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Is Mumbai the TB capital of the world?

Curable diseases like TB, malaria, dengue, diarrhoea, cholera and typhoid continue to kill several Mumbaikars. So who’s got the solution?
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

It’s the season for illnesses, most of them waterborne. While Mumbai laments the lack of good roads and a bigger lack of cleanliness every monsoon, here’s a report that quantifies the grim state of affairs in the richest city in India, when it comes to prevention and treatment of curable diseases.

As per a white paper released by Praja Foundation, 7,650 Mumbaikars died in the year 2013-2014 due to diseases like tuberculosis, diarrhoea, cholera, malaria, dengue and typhoid. Additionally, tuberculosis alone has claimed 46,606 lives during the last six years in Mumbai.

This high number accounts for 8.55 per cent of all Mumbaikars’ deaths during these six years.

The report says, “Over the last six years, 7,768 people have died from TB every year on an average. TB, if detected early and if the prescribed treatment is taken, is curable. Such a high mortality rate clearly shows that a lot needs to be done and on a war footing if we want to create a healthy Mumbai, else Mumbai may well become the TB capital of the world.”

The report further states that only 34 per cent Mumbaikars use Government and civic hospitals and dispensaries for treatment of the above diseases, while the remaining 66 per cent use private hospitals and charitable trust-run clinics. On an average, Mumbai households spent about 7.9 per cent of their total income on hospital or medical costs in 2014.

Read the entire report on www.praja.org under the section ‘White Papers’.

(Picture courtesy www.hindujagroup.com. Image used for representational purpose only)

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Mumbai sees drop in hiring for telecom, marketing, advertising

With markets improving, hiring is on an upswing in other parts of the country but low in Mumbai and Chennai.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

It seems that more jobs are available in the market, or rather, companies are willing to hire more talent, if a recent survey by ASSOCHAM (Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry in India) is anything to go by. The survey finds that hiring was on an upswing in sectors like telecom, marketing and advertising in the first half of year 2014 across the country, except in Mumbai and Chennai, which registered a drop in hiring.

“Post-Budget 2014, aided by investment friendly measures like Real Estate Investment Trust (REITs) and prospects of easing of interest rates, the construction sector has also slightly improved in terms of hiring plans. The Budget focus on infrastructure has proved to be morale booster for the infrastructure but would still take time for on-the-ground action”, adds the ASSOCHAM survey.

Hiring in IndiaDeciphering the trend, DS Rawat, Secretary General ASSOCHAM said, “While the industrial production growth has pleasantly surprised for May with the manufacturing showing signs of uptick, the employers would like to see a definite trend line before firming up their hiring plans. Somehow, the marketing and advertising remain in relevance even in difficult times with the only difference being that marketing requires hard sell”.

“Marketing and advertising professionals emerged as the next best in terms of demand profile during January to June 2014. On the other hand, manufacturing and automobile sectors reported stable hiring figures due to slowdown in the sales of vehicles and launch of new models,” adds the survey.

The inputs were tracked on a daily basis for vacancies posted by about 2,500 companies via job portals like timesjobs.com, naukari.com, monster.com, shine.com and others together with advertisements offering job opportunities published in national and regional newspapers across about 32 prominent cities and 20 sectors.

Who’s hiring the most?

Among the top locations, Delhi-NCR, Bangalore, Pune and Hyderabad reported the most active location during the January–June 2014. Some of the Tier-II and Tier-III locations (Surat, Vadodra, Nashik, Allahabad, Udaipur, Agra, Ajmer, Kota and Meerut) which have emerged as high growth markets, retained their position.

During January to June 2014, the demand for mid-level candidates was upbeat. However, the demand for talent at senior levels with 10-20 years and over 20 years of experience, recorded flat to negative activity across industries. It further shows that organizations are only looking to hire on demand, and hiring is restricted to niche skills. Focus is more on up-skilling available talent rather than sourcing fresh talent, reveals the ASSOCHAM latest estimates.

