British envoy draws attention to plastic pollution in oceans
Kolkata: Juxtaposing the naturalness of silk with the artificiality of plastic, British High Commissioner to India Dominic Asquith on Saturday drew attention to the health of rivers and plastic pollution in the oceans.
"It is incredibly appropriate that we are celebrating rivers at this particular point in time.. They reflect not only health of the country but also, as we have been increasingly reading in the last few days, health of the oceans, particularly relevant here in Asia," Asquith said at the closing ceremony of "Silk River India Walk" at the Victoria Memorial Hall here.
Britain joined nearly 200 countries in signing a United Nations resolution in Nairobi earlier this month to cut plastic in the sea.
"So much of plastic runs down the river into oceans... What I love is we are surrounded by something very different...silk. It is soft, beautiful, natural and valuable in sharp contrast to plastic, which is cheap, hard, artificial and ugly," he said referring to the 20 hand-woven and hand-painted Murshidabad (Bengali) silk flags crafted as part of the Indo-British Silk River partnership.
The Silk River project explores the unique relationship between London and Kolkata.
Working at 20 locations alongside the Hooghly and the Thames to reinterpret a shared heritage, Silk River aims to raise cultural awareness about the Indo-British relationship by engaging diaspora communities.
The 20 scrolls will be exhibited at the Central Hall of Victoria Memorial Hall here from December 19 to December 31.
The project was a collaborative effort -- between Kinetika, UK, and its various Indian partners, including ThinkArts, Murshidabad Heritage Development Society, Crafts Council of India West Bengal and West Bengal Tourism. It is supported by the Arts Council England and the British Council.
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'Snakebites across country, do something': SC asks Centre to take states on board
New Delhi, Jan 27 (PTI): The Supreme Court on Monday observed the issue of snakebites was prevalent "throughout the country" and asked the Centre to take all states on board to "do something" in making available snakebite treatment in medical facilities.
A bench of Justices B R Gavai and S V N Bhatti was hearing a plea that said the country faced a significant public health crisis due to the scarcity of anti-venom, crucial in treating snakebites.
"You can take the states on board. The problem is throughout the country," the bench told the Centre's counsel.
It went on, "You can have a meeting with all the representatives of the states and try to do something. It is not an adversarial litigation."
The Centre's counsel said the government would place on record its steps taken on the issue.
The lawyers of some states said they would file their counter affidavit in the matter following which the bench granted them six weeks and posted the matter after that.
On December 13 last year, the apex court sought responses from the Centre and others on the plea filed by Shailendra Mani Tripathi, an advocate.
The plea sought directions to make available anti-venom and snakebite treatment at health centres, government hospitals and medical colleges to save lives of victims.
The plea, filed through advocate Chand Qureshi, argued India with the highest rate of snakebite deaths globally witnessed 58,000 fatalities approximately each year.
"Despite this much of high mortality rate there is scarcity of anti-venom (polyvenom)," it argued.
The plea said many rural areas in the country lacked adequate stocks of anti-venom, leading to delays in treatment for snakebite victims.
The plea therefore sought directions to conduct snakebite prevention health mission and public awareness campaigns to reduce mortality, particularly in rural areas.
It sought directions to establish snakebite treatment and care units along with specialised trained doctors as per standard medical norms in government district hospitals and medical colleges.
