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APPL Projects
[2007-
] Disability and Rehabilitation of the victims of Japanese Encephalitis in
Eastern Uttar Pradesh
Problem Scenario
Japanese
Encephalitis (JE) is a killer disease. Japanese encephalitis (JE) remains
the most important cause of Acute Viral Encephalitis (AES). It has been
widely found through-out the world, especially in the Indian sub-continent
and South East Asia, Japan, China, Korea, Taiwan etc. It continues to spread to hitherto
unaffected regions like Indonesia, Pakistan and Australia. Approximately
60% of the world population inhabits JE endemic areas. In India, it is
widely spread in most major states Viz. Uttar Pradesh (U.P.), Bihar, Andhra
Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala etc. It came to Purvanchal, i.e., the eastern
rice belt of U.P., touching the Nepal and Bihar borders in 1975. It was
noticed predominantly in 1978 and since then it has taken more than fifteen
thousand lives and severely affected more than a Lakh Eighty Thousand (>180,000) people. Purvanchal in
Uttar Pradesh-the rice belt was badly affected with JE for the past 34
years but things at the ground level have not much changed even now. From
1978 to 2011 in 34 years the U.P.state has seen 19 chief ministers and 9
Governors and almost all the political parties have ruled, but, so far JE
victims is concerned, the crisis is still the same. In the affected area,
even the basic infrastructure has not been built-up and the health services
are not up to the marks. More and more cases of mortality and morbidity
still reported years after years.
APPL Efforts
APPL
is the first and only organization which has been constantly monitoring the
status of victims of Japanese Encephalitis (JE) / A.E.S. in the Purvanchal
part of eastern Uttar Pradesh on scientific lines. It has generated
verifiable data about the victims during and after the treatment, and
published 4 reports (in 2007, 2008, 2010 and 2011) till date. This work has
been appreciated by all stake holders and featured prominently in media.
See details of our work
here
[2008 -
] Collaborative Activity: Genetically Modified Crops – Center For
Contemporary Studies & Research, Lucknow and APPL
Problem Scenario
Public
awareness in India about genetically modified seed and crops, in general,
is poor. There is no labelling in
stores on genetically engineered food materials. Consumers are, therefore,
totally in the dark on what they are eating and what are their effects on health.
The
Bt Brinjal, like many other Genetically Modified (GM) crops has been now
shown by independent analysis to impact health adversely. In other studies
too, when GM food was tested on rats, the results were alarming. Evidence
linked GM food with stunted growth, impaired immune systems, potentially
precancerous cell growth in the intestines, liver/pancreas/intestinal
damage and even inter-generational effects. Latest studies have confirmed
that GM foods affect fertility.
Ever
since GMOs were first introduced in the mid-1990s, farmers’ groups and NGOs
have warned that they would not only contaminate other crops, but have
adverse impact on Environment, Bio-diversity , country’s Food-sovereignty,
social and economic structure in farming community. As produce of GM crops cannot be used as seed for next
crop, farmers shall always be at mercy of MNC seed companies for their
future needs. In the absence of a national facility, presently seed
companies either do the tests themselves or get them done in laboratories
in-equipped to know if a seed was normal or genetically modified?.
When
GM crops are planted they contaminate other crops with transgenic material.
In places where GM crops are grown on a large scale, it has already become
almost impossible to find crops of the same species that are free of GM
material. And the contamination spreads even to areas where GM crops are
not officially permitted. This has happened, just as predicted.
Contamination will reach a new level of toxicity, and occur not only within
organisms of the same species but also between species as different from
each other as plants and bacteria, or plants and fungi.
In
Mexico , GM based maize has now
Contaminated the indigenous
maize variety, which is sick and needs to be cured, but not killed. It may take
a year or 100 years to cure it, but it has to be done, because the
indigenous maize has been with their communities for generations. In
Argentina, in GM based Soya farming the intense application year after year
of a single herbicide – glyphosate – has led to the emergence of a new class of weeds that have become
resistant to this chemical. Apart from these, it has badly affected the
overall fertility of the soil.