Telecom

As per the ASSOCHAM findings, Delhi-NCR region have recorded an impressive 54 per cent increase in hiring during January –June 2014 period followed by Bangalore at 38 per cent and Hyderabad, which reported a 32 per cent increase in hiring. On the other hand, Chennai and Mumbai reported a drop in hiring for the same period, recording a 15 per cent and 28 per cent drop, respectively.

BPO/ ITeS
The survey points out, the falling rupee has also helped the overall outlook of the ITeS industry in India, as outsourcing becomes a cheaper. Marketing and advertising profiles reported highest increase (48 per cent) in demand for talent. Customer service/Tele-calling profiles witnessed a drop of 8 per cent in demand during the same period. Hiring was upbeat for junior level candidates as the demand for the senior personnel came under pressure. However, those with skills in cutting edge technology stayed in demand.

Among top locations, Bangalore recorded a maximum growth (43 per cent) in hiring BPO/ ITeS professionals. Chennai reported highest drop (26 per cent) in demand during the period as compared to similar months last year. Candidates with experience of 2-5 and 5-10 years, reported maximum increase (22 per cent) in hiring in the BPO/ITeS industry. Candidates with over 20 years of experience saw highest drop (35 per cent) in demand in the BPO/ ITeS industry.

Consumer Durables/ FMCG
Consumer Durables/FMCG sector are expected to witness more than 10 per cent growth during this fiscal. Delhi-NCR (39 per cent) followed by Bangalore (37 per cent), Ahmedabad (23 per cent) witnessed a whopping 35 per cent increase in demand. Reasons for cities have picked up their hiring activity is because several chains are increasingly working towards expanding their businesses, and therefore talent requirement has gone up. Mumbai and Chennai, on the other hand, witnessed a negative demand for talent, a dip of 15 per cent and 23 per cent, respectively.

Banking, Financial services and Insurance (BFSI)

The Banking, Financial services and Insurance (BFSI) industry reported the highest growth in demand in the month of January 2014. The positive hiring movement in June (12 per cent) is significant, considering a major dip (16 per cent) February 2014, another dip in demand expected around fourth quarter.

Among the key locations, Delhi–NCR, Hyderabad witnessed maximum growth in demand (over 30 per cent) as compared to December 2013. In the insurance domain, demand for future hiring will be for frontline sales personnel with less than two years experience.

(Pictures courtesy indiatoday.intoday.in, zeenews.india.com)

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Google compiles 8 magical World Cup moments

From a coach staggering backwards to the fastest goal in under a minute, Google tracks 8 moments fans loved this World Cup.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

After four weeks of anticipation, excitement, aggressive performances, tears of disappointment and some crazy instances, the FIFA World Cup has finally reached the finale stage. As fans await to see the strongest football teams play in  the ‘Battle de finale’ and lift the FIFA Cup this year, Google Search recaps some of the crazy yet entertaining moments the fans cherished again and again during their journey to the finale.

Kroos#1) Highest score in a World Cup victory. An historical battle by all counts, with an exhilarating performance by the German squad that delivered a shocking record World Cup defeat for Brazil, German midfielder Toni Kroos, who scored two back to back goals in the first half’, epitomised Germany’s improved game.  Germany searches for “highest score in a World Cup victory” spiked by 370x during the match.

#2) Klose to history. German striker Miroslav Klose became the World Cup’s all-time record scorer with his 16th goal during their semifinal against Brazil.

#3) Falling coaches. Another such moment emerged during the recent Argentina- Belgium match where Alejandro Sabella, the Argentina coach, quickly gained Internet fame after he became so engrossed in a chance for his side during their World Cup quarter-final against Belgium that he almost fell over.

#4) Cheers and tears. During the round of 16 battle, Argetinian commentator Pablo Giralt could not hold back his tears as he summed up the feelings of many Argentineans after Angel Di Maria’s Tears118th minute winner goal versus Switzerland, letting his emotions take over him in an epic live on air match commentary. After an enormous “ggggggoooooooooaaaaaaallllllll” came the tears!

