquire the Ahmedabad based Sterling Hospitals. The group that already holds stakes in Dubai based DM Healthcare may support Manipal to perform acquisitions in an industry where many small and independent hospitals are open to deals. Manipal has over 4,400 beds across 17 hospitals and serviced 1.8 million patients last year.

“Manipal may fetch about $280 Million valuations, giving the new investor a fairly large minority stake. They are in active discussions with three funds, including IVFA and an agreement may be reached soon. The initial deal may fall anywhere between $50 Million and $100 Million,” reported Times of India.

 

Royal Enfield Bullet to Plough a Farm

Where have you seen a Royal Enfield Bullet plough a farm? Or used as a pressure cooker to whip up a frothy espresso coffee?Seems impossible? Well, making the seemingly impossible possible is a part of the daily ‘jugaad’ (the famous Indian knack of technical improvisation) for the National Innovation Foundation (NIF) India, which is promoting its innovations at the Konkan Fruit Festival here in Goa.

To put the two innovations in perspective, Mansukhbhai Jagani from Gujarat has replaced his pair of bullocks with a 350 cc bullet motorcycle, which he kickstarts every day to plough his 1.25 acre groundnut farm. The bullet’s rear wheel has been replaced by a set of two smaller wheels joined by an axle, behind which the metal plough digs into the earth.

And the pressure cooker espresso coffee machine innovation has its roots in Bihar where Mohammad Rozadeen makes his foaming milky espresso coffee for his customers in Eastern Champaran district. Heated on a kerosene stove, Rozadeen’s pressure cooker emits jets of steam from a longish copper snout running from the cooker lid into the jar of milk, making it hot and frothy.

“We track down innovators throughout rural areas. Our honeybee network is responsible for keeping an eye on rural innovations,” Udit Shah of NIF told IANS.The pressure cooker espresso machine costs between 1,500 and 2,500, depending on the quality of the pressure cooker used.

Next to the espresso machine are three cycles lined up. Only to the naked eye they appear to have been mechanically mated either with a seaplane or a river-paddle boat.According to Shah, the cycle-innovations are still being honed into marketable products which will be up for sale.

“They are flood bicycles. There have been many floods in India. We are developing these. One of the cycles is an innovation from Bihar, while the other is from Uttar Pradesh,” Udit said.While the Bihar innovation has sea plane like platforms alongside the wheels, the UP innovation has a paddle rotor in the rear (which whirs into action when you pedal the machine).

The cycle is designed to stay afloat with the help of two fabricated plastic buoys.”When we select the idea, the credit of the core idea remains with the innovator. We only use science to make the innovations more perfect in order to make them marketable on a larger scale so that the innovator can make money,” Udit said.

The NIF was founded under the aegis of the central ministry for science and technology in 2000, to help make India an inventive and creative society and a global leader in sustainable technologies without social and economic handicaps.Raghunath Mashelkar, a former head of the Council for Science and Industrial Research (CSIR), heads the governing board of NIF while some of the board members are entrepreneur Kishore Biyani and IITan Devang Khakar among other scientists, innovators and bureaucrats.

Source: IANS

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Richest Countries in the World in 2012

If wealth describes power, then the United Sates leads the pack and India is not far behind either.

The 10 richest countries in the world based on their GDP are:

1. United States of America:

The United States of America is the richest country in the world and ranks first on the list. The U.S. is a market-oriented economy where private individuals and business companies make most of the decisions. The U.S. economy is the world’s largest national economy, with an estimated GDP of $15.1 trillion in 2011.

2. China:

China is the second richest country in the world. China’s annual GDP growth is 2.26 percent earning $7,743.144 trillion. The country’s economy is the second largest in the world after that of the United States. During the past thirty years China’s economy has changed from a centrally planned system that was largely closed to international trade to a more market-oriented one that has a rapidly growing private sector.  A chief component supporting China’s rapid economic growth has been exports growth.

3. Japan:

Japan is the second Asian country which is on the list. It is the third wealthiest country in the world. Japan is renowned for its aggressiveness in the global economy market having an upper hand in multi-national operation. The country has a USD $6,124.899 trillion. The Japanese economy is the third largest in the world. Japan is the world’s second largest automobile manufacturing country and has the largest electronics goods industry. The country is the world’s largest creditor nation as well. Its economy is highly efficient and competitive in areas linked to international trade, though productivity is far lower in protected areas such as agriculture, distribution, and services.

