Category: News

Comprehensive, up-to-date news coverage, aggregated from sources all over the world by EduindexNews.

Medical seat business in Karnataka for 'medical colleges'

The Income Tax Department has busted the medical seat business in Karnataka carried out by ‘medical colleges’ in which they offered seats to NEET unqualified or NEET qualified candidates with low score for higher package/fees. Evidence has been found  that these institutions have made more than Rs 400 crore in the name of capitation fees.

According to the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), the raid was reported after investigation was conducted at 56 locations in Karnataka and Kerala of nine major trusts running educational institutions in Bangalore and Mangaluru, including the Medical College. Documents found in the raids have yielded evidence of Rs 402.78 crore being illegally collected in the name of capitation fees. 
This fee was raised through recruiting the students as per the problems involved in the online admission process. The details of this capitation fee were not given to the Income Tax Department. During investigation documents of 2.39 crore undisclosed foreign assets of the trustees have also been found in Ghana.
There was a politics of qualifying the examination after admission. Apart from admissions to these management quota students in medical colleges, a ‘package’ was also being given to pass the examination, for which one lakh to two lakh rupees were being taken.
High ranked students in NEET also joined the racket-
Trustees and directors of medical colleges  found a loophole in the National Eligibility and Entrance Test (NEET). Some students who got high rank in NEET were added through agents. These students used to get admission in these institutions through counseling, however they had already taken admission in any other college. Later, they would withdraw their names from these institutions and this seat would become vacant for the college management.
The National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET), formerly the All India Pre-Medical Test (AIPMT), is the qualifying test for MBBS and BDS programmes in Indian medical and dental colleges. It is conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA). NEET qualified students are offered admission for 90,000 seats in MBBS and BDS Colleges of India, the examination is conducted in the month of May every year.

Medical seat business in Karnataka for 'medical colleges'

The Income Tax Department has busted the medical seat business in Karnataka carried out by ‘medical colleges’ in which they offered seats to NEET unqualified or NEET qualified candidates with low score for higher package/fees. Evidence has been found  that these institutions have made more than Rs 400 crore in the name of capitation fees.

According to the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), the raid was reported after investigation was conducted at 56 locations in Karnataka and Kerala of nine major trusts running educational institutions in Bangalore and Mangaluru, including the Medical College. Documents found in the raids have yielded evidence of Rs 402.78 crore being illegally collected in the name of capitation fees. 
This fee was raised through recruiting the students as per the problems involved in the online admission process. The details of this capitation fee were not given to the Income Tax Department. During investigation documents of 2.39 crore undisclosed foreign assets of the trustees have also been found in Ghana.
There was a politics of qualifying the examination after admission. Apart from admissions to these management quota students in medical colleges, a ‘package’ was also being given to pass the examination, for which one lakh to two lakh rupees were being taken.
High ranked students in NEET also joined the racket-
Trustees and directors of medical colleges  found a loophole in the National Eligibility and Entrance Test (NEET). Some students who got high rank in NEET were added through agents. These students used to get admission in these institutions through counseling, however they had already taken admission in any other college. Later, they would withdraw their names from these institutions and this seat would become vacant for the college management.
The National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET), formerly the All India Pre-Medical Test (AIPMT), is the qualifying test for MBBS and BDS programmes in Indian medical and dental colleges. It is conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA). NEET qualified students are offered admission for 90,000 seats in MBBS and BDS Colleges of India, the examination is conducted in the month of May every year.

What are the farm laws?

Everywhere in the news, there are different refrains about the protests and opinions for and against the new farm laws. But what exactly are these laws and how do they change the status quo? These laws are: The Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act. They were passed in June as ordinances before being approved by Parliament during the Monsoon Session by a voice vote.

The Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act provides for setting up a mechanism allowing the farmers to sell their farm produces outside the Agriculture Produce Market Committees (APMCs). Before this law, they could only sell it in the government APMCs or ‘mandis.’ Now, any licence-holding trader can buy the produce from the farmers at mutually agreed prices, which will be free of the ‘mandi tax’ imposed by state governments. Some think this will allow agribusinesses to monopolize the market through initially low prices and exploit farmers, and some think it will result in better prices for the farmers and a more efficient agricultural market because of more choices.


The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act allows farmers to do contract farming and market their produces freely. Some think it will result in the wage slavery of farmers but others think it will increase investment in the agricultural sector.


