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India continues to suffer outdoor air pollution

WHO report says outdoor air pollution continues to be a big reason for mortality in India; is a major health burden.
by TERI Features

A new report by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), University of California, San Diego (UCSD) and the California Air Resources Board (CARB) says that if current trends of vehicle population, fuel and emission standards persist, PM 2.5 emissions  will increase by a factor of three, and those of NOx will increase by a factor of five. The transport sector contributes about 15 to 50 per cent of PM 2.5 emissions in cities, and is a dominant contributor to NOx emissions, says the report.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that of the 67 risk factors studied in their Global Burden of Disease project, outdoor air pollution was ranked fifth in mortality and seventh in health burden in India, contributing to over 627,000 deaths and 17.7 million healthy years of life lost in 2010.

The new report titled ‘Options to reduce road transport pollution in India’ establishes the scientific basis for reducing emissions, the technologies available, and governance issues that need to be urgently addressed to improve air quality in Indian cities.

Said Dr RK Pachauri, Director General, TERI: “We should go beyond technological transfers and evolve pathways for pollution control as there are co-benefits of reducing greenhouse gases and reducing the health burden. We need to develop larger frameworks to mobilise resources and invest in technological innovations. This report will provide intellectual inputs to formulate specific pollution control models for States, and this will require the intervention of not just the government, but all stakeholders.”

80 per cent of cities in India have exceeded the ambient air quality standards prescribed by the Government of India. And this is worsening air quality and leading to a plethora of health problems.

Said Dr Mary Nichols, Chairman, CARB: “In 1991, there were 20 million vehicles in India. The number had skyrocketed to 140 million in 2011, and by 2030, vehicle population is expected to reach a staggering 400 million. We need multiple strategies to bring regulatory agencies and the regulated communities together and provide incentives to reduce the pollution load.”

Vehicular emissions contribute to particulate matter (PM) smaller than 2.5 micrometers (PM 2.5) and to Nitrogen oxides, NO and NO2 (NOx). NOx in turn leads to the production of ozone. PM 2.5 is the dominant contributor to premature deaths and numerous other illnesses, followed by ozone and NOx, and these are the major contributors to agricultural impacts, says the report.

Said Prof V Ramanathan, Distinguished Professor of Atmospheric and Climate Sciences, University of California, San Diego (UCSD): “Tackling air pollution may seem a complex problem, but California has demonstrated how drastic reductions in air pollution can be achieved. We simply cannot ignore the linkages and the multi-dimensional impacts of air pollution – for instance, ozone pollution leads to massive crop losses.”

TERI-UCSD-CARB collaboration

Without affecting its impressive economic growth, California has drastically cut down its emissions. In the 1960s, California had one of the highest air pollution levels in the world, and this triggered a public health outrage. Over the past 40-50 years, California has succeeded in reducing the levels of all air pollutions by 75 to 90 per cent though a series of measures. In particular, it has significantly reduced black carbon and particulate pollutants from automobiles.

On the other hand, 80 per cent of cities in India, which have comparatively much fewer vehicles, have exceeded the ambient air quality standards prescribed by the Government of India. And this is worsening air quality and leading to a plethora of health problems. There is mounting evidence now to show that the transport sector is largely responsible for the increase in the concentrations of particulate pollutants.

In an attempt to replicate the best practices, the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) launched a programme – India California Air Pollution Mitigation Programme (ICAMP) – in 2013, to learn from air pollution control measures implemented in California to mitigate vehicular emissions and improve air quality in Indian cities.  Based on research and dialogues between Indian and Californian experts, the project partners have now come up with this new report.

(Picture courtesy en.wikipedia.org)

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Platinum is every Indian woman’s first choice

Survey conducted across seven metros in India finds that Indian women, especially young ones, prefer platinum jewellery over all others.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

Women and jewellery share an irreplaceable bond, and more so, when it is platinum jewellery in question.

Moreover, young women today are displaying an increased affinity for jewellery, as indicated by a recent Platinum Guild International research conducted across seven metros in India. Over 250 women were studied to understand the Indian jewellery market and gain further insight on the category.

The result? Platinum appeals to the younger audience between 18 to 35 years, across SEC B+, A, A+, single, engaged, married or living in a metro or mini metro.