4. Germany:

 Germany takes the fourth place on the list. It is also the richest country in Europe and has produced a sum of USD $3,706.970 trillion. Ever since the age of industrialization, the country has been a driver, innovator, and beneficiary of an ever more globalised economy. Germany is the largest national economy in Europe. The country is the world’s second largest exporter and its exports account for more than one-third of national output.

5. France:

France is the fifth richest country in the world. The country has long been part of the world’s wealthiest and most developed national economies. France is believed to be the second biggest economic strength in Europe due to France’s focus on various industrial support and new age industrialized nations. Achieving USD $2,889.708 trillion booked at the end of year 2011 and 2012 makes France feature on the top five richest nations.

6. Brazil:

Brazil ranks sixth on the list. It is the richest South American county. The country had a closed nominal GDP of 0.80 percent earning USD $2,617.987 trillion before the end of 2011. The Brazilian economy is the world’s sixth largest by nominal GDP and is expected to become fifth by the end of 2012. Brazil’s earning come directly from their service segment, mining, manufacturing products and farming harvest. The country has moderately free markets and an inward-oriented economy. It is also known to be the fastest-growing major economies in the world with an average annual GDP growth rate of over 5 percent.

7. United Kingdom:

United Kingdom takes the seventh place on the list. UK had an average nominal GDP escalation of 0.58 percent earning USD $2,603.880 trillion at the end of 2011. UK’s GDP per capita is the twenty second highest in the world in nominal terms and the twenty second highest measured by PPP. It is the world’s most globalised countries. Its aerospace industry is one of the largest national aerospace industries and the pharmaceutical industry of the country plays an important role in its economy as well. The British economy is boosted by North Sea oil and gas reserves which was valued at an estimated £250 billion in 2007.

8. Italy:

Italy takes the eighth spot on the top 10 list of richest countries in 2012. Italy is a member of the G8 group of leading industrialized countries. The country has broadened its horizons for its industrial and road and rail network developments. Due to this advancement, the country has a nominal GDP of USD $2,287.704 trillion. The country has a diversified industrial economy with high gross domestic product per capita and developed infrastructure. The Italian economy is driven in large part by the manufacture of high-quality consumer goods that are produced by small and medium-sized enterprises.

9. Russia:

Russia takes the ninth position on the list. In 2011 Russia’s GDP grew by 4.2 percent, which is the world’s third highest growth rate among leading economies. The country has the ninth largest economy in the world by nominal value and the sixth largest by purchasing power parity. Russia is also abundant in natural gas, coal, oil and precious metals. Russia’s capital, Moscow, is noted to have the highest billionaire population of any city in the world.

10. India:

Surprisingly India makes it to the top 10 list of richest countries in the world. India takes the tenth place. India has the eleventh largest Economy in the world by nominal GDP and the third largest by purchasing power parity. The country’s present up-to-date development according to GDP is USD $2.012.760.000 million and this was predicted by the economists in the beginning of 2011. As a matter of fact, by means of the assessment, there was an 8.2 percent progress before the year 2011 came to an end.

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Fourth Doctorate for A.R.Rahman

Indian music maestro A R Rahman has been conferred with his first American honorary doctorate by the Miami University.

Rahman addressed a large gathering of 15,000 attendees at the ceremony where he was awarded the honorary degree for Doctor of Music at the University’s 173rd Annual Commencement Ceremony held at Yager Stadium in Oxford, Ohio.

For Oscar-Grammy winner Rahman it was his fourth Doctorate. In his speech the musician said he had never thought that the US President and his family will send him personally signed invitations to come over to the White House, that he will share love and music with Miami University and getting his first American honorary doctorate.

“I wish to thank a few people who have made a significant impact in my life: My father and mother have anchored me with good values; then Mani Ratnam who is India’s noted film maker gave me my first break in the world of cinema in the film, Roja,” Rahman said.

He added: “My Sufi teachers opened my consciousness and helped me discover myself. People from all around India have embraced me and my music without any discrimination and today, I find the same spirit of acceptance in Hollywood.”

Rahman, in his commencement address to the 2012 graduates of the University delivered a message of never to give up in life, to move ahead, and to always keep smiling as one embarks on new journeys.

He thanked his mother and his whole family for their love and support and gave his mother the credit for his immense success.