See details of our work here
[2011] Corruption
in India and APPL
Problem Scenario
Transparency
International (TI), a global organization engaged in fights against
corruption, and having several studies highlighting the damaging effects of
corruption on over all development in various countries world-wide has
posted India at serial No.87, indicating very high level of corruption
prevailing in India. It is not different from our every day life-experience
in almost every walk of life, be it getting issued ration-card, birth/death
certificates from local municipality, getting old-age pension, retirement
benefits (like PF, Gratuity, pension fixation), getting normal
water/power/sewage connections, car/bike registration, driving
license-issuance; for rural folks getting copies of land/crop records from
Patwari (Lekhpal), BPL (below the poverty line) cards, SC/ST/OBC caste
certificates from the local administration, getting a property
transferred/registered in the local sub-registrar office, for city dwellers
any job from a land owing Government Authority (like DDA,LDA, Noida/
Greater Noida authority etc ),may be even depositing/with-drawing your own
money, land allotment for bigger projects, getting construction plans
approved, completion/occupation certificates issued etc, leave aside bigger
corporate issues of getting permissions/clearances to start a business,
environmental /pollution clearances, big tag tender finalization, global
procurement of defense-equipments, procurement/lease of aero-planes, naval
vessels etc. etc. Law- makers have
been reported to demand and receive money for even their normal duties like
asking regular questions/ voting in favor of ruling parties, inside the
legislative houses. It seems nothing
is left, nothing is spared.
Even the most sacrosanct
Judiciary has been accused of various wrong doings. Be it the case of
senior Supreme court judge Mr. Ramaswami, who had just saved his
impeachment by resigning during his parliament hearings, Justice Sen of
Calcutta (Kolkatta) High court was under scanner and he also resigned to
get away from the further embarrassment, when his impeachment process was
currently on, CBI is pursuing the case of ex-Punjab & Haryana High
court Justice Nirmal Yadav in famous cash at door case, many Supreme
court/High court/District court judges are fighting to save their skin in
the famous Ghaziabad court Provident Fund scandals. These are tips of the
ice burgs. Some journalists have fictitiously procured the non-bail-able
warrants of our respected ex-president Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam from Ahmedabad
court some years back, while he was still in position to show what can be
done in courts and how much corruption has seeped in our judicial
processes?
Reports
APPL, as a leading
reputed charitable organization has its own experience in our day-to-day
activities. Many times we were put to test to our faith, value system,
patience, honesty & integrity and sense of belongingness for the cause.
In April 2006,during registration of the APPL trust, we did not pay to any
body, be it any government officials, consultants, brokers etc, besides for
the due payments for the services of the attending advocate. Similarly
during our case in the Income tax department for grant of concessions under
80(G), we patiently waited for more than 5 year, applied and re-applied
with all required details/documents and relentlessly pursued our case and
finally got issued the required approval from the Income-tax department.
Our experience says if one is able to put his/her case strongly, do one’s
home-work meticulously, submit all required documents, pursue the case
repetitively with full faith & honesty, there are very good chances one
would be saved of the situation where corruption could play a decisive
role. When the whole country was in the grip of Anna –wave, APPL also
visited the Ramlila ground, a couple of times even in the bad weathers, to
participate and support for the Anna Hazare’ s anti-corruption cause. Some
of the photographs on the occasion are given here. APPL officials
participated in the rally’s organized, both in the mornings and evenings in
the local area (Sector-62, Noida), during the period of the crusade by Sri
Anna Hazare.
[2008]
Collaborative Activity: Medical Camp For Health Check-up of Riksha
Puller’s--- APPL and Awadh
Diagnostic Centre, Gorakhpur
Problem Scenario
Health-care
and awareness among Riksha- Pullers, as common to any unprivileged section
of the society, is poor. Riksha-Pullers, as a group, are generally
self-employed people with background of from poor families, illiterate, low
income, mal-nutrition, hard & long but not defined working hours,
exploited lot, with low awareness about importance of cleanliness and
absence of regular health care. Public awareness about health-status
of this group is also poor.
Reports
1.
Given the
need to spread awareness about regular health check-up and health-care in
Riksha pullers a health camp,in collaboration with Awadh Diagnostic Centre
,Gorakhput was organized by APPL at
Bitchhia Camp Jungle Tulsi Ram, Gorakhpur ,U.P. on November 23,2008. About
110 riksha pullers participated in the program. Apart from health screening for some major diseases,
and general Eye and Dental checkups, importance of cleanliness, which is a
key precaution for many diseases, the importance of healthy and nutritious
food was also explained .Awadh Diagnostic Centre offered to organize to bear for expenses for
free X-Ray, Ultra-sound, other
clinical tests. See report and photographs of the event here. Local media has widely
covered this event.
2.
Out of the
110 people screened, it was found that
majority of the Riksha Pullers are suffering from mal-nutrition, low
blood pressure, liver and respiratory problems. About 15% were found so
called healthy, without any major
diseases, whereas 12% were found
suffering from Tuberculosis, and one person was found suffering from
leprosy.
3.
