PETA's giant 'condom' to promote Animal Birth Control tomorrow

New Delhi, Feb 10 (UNI) Condoms control births in humans. However, animals cannot use it and are born to get abused. So, get an animal spayed or neutered this Valentine's Day and express your love towards them.

Urging citizens to join hands for Animal Birth Control, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) will hold a demonstration in the national capital tomorrow, a PETA spokesperson Nikunj Sharma, told UNI.

He informed that an animal activist, dressed as a giant condom and holding a heart shaped sign that reads, ''Dogs cannot use condoms. Spay and Neuter'', will lead the march at Jantar Mantar here.

''Condom is the most effective way to control births in humans. Sadly, the animals cannot use it. So it is to request the people to step forward and get the animals sterilised ahead of Valentine's Day, the festival of love,'' Mr Sharma added.

He claimed that, ''Spaying one female dog can prevent 67,000 births in six years while spaying one female cat can prevent 4.2 lakh births in seven years.''

Although it was the duty of the municipalities of different states to work towards sterilisation of the stray animals, ''but the responsibility is not taken care of properly,'' he alleged.

The NGO further made a request to pet-lovers that ''if one is considering adding a dog or cat to one's family, never buy-always adopt a homeless animal.''

Every time a pet-lover buys a dog or a cat from a breeder or a pet store, a homeless animal roaming on the streets or waiting in an animal shelter lost their chance of finding a good home, he added.

According to information provided by the NGO, India has approximately 25 million dogs out of which 2.6 lakh belonged to Delhi with an estimated dog to man ratio of 1:36.

Mr Sharma also emphasised on the cruelties in the breeding trade. ''Animals are bred for profit. Mother dogs and cats are impregnated repeatedly and once the animal joins the category of unwanted, they are abandoned on the streets to join stray dogs and cats,'' he said.

The members of the NGO, that works against animal abuse, will also be giving out Animal Birth Control leaflets to the people informing about the ways in which they can contribute towards the cause.

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IT students of IGNOU now to get guidance in Hindi

New Delhi, Feb 11 (UNI) Hindi-speaking learners of Information Technology and Computer applications will now be able to have better interactions with course instructors and counsellors following the launch of Open Course Guide system by the Indira Gandhi National Open University.

''The system can translate the content in Hindi instantaneously, which will make the programmes more learner-friendly,'' Prof K R Srivathsan, IGNOU Pro-Vice Chancellor, under whose guidance it has been started, said today.

The system has been introduced yesterday for the students of Master of Computer Application (MCA) and Certificate in Information Technology (CIT).

''The IOCG is the first of its kind open e-Learning system anywhere which effectively addresses the complex course events management required for open education programmes,'' Prof Srivathsan asserted.

Plans were afoot to add the Students Satisfaction Survey with built-in analytics and visualisation for each course and programme, he added.

Explaining the software, Prof Srivathsan said the IOCG pages have been set over an open Wiki area. ''For each course, the IOCG serves as an interactive 'Community Dashboard' for the course coordinator concerned, the counsellors, registered students and anyone interested in the courses,'' he said.

It supported pedagogically disciplined modes of engaging the learners and managing course events through multiple modes, he added.

Police tighten noose on robbers; 10 held, 66 cases solved

New Delhi, Feb 11 (UNI) The Delhi police have arrested 10 people, allegedly involved in various kinds of thefts, from different parts of the city in last 24 hours and claimed to have solved 66 cases of robbery and burglary.

Police today informed that arms including pistols, daggers and knives, live cartridges and stolen material like motorcycles have been recovered from their possession.

''Three motorcycle-borne robbers Virender, alias Viru, Daulat Ram, alias Kalia, and Himmat were arrested from Keshav Puram area, solving four cases of robbery while
one Deepak Kumar (22) was held from Model Town area involved in 19 cases of snatching and auto-theft,'' DCP (North-west) N S Bundela said.

One English pistol, one country-made pistol, one dagger and one stolen motorcycle have been recovered from their possession.

In yet another raid by Central District police, three burglars, who used to target locked houses, were apprehended from near New Delhi railway station.

''With the arrest of Anul (27), Mohd Tuhin alias Twin (24) and Ranjeet (24), 10 cases of burglary and house theft have been solved,'' DCP (Central) Jaspal Singh said.

He said six mobile phones, one gas cylinder, as many wrist watch, ladies clothes and house breaking equipment have been seized from them.

Referring to the burglary incidents in south Delhi, DCP (south) H G S Dhaliwal informed that three accused actively involved in about 33 cases reported recently in various parts of Delhi have been nabbed.

''Shakeel Ahmed, alias Shakila (21), Anil Giri (21) and Usmaan (21), who used to stay in Delhi under garb of petty jobs of welders and labourers, have been nabbed,'' he said.

One pistol, two live cartridges, two knives, one motorcycle and some house breaking equipment have been recovered from their possession, he added.

He noted that they used to dispose off all the stolen jewellery to various receivers of stolen property having their jewellery shops in Badaun city of Uttar Pradesh.

Students dismal by foreign publishers at World Book Fair

New Delhi, Feb 7 (UNI) Foreign publishers at the 19th New Delhi World Book Fair might have found a place in Indian market by only displaying the books at their pavilions, but this has led to downheartedness of many young buyers.