Target audience and understanding

The survey was conducted amongst a mini focus group that included women, broadly three different age group at diverse life stages. Each group provided different experiences and the varied interactions reflected in the attitude towards jewellery. Almost all women surveyed felt that ‘jewellery is a woman’s adornment’ and that the practise of including jewellery as a part of your ensemble evolves with the natural progression of life.

Platinum Jewellery Attitude to jewellery and purchase drivers for platinum

Young unmarried women (16 to 24 years) pursue modernity and express a strong sense of self-identity. They acquire precious jewellery as gifts from parents, grandparents or other members of the family. The occasions to receive jewellery are personal milestones like the 18th birthday, completing school education, college graduation and getting the first job. The younger audience is also more educated, Internet savvy and aware of international trends, seeking options in jewellery metals and designs and willing to try out newer looks and experiment with styles. Design is one of the key criteria of evaluation, as is quality.

Platinum has high affinity for this demographic as it represents her ‘modern’ values. The research states, ‘They see platinum as premium, upper class and exclusive and they consider themselves as ahead of the curve when choosing platinum. The metal is perceived as high quality, modern and very premium. The designs in platinum jewellery too are minimal and understated which appeal to her.’

Young married women (25 to 35 years) aspire to showcase modernity in lifestyle and thinking. They participate in financial decisions to prove their ability to manage the household. ‘While the young married woman has acquired heavy jewellery at her wedding and hence is looking out for delicate designs across social occasions like kitty party, husband’s office party, small family get together to prove her modernity. This was extensively visible amongst women in Delhi. The perceptions of jewellery being an expression of love and commitment is prominent in Chennai, the consumer trend in Ahmedabad is evidently driven by its exemplification of a self-assured modern woman,’ the report states.

Platinum is seen as a symbol of everlasting love amongst young couples. The consumer mind-set strongly complies that jewellery is an establishing factor of social status and platinum is seen as metal for discerning and true upper class. They aspire for platinum and diamond, light jewellery with modern designs. She perceives platinum as premium, exclusive, modern and international, making her stand out and differentiated from her peers. Platinum love bands, rings or light jewellery is very popular.

The behaviour further evolves amongst older married women (35 to 40 years) as jewellery is now associated as a mark of economic stability for the present and future. In Kolkata, jewellery is acquired and acknowledged as a highly desired asset with a twofold benefit of safeguarding the future of children and self, whereas in Delhi it satisfies the need of attention and approval while one focusses on exhibiting status and confidence. Modernity was the key element to platinum appeal across age groups including this group.

Vaishali Banerjee, Country Manager India, Platinum Guild International said, “As per the survey results, 85 per cent of platinum consumers are in the age group of 15 to 30 years. Today, the young Platinum Jewellery (2)India wants platinum as it is considered a metal that speaks the modern language with its contemporary design form enabling an emotion of pride to the wearer, is established as a symbol of the deepest relationships and is exclusive, unique and expensive which denotes status. Platinum is also perceived as an expression of love, intimacy and commitment; reinforcing the consumer demand for platinum love bands, a footfall driving category that grew at +35 per cent last year. We have also witnessed a growing trend of young brides taking to platinum for their trousseau across key markets in India.”

Commenting on the favourable consumer trends for platinum jewellery in India, Suvankar Sen, Director, Senco Gold Jewellery said, “The strong appeal amongst customers for the white metal -platinum is on an upward trend as today people are seeking new designs and platinum offers exclusivity, while maintaining a perfect balance between modern and traditional. The platinum love bands category positioned as an ultimate choice to celebrate love and special occasions has grown significantly last year by 42 per cent. Its strategy is at par with the consumer demand and the sales figures are proof of the progressive growth witnessed in the 2013 and will continue this season as well.”

 

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‘Is this sex product Jain?’

That’s right. Indians are asking for some truly bizarre sex products and experimenting with the sexual experience like never before.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

Indians are buying intimate products online, and the things they’re asking for sometimes border on the bizarre.

According to a report recently published by an Indian personal products website,ThatsPersonal.com, when it comes to buying sex products online, Indians are anything but shy. However, most women were seen to register purchases in their partners’ names, to maintain their privacy.