The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act is an amendment to the existing Essential Commodities Act. This law freed items such as food grains, pulses, edible oils and onion for trade except in extraordinary situations. As such, it is not as contentious as the previous 2 laws.


The main grouse of the protesting farmers with these laws, especially the first one, is the lack of an MSP (minimum standard price) assurance. They believe they will suffer because of big businesses reducing prices after monopolizing the markets. However, the people that oppose this idea believe that the MSP system is inefficient and only results in wastage. Only time can tell who will win this battle of ideas and what will happen to the agricultural sector.

Women have the right to register a complaint against harassment even after decades

Former Union Minister M.J. Akbar has received a setback in the criminal defamation suit against Priya Ramani, a journalist who accused of him sexual harassment, when Delhi Court acquitted Ramani on Wednesday. Dismissing Akbar’s plea, the court said that a woman who has been tortured has the right to register a complaint even after decades. The court said that women who raise their voice against such crimes cannot be punished. Akbar alleged that Ramani’s tweet during the #me_too campaign has defamed him.

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate(A.C.M.M.) Ravindrakumar Pandey dismissed the plea of ​​former Union Minister Akbar saying that no allegations against Ramani were proved. The court reserved the verdict on February 1. Apart from Ramani, Akbar was accused of harassment by around 20 women journalists.
Previously, Ramani accused Akbar during the Me too campaign.
ACMM, Ravindrakumar Pandey, added that this crime is shameful in the country of Ramayana-Mahabharata. He said crimes against women are shameful in a country where great texts like the Mahabharata and the Ramayana have been written, which teach women how to respect them.
Akbar rejected the allegations and had filed a complaint against Priya Ramani on October 15, 2018, for defaming him after she accused him for misconduct. However, on October 17, 2018, Akbar was accused of misconduct and had to resign as Union Minister.
No one’s reputation should be protected at the cost of women’s dignity-
The court said in the judgment that no one’s reputation can be saved at the cost of a woman’s life and dignity. Under Article 21 of the Constitution this has been guaranteed. At the same time under Article 14, the right to equality before the law and the right to equal protection have also been guaranteed.
Any invisible hindrance cannot stop Indian women from moving forward for equal opportunity in society. Now, the time has come for society to understand the hardship of sexual harassment. Society must see the victim just like any other common person and not discriminate. A victim should be able to  lead a life like a dignified person in society.

Wealth Creation through Equity Investing

Wealth creation through equity investing is an intensive exercise requiring special skills and knowledge backed by extensive market and company research and thorough understanding of the subtleties of the market behavior. Whereas equity investing beats the inflation and is an ideal instrument of investment for growth by delivering higher rate of return compared to fixed return instruments, the associated risks must be kept in view that equity is a volatile instrument whose prices change every day and any negative sentiment/news/adverse happening would erode the principal investment. It is only the intelligent and perceptive investor who makes money in both rising and falling markets.

With a view to understand the nuances of equity investing, how equities create wealth in the long run, understanding the difference between growth vis-à-vis value investing, why high quality companies trade at high multiples, the capital market experts will guide the readers with their experience. The underlying reasons why PSUs have not performed in spite of their inherent strengths will also be discussed in different chapters.

Submit your book chapter for publication in this book to 

editor@pen2print.org 

Random Acts of Kindness

Humanity has gone down a downward slope over the recent years because of the growth of consumerism and capitalist selfishness. Being considerate of the welfare of others is almost an anomaly, especially in urban environments where the concepts of privacy and individualism have eroded the natural human instinct to care for fellow human beings. 


In such a scenario, we must take it upon ourselves to be kind to others and to not let our lives turn into a crude competition of self-service. Every act, every gentle word and every tangible contribution to someone else’s life with no desire for self-enrichment is a way to regain the lost selfless character of humanity. 

This random acts of kindness day, we should all pledge to go out of our way to aid our fellow human beings in any way we can. This can be done through helping our someone with their work, donating to the underprivileged, helping an old woman cross the street and so many other ways! Even the smallest contribution to someone else’s life will not just enrich their life but have a softening impact on our own character. To do so is a favor towards humanity and to ourselves. 

CRUDE OIL PRICES IN INDIA

 Today, the world is suffering from many unexpected problems. These problems includes corona virus pandemic, poverty, voilence in many subjects and rise in prices in almost every item. 

These problems got a boost after this corona virus pandemic. Providing essential items to everyone according to their needs have been one of the major problem. Almost every country is having such issues, that too due to the unexpected Covid-19 pandemic.