#5) Full paisa vasool. Piojo Herrera is by far, the most entertaining coach to watch at the World Cup, managed to grab everyone’s attention with his celebration style. Fans searched for Mexican Coach “Piojo” online after his epic side-line celebrations during Mexico- Croatia match.

Japanese fans#6) Clean and clear. Japanese fans, armed with blue rubbish bags scoured the stadium for any mess and made sure the Football Arena was left in good condition as the Japanese team played their set of matches during FIFA. The positive gesture from Japanese fans was appreciated by Football fans across the globe.

#7) Quicker than Maggi noodles. The fastest of this World Cup and one of the quickest goals in the tournament’s history was up on show for fans as USA captain Clint Dempsey wasted no time against Ghana, scoring the 2014 World Cup tournament’s fastest goal a mere 32 seconds after kick-off.

#8) Torres wardrobe malfunction. And finally, from the fashion ramps to the Football Arena, Fernando Torres wardrobe Wardrobe malfunctionmalfunction during the first half of Spain versus Australia match did bring some unusual cheers among the crowd. Fans continued to search for the player and the incident online after the match.

 (Text and graphics courtesy Google Inc.)

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Elder abuse on the rise in Mumbai

Most Mumbai senior citizens complain of verbal, physical abuse and neglect from sons and daughters-in-law, as also from their daughters.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

It is a trend that is showing disheartening upward signs – each year, the extent and intensity of abuse against the city’s and country’s elderly population is on the rise. Even worse, most of the abuse is meted out by immediate or close family members.

Elder abuseAs per a three-year survey and study carried out by HelpAge India and titled ‘Elder Abuse in India (2014)’, Mumbai is showing a rising propensity towards verbal and physical abuse, as also neglect, of its elders. As per the survey, which was conducted in 12 cities and which included Mumbai and Nagpur in its study area for Maharashtra, several traditional myths that Indian society holds about its elderly have been shattered over the years. “All general assumptions on elder abuse i.e. it does not exist in India and is a Western phenomenon and that it is a metro-centric phenomenon which does not exist in small towns, and does not occur in the educated middle-class strata, have been proven wrong. The most common assumption that in old age the son would be the main caregiver has been completely shattered. The son, along with the daughter-in-law, is increasingly turning abuser. Surprisingly, there is an emerging trend of the daughter also turning abuser,” the preface to the report reads.

As per the figures compiled for the report, “There has been a marked increase in the percentage of elders who reported experiencing abuse from 23 per cent in the previous year to 50 per cent now. Verbal abuse, disrespect and neglect continue to be the three major types of abuse. Economic and emotional dependence of the victim on the abuser have been cited as the major reasons for abuse. Strangely, economic dependence of the abuser on the victim is also cited as a major reason,” the report reads.

While abuse has gone up, unfortunately still 41 per cent of those abused, did not report the matter to anyone. ‘Maintaining confidentiality of the family matter’ was cited to be the major reason behind not reporting abuse (59 per cent). However, “more numbers of people are reporting abuse, (59 per cent) in 2014 as against 30 per cent the previous year,” the report says.

Findings for Mumbai

– Mumbai has the highest proportion of the elderly with self-owned homes (92 per cent), along with Guwahati (88 per cent) and Mangalore (84 per cent). The rate of abuse in these cities is also high.

– While the national average on ‘Perceptions on extent of elder abuse’ is high at 34 per cent in India, Mumbai rates it at 65 per cent.

– In Kanpur, Mumbai, Vishakhapatnam, Chennai and Madurai, higher percentage of elderly reported beating and slapping as a prevalent form of abuse. Economic exploitation was also reported in cities like Mumbai.

– ‘Economic dependence of the abuser’ is seen as an important reason for elder abuse in society. Mumbai ranks first in this, with Kanpur and Guwahati.