SexSaid Samir Saraiya, CEO, ThatsPersonal.com, “We recently conducted a comprehensive quantitative survey on the buying behaviour for intimate products in India, after analysing our sales and website traffic for 18 months. This quirky and fun research is our way of giving society a good laugh. Talking about sex has been a taboo for quite some time in our country, however, people have shed their inhibitions and pre-conceived notions and are ready to explore and experiment.” He added that the site routinely gets some extremely unusual requests and queries about sexual wellness products. “There are queries about certain products being Jain or non-Jain. Then there are questions on how to ‘do it’ for the first time. However, we decided to respect our customers’ privacy and published only the figures for aggregate sales and traffic.”

According to their research, Western India clearly leads the way in buying pleasure products, as the region accounts for 36 per cent of their total sales vis-a-vis only 7 per cent from the Eastern part of the country. North India lags slightly behind at 21 per cent, whereas the South market comprises a large chunk of their market share accounting for 31 per cent of total sales. The research also threw some light on smaller cities, which provide a substantially higher basket value. Surprisingly, a Tier 2 city like Baroda was found to have the maximum women buyers.

Also, age-wise segregation showed that the age groups of 25 to 34 years were the most active buyers. Men were found to be higher spenders and surfers than women.

Lubes and condoms lead the sales, thus emphasising the safe sex message and India’s growing awareness about protected sex. Although the condom remains the most bought and trusted product, Indian men now want to experimenting with other fun stuff like handcuffs, edible lingerie, adult card games (very popular at bachelorette parties), edible body paint and the likes.

As per the research:

– Hyderabad men love to get their hands on handcuffs.

– Gujaratis buy a lot of fun, adult games

– Kerala buys more of latex free condoms.

– South Indian women are maximum buyers of delay gel.

– North Indian men buy a lot of edible lingerie.

(Pictures courtesy www.national-awareness-days.com, www.womendailymagazine.com)

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Maharashtra’s done well for its people: UNICEF

However, as per the State of the World’s Children Report, State needs to redouble efforts to prevent crimes against women.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

This year happens to be the 25th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of Child.  The Convention on the Rights of the Child was adopted by the United Nations’ General Assembly on November 20, 1989 and came into force on September 2, 1990. As per the UNICEF’s report ‘State of the World’s Children’ released in Mumbai last week, Maharashtra State has done well on the fronts of the handwash campaign for school children, as also reaching its Millenium Development Goals (MDG) for Under-5 years mortality and Maternal Mortality Rate.

The report was launched by the State Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao at Raj Bhavan in Mumbai. On the occasion, the Governor called upon UNICEF, Maharashtra to reach out to the State’s poor children through its various programmes and to serve as a bridge between the Government of Maharashtra and the people.

Expressing concern over the killing of girl child and the practice of sex-determination, the Governor called for counselling of doctors who were conducting sex-determination tests. Complimenting the UNICEF Maharashtra for making significant gains in Health, Nutrition, Education and Child Protection in Maharashtra, the Governor lauded its efforts in implementing the handwash campaign for school children in rural areas of Maharashtra. The Governor called for making the campaign broad-based by including students who are outside the school system.

Said Rajeshwari Chandrashekhar, Chief of Field Office, UNICEF Maharashtra, “Maharashtra reached the MDG for Maternal Mortality Rate in 2010 (87) which is lower than the national average of 178. Further, Maharashtra has reached the MDG for Under-5 Mortality in 2009 (28), which is lower than national average (52).”

Some of the highlights of the UNICEF State of the World’s Children Report for Maharashtra:

  • State reached MDG for drinking water in 2003.
  • 30 per cent of open defecation-free villages in India are in Maharashtra
  • Increase in literacy rate from 77 per cent to 83 per cent between 2001 and 2011: rate higher than the national average
  • Performance of students in both language and Math significantly above the national average
  • Three-fold jump in the number of RTE compliant schools (from 7,355 schools in 2013 to 23,148 in 2013)
  • Child marriage decline from 31 per cent to 12 per cent (from 1998 to 2013)

 (Picture courtesy Raj Bhavan, Mumbai and www.unicef.org)

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‘Free housing’ will not benefit Mumbai: Study

Praja Foundation’s White Paper on Mumbai’s housing situation reveals a multitude of slums, homeless people and a complete lack of planning.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

In the recently held Assembly elections in Maharashtra, all the political parties acknowledged that one of the main problems that Mumbai faces is ‘Housing’. Governments in the past, including the current Government, have all come to power promising the citizens of Mumbai solutions to this problem.