Presently, Farmer protests, violence, rise in prices, Covid19 vaccination for all on time, rape issues and political games are the topics which are trending in India.
In India too the prices are touching its brim. The rise in costs in food, commodities, jewellery, fuel, automobiles etc have become a greater problem. To provide everything for everyone with less issues is a need. 
The petrol and diesel prices have been increasing day by day. Retail price of automobile fuels have reached heights across the country. Petrol and diesel are taxed heavily in India and that’s why the consumer benefits have been decreased.
Low class families are getting benifits by the government, high class families already have enough salaries to spend freely and according to their needs.
For middle class families, the problems are like hell. No benifits, almost nothing for the middle class. Only low class are under the eyes of government but middle class are just ignored every time. Middle class are also like the low class but just a bit heigher than low class and so less than the upper class. This class is in the middle so no-one remember to provide special highlights to them. Pressure over the middle class to do everything on their own without any benifits or schemes from anyone, under huge loss. 
Diesel and petrol prices have hit high records across the country with petrol touching Rs 89 per litre in Delhi and diesel reaching a new high of Rs 86.30 per litre in Mumbai. Petrol prices are revised by the oil marketing companies like Indian Oil, Bharat Petroleum, Hindustan Petroleum etc. based on the international prices. So, when international crude oil prices gain, petrol prices in India increases and so on. If crude oil prices in the international markets drops, we see a down fall in daily petrol prices in India. 
Factors affecting Today’s Petrol Prices In India 
 The difference in the prices of crude oil in the international market directly influences the price of crude oil (raw form of oil) in the domestic market and this is one of the most important factor responsible for an increase in the petrol prices in Indian market. Increase in international demand as well as low production rate and any political no rest in the crude oil producing countries of the world severely affects petrol price.
 Increase in Demand – Economic growth in India and other developing countries has also led to the increase in demand for the petrol and other essential fuels in India. The number of people who own private vehicles has gone up in the recent past which has contributed to the increase in demand for petrol in India this has resulted in the rise in petrol prices in India. 
Logistics – Logistics is one of the significant factors in pricing retail fuel. Petrol and diesel transported to longer distances to cities or regions farther from depots will be priced higher than the places nearer to the oil companies storage area. The reason behind the change in the prices of petrol in different cities across India. This difference may be huge between cities that are far from each other. The fear linked to the rise of petrol prices in India might be never ending. 
Mismatch of Demand and Provided quantity – Oil refinery companies in India faces problem to meet the demands of the market due to the high cost of input price of crude oil thus resulting in low supply and high demand for petrol in the country. An increase in supply results in a decrease in the price of the petrol and vice versa. Oil refining and marketing companies maintains crude oil inventory up to six weeks, which also influences the price of the petrol and petroleum products.
 Rate of Taxes – The prices of petrol and other petroleum products varies according to the local government policies which impose taxes on fuels. As and when the government of India raises tax rates on fuels then oil companies in India also increase the price of the petrol to recover the loss and maintain marginal profits in the oil business in India. 
Rupee – Dollar Exchange Rates – The rupee-dollar exchange rate is also one of the major factors which influences the price of petrol in India. Indian oil companies pay to the oil imported from other countries in terms of dollars, but their costs are regarding rupee. So, when the price of the crude oil is in the fall but the rupee is also weaker against the dollar then it will reduce the profits to the oil refiners. So, when the rupee strengthens against the dollar and the price of the crude oil faces down fall, then most of the oil companies tend to gain alot.
Apart from this, the continued commitment of the producers to supply, amidst muted fuel demand has helped the fuel prices to scale up. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its member partner have their support for deeper oil supply cuts throughout 2021. The move was made to help bring down the swollen global crude stockpiles are increasing despite feeble oil demand. 
Meanwhile, the demand in china for crude oil is helping to support the oil markets as shown by the industrial track.
– Sahaj Sabharwal
(Author-: Poems by Sahaj Sabharwal)
Jammu city, J&K, India
Contact-: +917780977469
About the Author-:
PERSONALITY OF JAMMU, INDIA
NAME: Sahaj Sabharwal 
 
