Stock those essential drugs, for you might not find it in the days to come..

There is scarcity of at least 886 basic essential drugs in City which account for unavailability of at least 4,000 brands of medicines leaving the patients in a helpless state. customers unfortunately are at the receiving end of the tussle between manufacturers, wholesalers and chemists.

The City had been witnessing paucity of drugs since June owing to the change in prices according to the new Drug Price Control Order norms. While a short deadline of 45 days was given for the manufacturers to repack the medicines which contained the 886 drugs with new prices printed on them, they found it a Herculean task to complete.  Karnataka Chemists & Druggists Association President Guddodji said they were unhappy as their margin has not been take into consideration by the policy makers. “The manufacturers have got atleast 200 per cent increase in profit for non-scheduled drugs which have helped them cope for the price reduction for scheduled drugs,” he added while the retailers margin has been reduced by nearly four per cent. According to the norms set, chemists ought to get an average 16 per cent margin, while in the current situation they are getting 3.2 per cent less. 

Raveesha from Srirampura, who must take her daily dosage of Gardinal, used for treating epilepsy, said “every time my medicines are over, I have to search for it atleast in about five shops as they tell me they are out of stock.” Trouble continues to exist even after four months since the government ordered a price reduction (Drug Price Control Order) in 348 molecules that are considered essential and in turn struck a deal to increase the price for the non scheduled ones. 

  P Manjunath, chemist at Guru Pharmacy said "though there is a demand for medicines to be taken on a daily basis, we are unable to deliver it as the chemists' margin has been reduced."  There are also repeated complaints by patients about the unavailability of these medicines, he added. The medicines include those used to treat thyroid, blood pressure, hypertension and epilepsy. Besides, atenolol, thyronorm and amlodepin are a few injections which also include those containing cefotaxime, an antibiotic.  

“For me, it is a necessary to take Loshar 50 to treat blood pressure. I travel all the way from Yeshwantpur to RT Nagar to find this medicine” said Kumar who has now kept a stock of the medicine.  There is also dearth for a great range of antibiotics that have the drug Augumentin used to treat complications including pneumonia, sinusitis and bronchitis. “There is no immediate problem as doctors are subscribing alternative medicines. Once the stock is over, the problem is certain to rise,” said a chemist from Hitesh Medicals.
Insulin (used to treat diabetes), gardinol and epitone(used to treat blood pressure), atorvastin (used to treat cholesterol) and also sleeping pills including alprax, anxit and restyl are likely to be unseen in the market in a month’s time.  

THE SEASON CLOCK

graphics- Reshma R 

I wake up to a morning cup of tea with a dash of ginger, an extra spoon of sugar, certainly brewed to perfection. The bed, the culprit so to say pulls me back to sleep.

   With the rains giving the city a clean wash on the previous night, the city has a pleasant breeze in the morning. Cold air sneaks trough the tiny hole in the window like an intruder in my comfort zone.

  I wonder why there is something to crib about each morning. While in winter I only wished there was just two more extra minutes to couch under the quilt, in summer, the hyperactive mosquitoes and heat ring the bell even before the alarm does. It is now that a fantasy thought strikes.

  What if we had the season clock run on a daily basis? To be precise, what is it was summer like conditions in the morning, winter in noon and downpour at night?

  The sun rays giving a warm kiss in the morning and pulling us out of bed to a brighter world, a cooler noon pacifying the scorching heat, making the hot noon meal taste more delicious and then slowly lead to the night when the drizzle scents the air with the aroma of wet mud. Wouldn't it be a blessing in disguise if autumn and spring visited us for tea time?

  My mom’s call after five rounds of the alarm snooze drags me to the world of reality. It is then that I wonder- Hey when would the watermelons and mangoes come into the market if this happened?   

Reshma R

LEAVING THAT MARKS SHEET BEHIND

What is the first question one would be asked on entering a new college for admission? What goes on top of the resume right after your name? If you still presume that is the academic scores, you probably are having jet-lag of a decade. It is no more a number game out there when skills and exposure is what a Human resource person is hunting for.

Marks can help one understand a person’s ability to learn but this, certainly is not a parameter to judge a person's calibre  When a student sitting in the first bench of the class room is focused on understanding what is thought in class, the last bencher is usually busy discovering something himself. There was once a time when the topper of the class was regarded ‘the brain of the class’. Not surprisingly, the phrase is now replaced by the words ‘nerd’ or ‘book-worms’.

“Blame it on the system” is not a rear thing to hear. From parents to teachers, each one tunes the young mind the chew and vomit repeatedly not bothering to understand the child’s ability to digest. A marks driven curriculum to a money oriented job, it all smothers the dreams. A shift for the good this way is indeed as a welcome.

From the importance being given to internships and work experience to a reduced appreciation for the centum, it is evident that today one cant make an easy career with marks in hand. What is in the top story and how much of the world a person knows does count. Are you 'street smart' is what a person is questioned. Being update with what is happening and being able to analyse a step more than what is just given is what adds a point. 