The Special Township Policy, Cluster Redevelopment and Slum Rehabilitation Scheme, among others, are all projects which the Government has put forward; but unfortunately, these have not delivered much for the citizens of Mumbai – 52 lakh Mumbaikars still stay in slums!

Releasing its first White Paper on ‘Status of Affordable Housing in Mumbai’, Nitai Mehta, Managing Trustee, Praja Foundation said, “Praja through its ‘Praja Dialogue’ project has been engaging the citizens, the elected representatives and the Government on issues that concern the citizens of Mumbai. Education, health, crime, civic issues and working of the elected representatives are the topics on which we engage with them. This year we are adding ‘Affordable Housing’ to this list.”

Affordable housing is one of the most important issues faced by Mumbai and Mumbaikars, and it is also the most complex and challenging problem of this city.

What the study finds

As per the Praja White Paper:

– 11.36 lakh households stay in slums in Mumbai, out of a total of 28 lakh households

– 15,274 homeless households

– 57 per cent households live in one room

– 8 per cent households do not even have one room, but share a room with others

– Only 203,624 units of public housing were created between the year 1995-2014

– Average cost of a 269 sq. ft. house (at minimum ready reckoner rate) is 12 times the median annual income of Mumbaikars, whereas the norm is that it should be less than four times the annual income.

Milind Mhaske, Project Director, Praja Foundation added, “The political-social-industry discourse to solve the problem of housing revolves around two extremes: one, provide free or hugely subsidised houses and second, increase FSI (Floor Space Index) thus increasing supply and rationalising costs. Since 1995 about 203,624 lakh affordable houses have been added to the stock, whereas we need atleast 11.57 lakhs houses as of today. This estimate does not even take into account the future requirements. Clearly, ‘free’ housing schemes are not providing the remedy.”

Explaining why increasing FSI (Floor Space Index), i.e. building more dwellings on the existing land is a very flawed and lop-sided solution, well known town planner and one of the earliest proponents of ‘Navi Mumbai’, Shirish Patel says, “Proponents of higher FSI in Mumbai are not taking into account aspects of density, crowding and its impact on quality of life. Increasing FSI and building more dwellings translates into need for more amenities such as road space, open spaces, educational institutions, health care facilities, work spaces and so on; and this calls for more land. Thus, if more land is provided you end up again diluting the FSI or if not provided, then you end up cramping more people in the same space without any concern for infrastructure and amenities.”

(Pictures courtesy Praja Foundation and upload.wikimedia.org)

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More Mumbaikars think sitting MLAs were corrupt

Praja Foundation’s survey based on the October 15 State Assembly polls reveals people’s perceptions about incumbent MLAs and their parties.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

The Assembly 2014 verdict for Maharashtra is already out, with the BJP securing the most numbers of seats in 2014’s second consecutive election in Maharashtra (after the Lok Sabha polls). Numerous exit polls had already predicted this result, with such factors as anti-incumbency and a purported ‘Modi wave’ doing the rounds.

However, the Praja Foundation and Hansa Research has just revealed a survey which shows why Mumbaikars could have voted the way they did. It turns out that as per data mapped over the years 2011 to 2014, there is a 17 per cent increase in Mumbaikars rating their sitting MLA as ‘corrupt’. This could be fuelled by the MLAs’ performance, or the lack of it, in such areas as crime, health, education, and civic issues.

As regards health, some Assembly constituencies like Borivali, Magathane, Dahisar and Vikhroli have performed consistently poorly in areas of control, prevention and deaths related to malaria, diarrhoea, tuberculosis and dengue. These constituencies, apart from Chembur and Colaba, also feature under the ‘Crime’ category, having done poorly in the areas of murder, crimes against women, chain snatching and rioting.

Mumbaikars have also logged in more complaints on civic issues every year since 2011, with there being a 13 per cent increase in the numbers of people saying their quality of life has decreased in Mumbai.

These are the worst performing Assembly constituencies across all categories, as per the survey:

(Picture courtesy indianexpress.com)

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