Sahaj Sabharwal, a young writer and an author was born on 17th March, 2002. He lives in Jammu city, Jammu and Kashmir, India. He has completed his schooling from Delhi Public School Jammu as a Non-Medical student. Now he is a student of Aeronautical Engineering. His hobbies includes writing thoughts, listening to music, discovering new things, exploring the world, writing and singing rap songs to mention but a few. He has been awarded many awards in poetry writing at State level, National level and International level. He mostly writes motivational thoughts and on topics related to social issues for spreading awareness among the people. His writings are regularly published in many newspapers, magazines, websites, anthologies and other media platforms.
According to him, 
” Be You
No need to update your view
On society’s new view “
His aim in life is to invent/discover something new as a Scientist or Researcher. He wants to do something new, which is done by a few. He is an inspiration of his own. He is a successful author of the BOOK -: “Poems By Sahaj Sabharwal ” 

WHEN THE ‘TOOLKIT’ BECOMES THE TOOL

In light of the recent ‘Farmer’s protest toolkit controversy’, a 22-year-old environmental activist from Bengaluru, Disha Ravi has been arrested by the Delhi police on Sunday 14th February 2021. She is now under five-day police custody as the Delhi Magistrate decided to remand her following the arrest. She has been booked under Indian Penal Code Sections 124(a) for sedition, 153(a) for promoting enmity between different sections of the society and 120(b) for criminal conspiracy. She is accused of involvement in the composition of the “toolkit”, an online document shared by the International environmental activist Greta Thunberg, which consists of action plans to protest against the farm bill. Police claimed that the toolkit had the violence on 26th January as one of its “action plans” to protest against the farm bill, in addition to the pro-Khalistani elements.

Since last October, thousands of farmers have been camping on the national capital borders, protesting against the three newly passed farm laws introduced by the NDA government. On the republic day, the tractor rally conducted by the protesting farmers has resulted in great commotion as the farmers attempted to enter the national capital region, storming the Red Fort complex and clashing with the police and security forces. The police allege that plans for such actions were formulated in the online document, described as a “toolkit” that Ravi created and shared with Thunberg. “The main aim of the toolkit was to create misinformation and disaffection against the lawfully enacted government,” said a police official. “The toolkit sought to artificially amplify the fake news through various tweets which they have created in the form of a tweet bank. The document that they drafted had secessionist and pro-Khalistani content embedded into it through links and texts” he added. 

The arrest of Disha has instigated furious criticism against the fascist actions of the government regarding the farmers protest. The efforts made by the government to silence and oppress the voice of the farmers and the people supporting them is more of a provocative manner than a call for peace.

Objectionable content of over-the-top (O.T.T.) platforms, misusing artistic freedom

The Supreme Court has asked the central government what steps will be taken to curb the objectionable content of over-the-top (OTT) platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime and Alt Balaji. The apex court on Tuesday asked the government to file an affidavit in six weeks.

Adult content, foul language and anti-national ideology are some areas where Indians do not agree with the online curated content.

Out of the concerned, most (25 percent) are worried about the fact that adult content is easily accessible to children.

As many as 63 percent of respondents feel that some kind of censorship or at least a code of conduct approved by the government is the need of the hour.

A three-member bench headed by CJI SA Bobde was hearing a plee seeking regulation of content of the OTT platform. Additional Solicitor General KM Natraj told the bench that the issue was being considered. The bench said, what does it mean the government considering it? Is the law being brought or something? The bench suggested to file an affidavit in six and inform them about their what they are thinking of doing. The petition calls for an autonomous body to monitor OTT content.
Just thinking is not enough: The bench said, merely saying that the government is considering this issue is not enough. To this, Additional Solicitor General Natraj said, “The issue is under consideration, but a final decision has not been taken yet as to what steps will be taken.” The bench also asked in its affidavit what steps the government will take.
The abuse of freedom of expression by indiscretion .The petition claims that more than 40 OTT and video streaming platforms are directly abusing the freedom of expression. These include smoking, more violence, sexual scenes, lewd language, which are usually displayed with caution. Their language is uninteresting due to lack of monitoring mechanism, visual and dialogues are obscene.
A notice was issued last year also to the Ministry of Broadcasting.
The petitioners say, there is currently no law or autonomous body that regulates the digital content of any filter or screening. This is misusing artistic freedom. Significantly, the court issued information on the petition related to regulating and monitoring the OTT platform on October 15, 2020
last year.

INDIA PAID TRIBUTE TO THE VALIANT MARTYRS OF PULWAMA ATTACK

It’s been two years since the Pulwama terror attack which took the lives of 40 Indian soldiers happened. The 14th of February leaves a deep sigh in the hearts of every patriotic Indian. It is one of the worst hit attacks and is remembered as a ‘ black day’ in the history of India. While paying his tributes to the Pulwama martyrs on the occasion of the second anniversary of the attack, Prime minister Narendra Modi said: “No Indian can forget this day. Two years ago, the PulwamaAttack happened. We pay homage to all the martyrs we lost in that attack. We are proud of our security forces. Their bravery will continue to inspire generations”.