For over 10 years, Rahman has been associated with Miami University which had also assisted him in the making of K M Music Conservatory.

“I cannot believe that it is over ten years since my music and I have been associated with Miami University. I have enjoyed collaborating with your students and faculty and above all, every interaction has allowed for greater understanding, sensitivity and growth,” he said.

David C Hodge conferred the Honorary Degree on Rahman and thanked him for his unwavering support to the University.

Indian Nursery Text Book Says ‘B’ for ‘Bomb’

It is no longer A for apple and B for ball. In text books being used for nursery class children studying under UP Board and CBSE, “B” is for bomb and “CH” is for Chaku.

This language of violence is being taught to children in a book on Hindi language alphabets, titled ‘Aalok Shabd’. The book is prescribed in quite a few schools in the state.

While in another moral education book meant for Class 8, titled New Way Bloom, the Indian tricolor is shown in an inverted position in five places with green on top and saffron at the bottom. Published by Gurukul Publications, New Delhi, as part of the life skills syllabus, it was intended to teach young kids patriotism but seems to have turned things upside down.

The books have left parents fretting and education authorities scurrying for cover. Many parents raised protests over contents of these books with school authorities and the publishers have at last decided to withdraw the books from the market.

Rav Authar Dixit, president of the Parents-Student Welfare Association of Gurukul Academy in Uttar Pradesh, said that the national education board was investigating how such a book was cleared for private nursery schools.

Dixit said “It is the responsibility of the education board to provide clean books to the students,” as reported by the Associated Press.

Javed Alam, a board official, held the book publisher responsible for the lapse. Alam said that the Federal Board of Secondary Education issues broad guidelines to state and private schools relating to books, but leaves the content to publishers. It steps in, in case of complaints.

Ananya Tiwari, a child psychologist said “Children have an impressionable mind. If students are taught about bombs and knives at this stage this would develop a negative mindset for them,” as reported by the Associated Press.

Shruti Ahuja, a parent, said to the DNA that this was unacceptable. She asked “How can one teach such words to kids of that age? Or for that matter of any age?”

Aarty Mishra Awasthy, a teacher by profession and a mother of two, was also fuming.”I’m amazed at how such words and books get into the syllabi,” she said, hinting that these books “slip through” the system after publishers tempt school managements with commissions.

Alam said strict action would be taken against the publishers of the 32-page book. He added that “This sort of negative use of words cannot be tolerated.”

Related articles

• Indian nursery schools teaching kids: ‘B is for Bomb’ (ctv.ca)
• Indian parents protest ‘B is for Bomb’ books (foxnews.com)

Real Poverty

One day a father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the firm purpose of showing his son how poor people live.
They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family.
On their return from their trip, the father asked his son, “How was the trip?”
” It was great, Dad.”
“Did you see how poor people live?” the father asked.
“Oh yeah,” said the son.
“So, tell me, what did you learn from the trip?” asked the father.

The son answered: “I saw that we have one dog and they had four. We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek that has no end. We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night. Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon. We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight. We have servants who serve us, but they serve others. We buy our food, but they grow theirs. We have walls around our property to protect us, they have friends to protect them.”

The boy’s father was speechless.
Then his son added, “Thanks, Dad, for showing me how poor we are.”

5 Most Expensive Natural Disasters

Natural disasters can occur at the least expected time wiping away entire cities and the lives of millions. The damage caused by these hazards is immeasurable, but a calculation of the financial toll of such disasters will give us an insight into the impact of such dangerous events. Let us have a look at some of the most expensive natural disasters of the world-

1) Earthquake and tsunami, Japan

Cost: $235 billion (by the World Bank)

The world witnessed the most expensive and shocking natural disaster in history on March 11, 2011 when an earthquake of 9.0-magnitude struck off the coast near Sendai in Japan. The earthquake and the resulting Tsunami took away the lives of nearly 10, 000 people and the number of people missing were estimated to be around 13,262.While the World Bank said that the cost of damage is around $235 billion, the Japan government approximated it be around $309 billion. The collapsing of the Japan economy made everyone raise the question- How long will it take Japan to recover from the earthquake and the tsunami?