The medical
camp was inaugurated by Dr. A. K Srivastava, Executive Trustee of APPL
trust. Dr. Alok Sinha of Sahara
Welfare Foundation, Dr. Naresh
Shukla, Dr.Rahul Thakur, Dr.A.K.Pandey, Dr.Thakur Bharat etc
participated and given their free services for the medical check-up.
Dr.Sanjay Srivastava, Trustee APPL and Coordinator of the project said that
the riksha pullers as a group of
unprivileged section of the society draw no attention from the concerned
authorities, wherein they are engaged in carrying out people throughout
day and night 24x7x365,in
extreme odds of summer, winter, and rainy seasons. APPL
offered to organize such medical-camps regularly in future for such
unprivileged people.
[2007-2008]
Collaborative Activity: Volunteers from IBM India Research Lab (IRL) and
APPL
Problem Scenario
Imparting
practical education to poor kids of laborers. Just like everywhere in India, near
the new IBM Research location in New
Delhi, India,
one can find numerous children not going to school and living in filthy
environment. Volunteers from IRL had started an amazing grass-root endeavor
to educate some of these children since early 2007. APPL joined hands and
helped organize running the classes on regular basis (about 50 children are
enrolled and on any typical day 25-30 children attend the class), take the
children to picnic, organize a health camp for these children in Aug 2007
and distribution of woolens in November 2007.
Reports
1.
A report on the
health clinic.
2.
Some
photographs of health camp are below.
  
3.
Some
photographs of the woolen distribution are below.
 
[2007] Collaborative
Activity: Educational & Professional Organizations and APPL
Problem Scenario
Public
awareness about cleanliness and treatment of Encephalitis.
Reports
1.
Given the
need to spread awareness about cleanliness which is a key precaution for
Encephalitis, APPL and the students from Institute of Technology
and Management (ITM), Gorakhpur
organized an awareness camp at village Badgahan, Dist. Gorakhpur on 7th October 2007.
See report and photographs of the event here.
2.
APPL
organized a workshop in July 2007 in collaboration with U.P. state-level
medical practioners of alternative medicine (Ayurveda and Homopaethic)
about the prevention and cure of Japanese Encephalitis. See some news
coverage of the event here.
Regular Activities
We
have been distributing blankets and clothes in winter.
·
In Dec 2010-Jan 2011: 250
blankets were distributed in various areas around Eastern U.P., targeting
under-privileged sections like to Leprosy
affected Patients/Community on the outskirts of Deoria City in Deoria
District (U.P.), at India-Nepal border in the District of Mahrajgang (U.P.)
to Van-Tangia
Community (a community living in forests and dependent on primarily
forest produce), Mushahar
community at a settlement in Kushinagar(U.P.) , and at village Gidhar
and Arda, Basti district (U.P.)
·
In August 2010: Prime
Minister’s National Relief Fund- APPL donated cash a sum of Rs.5, 001/-
for the benefit of victims of flash flood/cloud burst at near Leh, J &
K state.
·
In Dec 2009-Jan 2010: 275
blankets were distributed. Photos of the events are here for at
villages: Ardaa
/Gidhar (Distt. Basti), Naushad Bazar at migratory settlements, near
river Rapti , Mushahar settlements near Jungle Kusumi, Unnaula
( Bhainsa Bazar), (Distt. Gorakhpur) and at Noida /Greater Noida,
Distt. Gautam Buddha Nagar.
·
In Dec 2008-Jan 2009: 200 blankets were distributed. Photos of the
events are here for Unnaula
(Dist. Gorakhpur)), Mushahar settlements near Jungle Sikari and Chawri, for
both Block :Khorabar,( Distt. Gorakhpur), and Ardda / Gidhar (Dist. Basti).
·
In November 2008: A sewing machine and tuition-fees for one year
for 30 girls students from weaker section of society were sponsored by
APPL, at sewing & stitching classes run by Aurobindo Ashram, Noida
(Dist. Gautam Budh Nagar).U.P.
·
In August 2008: saris and other clothing for children, utensils &
pressure-cookers, Blankets and durries, polythene-sheets etc. were
distributed among victims of Bihar Floods.
·
In Dec
2007-Jan 2008: 150 blankets were distributed. Photos of the
events are here for Ramkola
(Dist. Kushinagar) and Gidhar
(Dist. Basti).
·
In Dec
2006 – Jan 2007period: 110 blankets were distributed at Unnaula (Dist.
Gorakhpur), Gidhar (Dist. Basti) and Noida (Dist. Gautam Budh Nagar).
Why APPL?
“Because
all journeys start with the first step. And not doing anything is approving
the status-quo.”™
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