The gruesome incident which shook the whole nation took place on 14th February 2019 after the security convoy of 78 buses carrying around 2500 military personnels of the Indian Army was rammed by an IED-laden vehicle while traveling from Jammu to Srinagar. Investigations have revealed that the car which rammed the convoy was driven by a 22 year old suicide bomber Adil Ahmad Dar and carried nearly 300 Kgs of explosives including 80 Kgs of RDX and ammonium nitrate. The attack which took the lives of 40 CRPF jawans was later claimed by the Pakistan based terrorist group named Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). Even though the investigation agency was able to confirm the identity of the suicide bomber through DNA samples, they are yet to trace the source of the explosives used. 

Along with the Prime Minister, many Senior officers of the various armed forces of the country also participated in the remembrance and paid tribute to the valiant heroes of the nation. “Did not Forgive, will not Forget: Salute to our brothers who made the supreme sacrifice for the nation in #PulwamaAttack. Indebted, we stand with the families of our valiant Bravehearts,” the force said in a Twitter post.

Memories- Are they real or is your brain playing tricks on you?

All of us are aware of the tricks our memory plays on us in our lives. Like the time when you spend the whole night before exam cramming information from your textbooks and when you try to remember your mind goes blank. Or when you remember the most embarrassing event that happened to you but nobody else remembers it. Some people remember the smallest things that happened in the past while the others cannot remember any of those things. Ever had an argument with a friend when they forgot your birthday, when you never fail to wish them every year. Well it’s not all their fault. Our memory is partly at fault.

The study of memory is a fascinating field and researchers have reported many new phenomena which show the dynamic nature of human memory. Here are some interesting types of memories-

False memories-

Did you know that you cannot trust all of memories? False memory is an interesting phenomenon that is induced by powerful imagination of an event that did not even take place at all. Research suggests that memory can be induced and implanted through inflation of imagination.

Flashbulb memories-

There are memories of some events that are very surprising. Such memories are very detailed, they are like a photo from a camera that are stored in our brain and you can take a look at it whenever you want. They are like images tied to a particular time, place and date.

Autobiographical memories-

These are personal memories. Kind of like our Facebook timeline, they are not evenly spread across our lives. Some periods of our lives produce more memories than others. For e.g. In early childhood especially during the first 4-5 years, we have no memories related to those years, it is also known as childhood amnesia. After that there is a dramatic increase in the frequency of the memories i.e. during the twenties. Around 30 years of age, there is a decline in certain kinds of memories.

Implicit Memories-

This is the kind of memory that a person is not aware of. It is a memory that is stored automatically. For e.g. One interesting example of implicit memory comes from typing, if someone knows typing that means they also knows the particular letters on the keyboards.

Repressed memories-

Some individuals undergo traumatic experiences. Memories of those events are hurtful, such memories are repressed into the unconscious. It is a kind of repression- painful, threatening and embarrassing memories are held out of consciousness.

Forgetfulness or loss of memories under stress and high anxiety is not uncommon.

But we can still improve our memories by using some techniques such as chunking (learning in several small chunks that are combined to form large chunks) and by deeply analyzing a particular piece of information makes it easier to remember it.

World' fastest vaccination campaign is underway in India

The country’s largest corona vaccination campaign is underway. The Union Health Ministry said that a total of 75 lakh people have been vaccinated in the country till Friday, the 27th day of the vaccination campaign. Out of this, 58.14,976 health workers and 16,90,034 Front line workers are included.

Why vaccination is important?

Vaccines can help limit the spread of antibiotic resistance.

The global increase in disease caused by drug-resistant bacteria, due to overuse and misuse of antibiotics, is a major public health concern. Vaccinating humans and animals is a very effective way to stop them from getting infected and thereby preventing the need for antibiotics.

Making better use of existing vaccines and developing new vaccines are important ways to tackle antibiotic resistance and reduce preventable illness and deaths.

According to the ministry, a total of 1,54,370 sessions of immunization have been completed across the country so far. Immunization campaign is fastest in India. On 11th February, a total of 4.5 lakh people were vaccinated. This includes 1,09,748 health workers and 3,78,148 front line workers.The corona virus is seen to be dying with speed in the corona vaccination campaign, according to the report released by the Union Health Ministry on Friday, 9309 cases were reported in the last 24 hours across the country, this is the third time in February when less than ten thousand cases were reported.