A daily newspaper might come handy before an interview than a text book. Who knows? After all, your interviewer might be worried about the diesel price peaking up. A need for aptitude tests for profession entrance exams and job applications makes it even more clear about the requirement. 

                          photo (the Hindu)        

           

A nauseating breeze by the filth water

 A walk through the periphery of Ulsoor Lake facing the Fire Force gate, the so called walking path, will have even someone with a bad cold feel nauseated. While the path on the right side of the entrance has a whelming breeze and a scenic view pleasing the eye, the other side could be described as an exact contrast to the same.  

                The place looks all inviting and attractive from outside to walk through with the water on one side and shrubs with colourful flowers on the other. One might as get grab their street food or evening cup of tea from those numerous stalls outside.  All said and done, this description would be valid provided one walks only towards the right. The fact that the path is not well cemented nor does it have a seating place for the visitors is also quite dis satisfactory.

               It would probably take only a few steps towards the left to discover that the other side of the lake has something in exact contrast to this. From the stench replacing the cool breeze to the floating garbage on the water that is an abstract distraction to the scenic view, it has all left the residents and visitors complain.

              A few steps from the entrance is Kalyani pond with flies and mosquitoes living merrily with no disturbance of any sort from mankind and the flowers left to rot right in there. Further ahead is that part of the lake that appears to be a dump yard, with all the garbage in the locality found floating on water.

Also, the fact that there are no public toilets around would be a excuse for many to litter around.

 A PINCH FELT HARD 

      It is a common saying that it is neither the higher nor the lower strata of the society that suffers. The higher are satisfied that everything is an arm’s distance away and the lower are mostly convinced that certain commodities are way too far for them to reach. It is the lower middle class hanging on a ray of hope with one leg on either side that feels the pinch of every price hike.

     It is rupees seven thousand with which Raju( name changed) has to run a household. An auto driver by profession, this 38 year old has a wife and two kids to cater to. And, in an attempt to combat the recent hike, he is forced to work overtime.

     He is expected to shell an amount of 2,000 for his twelve year old boy’s education alone. His 14 year old little girl is forced to stay back home and help mom as school fee for her would mean zero savings for her dad.   An ailing wife with asthma also does basic tailoring, the profits of which is just sufficient to pay the medical bills.

  

    A worried Raju expressed his anxiety over shelling more on the groceries than he did earlier. With the price of every commodity from rice to fuel increased, for someone who counts every single pie earned is a pinch felt hard.

  It is one typical case that reflects the ironic side of ‘hole in the pocket’. A count on every person from the lower income group affected by the hike also means a count of them whose savings are decreasing pie by pie.

     For a man from the lower middle strata with the responsibility of schooling of one and marriage of another, a monthly savings of rupees 1,500 only reflect that his dreams are close to horizon where every day’s sun raises and sets leaving him with a night of thoughts and worries.     

With inputs from Axi Tak

     

In an era of water wars    

The serenity that the thin streams of water flowing graciously down the hill creates and the sanctity associated with it is all deeply buried under the issues related to it. It was once believed that sitting on the banks of a river or at the beach relaxes the mind. Ironically, it is now, a cause for regional and National stress.

     The Cauvery, an assurance of life for many, flowing from Talakaveri, her place of birth is no more known for scenic beauty under the blanket of dense white fog. The paper that makes it to the tea table each morning has a different story to say, a follow up of the infamous ‘Water wars’ issue.  

     A glass of pure water that quenches the thirst dries the mind. A sense of satisfaction that it fetches along is in no time swept away by the scepticism of whether we will have to fight for the same one fateful day.

  An optimistic spirit that something might turn good at the end is all smothered by the stench of a nearby drainage stream or a polluted lake. Ultimately, it is a glass of water that has the ability of calm a frustrated mind thinking of the water issue.

     

Juveniles remanded just for 3 years

If convicted, the minor rapists will be behind bars for

 a maximum of 3 years

                 

       Ineffective law comes to the rescue of the juvenile arrested in relation to the gang rape case of the 21 year old national law school student. It is merely based on the school documentation that the accused who is termed to be the most violent will be tried under the juvenile law, this despite the fact that he is just 3 months short of turning an adult.

    Be it the Delhi rape case or the one that happened in the silicon city last October, the probability of an easy walk through is much high for the juveniles, the irony being that they do no deeds that a juvenile is entitled to. ‘Innocence ‘is what ought to be questioned. It is remorseful that someone who brutally assaults a girl and torments her physically is considered a ‘child’.

       From luring the couple into the bus to throwing the girl out of the bus, it was the juvenile who was a mastermind behind it all. The city’s boy is termed ‘accused number one’ and the most violent of the eight others involved. It is a doubtful if any of these characters signify ‘juvenile sinlessness’.

         This is one of the many issues that the country is battling against, infact something that needs to be addressed to at the grass root levels. Though the police are pleading helplessness as being handcuffed by the law and a majority is fuming about the issue, there is an air of cynicism revolving the same.