– Awareness of police helplines is high, but exceptionally high in Delhi and Mumbai.

– In Tier I cities, Mumbai ranks highest in rating the daughter-in-law as the main perpetrator of abuse (92 per cent) while sons are rated lowest (21 per cent).

– Mumbai’s abused elderly did not report abuse because, a) They lacked the confidence in ability of any person or agency to help; b) They did not know how to deal with the problem; and c) They wanted to maintain confidentiality about what they felt was essentially a family matter.

(Pictures courtesy archives.deccanchronicle.com, www.siliconindia.com. Images used for representational purpose only)

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Mumbai population expected to hit 1.48 crore by 2021?

A recently released white paper by the Praja Foundation also predicts that Mumbai’s population will touch 1.55 crore by year 2041.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

It’s a city that continues to grow at a staggering pace, and it also continues to draw people from all over the country. However, how long can Mumbai sustain this pace of population growth?

A recent white paper on the state of Mumbai’s population growth released by Praja Foundation pegs the city’s projected growth at a staggering 1.48 crore in year 2021 and 1.55 crore by year 2021. Going by this rate of population growth, the paper estimates that Mumbai “requires at least 11.1 lakh affordable housing units to be constructed.” The Report recommends that to meet this growth, Mumbai must increase affordable housing, regulate standards for SRA (Slum Rehabilitation Authority), prioritise and actively promote public transport over private transport, and increase pedestrian-friendly zones, among other measures.

Already densely populated city

Overpopulation in MumbaiPraja Foundation and UDRI (Urban Design Research Institute) have also come out with a handbook – ‘Planning for Mumbai – The Development Plan (DP) for Greater Mumbai 2013-2034’. The handbook mentions the population densities of major metropolitan cities in the world thus: Singapore: 83 persons/ha; New York city: 106 persons/ha; Hong Kong: 64 persons/ha and Mumbai: 270 persons/ha.

When it comes to the availability of open space per person, Mumbai currently affords less than 1.24 square metres per person.

What needs to be done

The report suggests a few ways and means to combat the burgeoning population growth by offsetting it with the availability of open spaces, opportunities to use available open space, preserving the fast-depleting natural resources, etc. It states, “Public spaces such as notified open spaces, water edges, paths, urban squares and plazas shall be sacrosanct and not built upon. Mangroves must be retained in their natural habitats. [There is a need to] protect and enhance all reserved spaces, as well as completely freeze all reservations in the current DP.”

(Pictures courtesy knowledge.allianz.com, jackcollier7.com)

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Country gets latest vitrification procedure from France

In a workshop, doctors from France demonstrate a new but expensive egg freezing technique that is a must-follow in Europe.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

India is home to over 30,000 egg and embryo freezing procedures every year, as per research figures. As more and more hospitals and clinics offer egg and embryo freezing options to women today, it is natural that the latest technologies in the area be put to use.

Recently, two doctors from France demonstrated the use of a cutting-edge technology in egg freezing at Delhi’s ISIS IVF Hospital. They presided over a workshop of over 35 Indian doctors from Delhi, Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, who had all turned up to see a demonstration of the ‘High Security Vitrification’ process by the French embyologists.

It turns out that the technology is a must-follow in Europe if a clinic wants a CE certification, and is already used by most clinics there. “During freezing in the current systems, there is a risk that liquid nitrogen can come in contact with the embryos and this could compromise the safety of the embryos. In the High Security Vitrification system, the ends of the straw in which the embryo is placed are sealed and closed so that liquid nitrogen doesn’t come in direct contact with the embryos. This will increase the cost of the procedure and depending on case to case basis cost could be Rs 10,000 more per patient,” explained Dr Shivani Gour, Director, Isis Hospital.

Doctors also said that the risk of damage to precious gametes and also the risk of infection in this high security system is next to nil. “The shelf life is approximately eight weeks, which is longer than conventional media,” said Dr Jean Louis.

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