2) Kobe earthquake, Japan

Cost: $100 billion (by the World Bank)

Kobe earthquake, also called as Great Hanshin earthquake shook the southern part of Hyogo Prefecture of Japan on Jan. 17, 1995.One of the most deadly and violent calamity, Kobe earthquake, which was measured at 6. 8 magnitudes resulted in the loss of lives of more than 6,500 people. The disaster badly affected the region of Kobe, the second most populated and industrialized area in Japan and nearly 26, 000 people were injured following the hazard which lasted for duration of 20 seconds.

3) Hurricane Katrina, U.S

Cost: $81 billion total damage cost (by NOAA)

The Hurricane Katrina which made landfall on Aug, 2005 along the Gulf Cost was one of the worst disasters U.S ever experienced, which resulted in the death of nearly 1, 836 people. Many people were stuck in New Orelans for days without enough food, water and medical care. Moreover, there were more than thousands of people living in temporary accommodations in the areas of Mississippi and Louisiana even after five years since the disaster happened.

4) Northridge earthquake, California, U.S.

Cost: $42 billion (by NOAA)

The Northridge earthquake which occurred on Jan 17, 1994 resulted in a massive and critical damage throughout Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley. The earthquake which had a magnitude of 6.9, lasted for duration of about 10-20 seconds and caused the death of more than 60 people and 5,000 were injured. According to a report by the Federal Emergency Management Agency around 25,000 people became homeless.

5) Sichuan earthquake, China

Cost: $29 billion (by the World Bank)

The Sichuan earthquake, also known as  Wenchuan earthquake was a deadly natural disaster which happened in the year 2008, killing around 70, 000 people and it left more than 18, 000 missing. In this region almost 4 million people lived and the earthquake of magnitude 8.0 turned out to be a came tragedy; apart from that strong aftershocks exceeding magnitude 6 continued to hit the region even after months resulting in furthermore damages.

10 Hottest Female Politicians across the Globe

There is a wrong notion that politicians are busy people who do not care much about their looks and style and only actresses or models can be the hottest. But before you start believing in such notion hold on!  There are some female politicians too, who are incomparable in the hottest list and have created buzz in the media world. Take a look at some of the hottest female politicians of the world who are busy serving the people and manage to keep them well groomed as well.

1) Priyanka Gandhi

Place:  India

Priyanka Gandhi is the daughter of Rajiv Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi. Priyanka Gandhi is one of the hottest female politicians in India. She is not actively connected with politics at present but she has joined election campaign for her brother Rahul Gandhi. She is one of the charming and graceful ladies in Gandhi family and has resemblance with her grandmother, Indira Gandhi, who served as third Prime Minister of India.

2) Hina Rabbani Khar

Place: Pakistan

When it comes to hottest and attractive female politicians, Hina Rabbani Khar is the best one to name. Politician Hina Rabbani Khar is the Foreign Minister of Pakistan. She is the first female and one of the youngest in Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. She is one appealing and charming young lady who is often criticized for her spending habits, such as branded clothes, accessories, shades etc.

3) Queen Rania

Place: Jordan

Queen Rania Al Abdullah is the wife of King Abdullah II of Jordan. She is considered as the epitome of beauty. She is known for her expensive taste for designer goods. Queen Rania supports many humanitarian causes both in Jordan and all over Middle East. She stood third in the list of most beautiful woman in the world by Harpers and Queen Magazine back in 2005.

4) Mara Rosaria Carfagna

Place: Italy

Mara Rosaria Carfagna is exemplary who can defines ‘being hottest’ in her unique way. The former television personality is an Italian politician and well recognized for her “topless model” image. She was elected to the Chamber of Deputies for Forza Italia and later, Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi made her Minister of Equal Opportunity in 2008. She was selected as number one in Maxim’s ‘World’s Hottest Politicians,’ and she was also named as ‘the most beautiful minister in the world.’

5) Sarah Palin

Place: USA

Sarah Palin is an American politician, commentator and author. She is the first female whom Republican Party nominated for Vice Presidential candidate. This attractive lady is the youngest as well as the first woman who elected to be a Governor of Alaska. She is also famous as an author, her book ‘Going Rogue’ became New York Times’ best seller and more than two million copies were sold.

6) Ruby Dhalla

Place: Canada

Attractive Ruby Dhalla is a Canadian politician. She was born to an immigrant family from Punjab, India. Dhalla is one of the first Sikh women to serve the Canadian House of Commons. Interestingly, at the age of 10, she wrote a letter urging Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, to resolve the situation without further violence, during military actions at Golden Temple in Amritsar, India. The letter was personally responded by Gandhi and was also quoted on a press conference.