According to the Health Ministry, there were seven days in February when the daily death rate from Corona has been less than 100. There was no death reported from corona in 18 states and union territories of the country in the last 24 hours.

World' fastest vaccination campaign is underway in India

The country’s largest corona vaccination campaign is underway. The Union Health Ministry said that a total of 75 lakh people have been vaccinated in the country till Friday, the 27th day of the vaccination campaign. Out of this, 58.14,976 health workers and 16,90,034 Front line workers are included.

Why vaccination is important?

Vaccines can help limit the spread of antibiotic resistance.

The global increase in disease caused by drug-resistant bacteria, due to overuse and misuse of antibiotics, is a major public health concern. Vaccinating humans and animals is a very effective way to stop them from getting infected and thereby preventing the need for antibiotics.

Making better use of existing vaccines and developing new vaccines are important ways to tackle antibiotic resistance and reduce preventable illness and deaths.

According to the ministry, a total of 1,54,370 sessions of immunization have been completed across the country so far. Immunization campaign is fastest in India. On 11th February, a total of 4.5 lakh people were vaccinated. This includes 1,09,748 health workers and 3,78,148 front line workers.The corona virus is seen to be dying with speed in the corona vaccination campaign, according to the report released by the Union Health Ministry on Friday, 9309 cases were reported in the last 24 hours across the country, this is the third time in February when less than ten thousand cases were reported.

According to the Health Ministry, there were seven days in February when the daily death rate from Corona has been less than 100. There was no death reported from corona in 18 states and union territories of the country in the last 24 hours.

More than 20% of India’s underground water found contaminated with arsenic: IIT Kharagpur

More than 25 crore people of our nation are being forced to drink water contaminated with arsenic.

In a study carried out by IIT Kharagpur using an AI (Artificial Intelligence) based inference model it was found that the poisonous substance arsenic was present in more than 20% of the country’s underground water.

According to the estimates made by a few government and non-government organizations it was found that a large percent of the total population is being affected by the contamination. With the increasing water pollution, we need to take strict measures when it comes to collecting water samples from different regions and studying it for more chemical contamination.

According to the Assistant Professor Abhijit Mukherjee of IIT Kharagpur, it was reported that these high arsenic zones are present mostly along the Indus Ganga-Brahmaputra river basin and in the peninsular areas.

Health Effects- According to the World Health Organization, arsenic is highly toxic in inorganic form. Prolonged exposure to consuming contaminated water can cause cancer, skin lesions and other diseases when it reaches the body. It has also been associated with cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Early childhood exposure has been linked to negative impacts on cognitive development and increased deaths in young adults.

Sources of Exposure-

Arsenic is a natural component of the earth’s crust and is widely distributed throughout the environment in the air, water and land. People are exposed to high levels of inorganic arsenic through drinking contaminated water, using contaminated water in food preparation and irrigation of food crops, industrial processes, eating contaminated food.

Dietary Sources– Seafood, Poultry and dairy products contain arsenic although the amount is very low in comparison and arsenic is present in its less toxic organic form.

Industrial Processes– Arsenic is used widely in industries as an alloying agent, in processing of glass, pigments, paper, wood etc., and also in a limited extent in making pesticides and pharmaceuticals.

Smoking tobacco– Tobacco plants can take up arsenic naturally present in soil so people who smoke tobacco are exposed to natural inorganic arsenic.

Prevention and control–

  • Substituting high arsenic sources such as groundwater, with low arsenic sources such as rain water and treated surface water.
  • Install arsenic removal systems and ensure the appropriate disposal of the removed arsenic. Technologies for removal of arsenic include oxidation, coagulation-precipitation, absorption, ion exchange, and membrane techniques. The most important action in affected communities is the prevention of further exposure to arsenic of a safe water supply.
  • Discriminate between high-arsenic and low-arsenic levels and paint tube wells or hand pumps with different colours.

Arsenic is one of WHO’s 10 chemicals of major public health concerns. WHO’s work to reduce arsenic exposure includes setting guideline values, reviewing evidence, and providing risk management recommendations.

Educating others about the dangers and necessities of this problem is crucial and community engagement is important for ensuring successful interventions. There is a need for community members to understand the risks of high arsenic exposure and the sources of arsenic exposure, including the intake of arsenic by crops (e.g. rice) from irrigation water and the intake of arsenic into food from cooking water.