Many students, aspiring to pursue higher studies in foreign nations, had to return disheartened from the foreign publishers' pavilion during the fair as they could not buy and take the required books with them.

''I had been waiting for the fair and was thrilled to find those books which I wanted to read. However, I am not able to buy them as they are only on display,'' Manish Marwah, a student of foreign language, told UNI.

It was bad news not only for those students who read for pleasure, but also who required the books for their higher studies.

''I have to make a research report on German literature. Most of the books which I require are exhibited here. But I cannot take them with me,'' Sarita, pursuing M Phil in German language from Delhi University, said while turning the pages of a German novel at the German pavilion.

She added that although some German books are available with one Indian publisher in the other hall at the fair, they deal with German grammar only, not literature.

Nearly 35 foreign publishers from 18 different countries participated in the fair this time. For most of them, like Moscow, Israel, Germany and France, business opportunities were more important than selling their works to the visitors.

''We are focussing more on exploring the Indian publishing industry. Although promotion of our literature is important, but to find it's place in the Indian market is also necessary,'' a participant from Colombo said.

Realising the student's concern, some publishers had made sitting arrangements inside and around their pavilions also to attract readers.

Nevertheless, the idea could not please many.

''How can you expect me to work on my reports at a fair where there is too much of noise and disturbance! I wish they could have a photocopier machine if not the books on sale,'' Mathew James, another student learning Spanish language, said.

Traders demand invitation for pre-budget discussion

New Delhi, Feb 1 (UNI) Expressing displeasure over being neglected at the pre-budget discussion, traders today said Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee should have invited them for the same and paid heed to their demands.

''The country's retail trade is expanding by eight to 10 per cent every year with an addition of 25 million middle class consumers. Ignorance such an important sector in pre-budget consultations smacks of step-motherly treatment to the traders of the country,'' Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) secretary general Praveen
Khandelwal pointed out.

He also said industrialists, financial institutions, trade unions, economists, scientists and even the consumer bodies have been invited for the discussion.

''However, the trading community, which forms nearly 70 per cent of the Indian economy, could not find a place in the list of invitees.'' he stated.

The country's retail accounted for around 10 per cent of the GDP with more than six crore small shopkeepers and the size of retail trade was expected to exceed Rs 20 lakh crore by 2010, he informed.

Mr Khandelwal demanded that the Union Finance Minister call the trade representatives for the discussion so as to facilitate the traders to put forward their problems and suggestions for Centre's consideration.

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Abolish manual scavenging, a practice that decries some: SKA

New Delhi, Feb 5 (UNI) The practice of manual scavenging was banned in India in 1993, but it still continues to downgrade a certain class of society, President of Safai Karamchari Andolan said here today.

''There are 6.76 lakh manual scavengers, popularly known as safai karamcharis, in India, though unofficial figures put the figure at 13 lakh,'' Dr Bezwada Wilson, SKA
president, claimed.

He was speaking during a lecture organised by Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) on ''Inhuman Practices of Manual Scavenging: Cleaning up shit'' in the
University's main campus.

Mr Wilson, a Dalit who was elected in alternative '25 people who will never make it to the power list' by Outlook magazine, emphasised on the social basis behind the practice of manual scavenging in the country, the reality of the life of a manual scavenger and the response by SKA.

He remarked that manual scavengers fell at the very lowest category of sanitation workers in the country, after sweepers, sewerage workers and septic tank cleaners.

Delineating the ideological basis of this inhuman practice, Dr Wilson, a post graduate in Political Science elected as Ashoka Senior Fellow in the Year 2009 from India, said, ''The caste system dictates that those born into particular Dalit sub-castes should enagage in manual scavenging, and should remain doing so throughout their lives.''

The lecture was followed by screening of Documentary on ''Lesser Humans''.

Dr Wilson is involved in a movement to eradicate manual scavenging since 1986, which was later formalised as the SKA in 1996. The movement has made a planning call
'Action 2010' for the purpose to eradicate manual scavenging by 31st December, 2010.

YMCA's Institute for Media Studies & IT celebrates Silver Jubilee

New Delhi, Feb 5 (UNI) The Institute for Media Studies and Information Technology, started by New Delhi YMCA, has completed 25 successful years of its existence this year.

To initiate its celebration for the ongoing Silver Jubilee Year, the institute held a media-cum-alumni get-together here today.

A number of dignitaries from the media world, both print and electronic, including radio, attended the event that proved to be a wonderful meeting ground for a majority of former IMSIT students.

The attendees also witnessed informative and comprehensive documentaries on both YMCA and IMSIT. All the features and facilities that the institute has for its students were shown in it.

''The institute was started with a mission to produce committed mediapersons at a low cost and we are proud to say that we have been quite successful in the same,'' IMSIT director Samuel Baid said.

Conceived and started by YMCA's then president Wilfred Lazarus, who retired as Principal Information Officer of Government of India, the institute has been running various courses in journalism (both English and Hindi), television
production, public relations, advertising, Digitial Video Broadcast Animation and Computer Application.

Mr Baid informed that this year, the Institute has also started Applied Art and Sports Broadcast and Management courses.

He added that the institute has also planned a number of programmes and seminars during this year to mark the occasion.

''A cultural programme has been organised later this month wherein the present students will give various musical and dance performances,'' the director said.

Many guest lectures by the alumni, public meetings and more get-togethers will also be organised.