7) Yulia Tymoshenko

Place:  Ukraine

The stylish and beautiful Yulia Tymoshenko is a Ukrainian politician. She has been elected twice for the Prime Minister of Ukraine. This bold and beautiful lady was a successful business woman before she could enter mainstream politics. She was ranked third in Forbes Magazine’s List of the World’s 100 Most Powerful Women 2005. Adding to it, she is well known for her plaited hairstyle and when it comes to classy and graceful feminine looks, she is the one who tops.

8) Princess Catherine

Place: UK

Kate alias Catherine Elizabeth Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge is the wife of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge. Prince William is the second in line to the thrones of 16 Commonwealth realms, which eventually make his wife Princess Catherine the Queen of England. She is known for her graceful fashion and Time Magazine has selected her as one of The 100 Most Influential People in the World in 2012.

9) Nikki Haley

Place: USA

Nimrata Randhawa Haley alias Nikki Haley is the current Governor of South Carolina, who is real inspiration and pride of all Indian-Americans. She is a member of the Republican Party and the second Indian origin Governor in South Carolina. Moreover, this attractive lady is the youngest present Governor in U.S. Haley has also been honoured with many prestigious awards which include the Palmetto Leadership Award and India Abroad Person of the Year 2010.

10) Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner

Place: Argentina

Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner is the current and the first female President of Argentina. Her late husband Nestor Kirchner was the former President of Argentina. She is known for her passion for clothes and expensive spending habits on clothes, jewelry and shoes, to name a few.

Nearly Half of World’s Child Marriages Occur In India

Contemporary India continues to be plagued by social and health ills like child marriage, early motherhood and domestic violence.  More than 40 percent of the world’s child marriages still occur in India. More than 60 million women worldwide who are between 20 and 24 years were married before they turned 18. Latest records in the ‘State of the World‘s Children report 2012’ released by UNICEF revealed that almost 22 percent women in India, who are now aged between 20 and 24 years gave birth to a child before they turned 18.

Almost 45 in every 1,000 births are born to mothers in the age group of 15-19. Around 57 percent of male adolescents (age 15-19) and 53 percent of female adolescents thought a husband was justified in beating up his wife under certain circumstances.

The report revealed that only 35 percent adolescent males (aged 15-19) and 19 percent adolescent females have a comprehensive knowledge of HIV. Almost 33 percent of children under the age of five in urban India and 46 percent in rural India are underweight.

Around two in four people in urban India and one in five in rural India use improved sanitation facilities. India ranks 46 and is among the 50 worst nations with the highest under-five mortality rate.

The report suggested that school attendance is lower in slums. A survey in Delhi found a primary school attendance rate of 54.5 percent among children living in slums in 2004–2005, compared with 90 percent for the city as a whole.

The report also threw light on child trafficking. It was seen that at any given time, nearly 2.5 million people are in forced labor as a result of trafficking, 22 to 50 percent of them are children. One study indicated that most trafficked girls are put to work as sex workers in major Indian cities like Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata.

43 percent of children under the age of five are underweight with 16 percent being severely undernourished, 20 percent are wasted and 48 percent are stunted.

It was noted that 18 percent children between the years 2000-2010 were married by the age of fifteen and 47 percent were married by the age of eighteen. 5 percent of male and 30 percent female adolescents aged 15-19 are currently married/in union.

Karin Hulshof, UNICEF representative to India said to Times of India “A child born in a slum in urban India is as likely to die before her or his first birthday, to become underweight or anemic or to be married off before her 18th, as a child in rural India. Unfortunately for the urban poor child, the situation is most of the time not as visible and gets diluted by a much rosier picture of urban life. Great inequities are found within towns and cities, where great opportunity and great deprivation exist side by side.” He added that “Child brides become mothers much before their bodies are physically mature.”

World Health Organization‘s executive board meeting in Geneva had also taken up the issue recently. As per WHO, half the girls in early marriage live in south-east Asia. According to the National Family Health Survey, about 10 million girls are married each year before the age of 18 worldwide and one third of them live in India. Child marriage is now prohibited by law in India, with the minimum age of marriage being 18 for girls and 21 for boys. Though the latest available government survey found 48 percent of women (aged 20-24) were married or are in union before the age of 18.