The Observer Vol. 21, Issue 4

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The Observer An IIJNM publication

Commercial Street’s vendors suffer losses owing to never-ending construction work | P 2

Vol. 21, Issue 4

By Saumyangi Yadav

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The disabled can’t access toilets at B’luru rly stations

By Swarali Bodas

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ashrooms for Persons with Disabilities (PwD) aren’t usable at many railway stations in Bengaluru city.

"Washrooms for PwDs are closed due to renovation in the general waiting area. All three (waiting areas) were locked due to Covid.

Now we have opened the ladies and general waiting area, ’’ said Saurabh Jain, Nodal Officer, Indian Railway Station Development Corporation (IRSDC), Krantivira Sangolli Rayanna (KSR) railway station.

The Observer saw the Cantonment railway station has only one divyang washroom in the general waiting area, but it does not have any ramp or Braille signage. ►Continued on page 2

Website: http://www. theweeklyobserver.in

Many credit-oriented fintechs in the city, but access to formal lending is still a pipe dream | P 3

State govt has reduced budget by Rs 2 cr, but No. of beneficiaries has gone up

Roughly 36% of Indian women use sanitary pads | Credit: Apeksha Priya them from the medical store which is very expensive.”

Tanu, another 15-year-old girl at a government school said: “In an average month, I use a minimum of 12 to 15 sanitary napkins.”

Rashmi M, a teacher in a government high school in Malleswaram said: “Previously, the sanitary napkins we used to get were not enough in number. Even the quality of the pads was poor. Both the quantity and the quality of the pads should be improved.” Since many of the girls in school have

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Thursday, October 7, 2021

10 pads under Shuchi scheme are just not enough, say girls he Karnataka government has decided to re-implement the Shuchi scheme in the financial year 2021-22, but with a reduced budget, the adequacy of this scheme is still in question.

The state government has allocated a budget of Rs 47 crore for the scheme. Before the scheme came to a halt in 2020, the budget used to be Rs 49 crore a year.

Under the scheme, every month, the government distributes 10 pads per adolescent girl in all government schools. But the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), recommends using a minimum of three to four sanitary napkins per day.

The average menstrual cycle length being 4-7 days long, ten pads are usually not enough.

Mahalakshmi, a class 10 student at a government school in Malleswaram, informed The Observer: “On an average, I use at least 15 pads in every cycle. Since we have not been getting any pads from the government for the past two years, we need to buy

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just hit puberty, it is even harder for them to manage with a limited number of pads, she added.

Ranjita R, another 15-year-old student, said: “I use two pads a day, so 10 to 15 pads are usually sufficient for me.” However, the ACOG recommends that changing pads at least every 4 to 8 hours. Poor menstrual hygiene can lead to several health issues.

Dr Ragini Agarwal, gynecologist, explains: “Using a single pad for more than 6 to 8 hours can cause serious health problems

like urinary tract infection and pelvic inflammatory diseases. It can also lead to vaginal yeast infection or cervical cancer.”

While the budget allocated for the scheme has been decreased by Rs 2 crore, the number of beneficiaries has increased. The Observer had previously reported that the Shuchi scheme covers 17 lakh school and college girls.

Dr Veena V, the deputy director of the Shuchi scheme and Rashtray Bharat Swarthy Yojana, told The Observer that the number of beneficiaries of the scheme has increased to 19.29 lakh. “We have started the implementation already. Hopefully, we will begin the distribution of the pads by the end of November this year.”

The findings of the National Family Health Survey-4 had shown that roughly 36 per cent of Indian women use sanitary pads.

Menstrual hygiene products are still a luxury for many women in India. More than half of women in India are vulnerable to serious health problems that arise from poor menstrual hygiene. saumyangi.y@iijnm.org

News briefs Active Covid-19 cases in country lowest in 204 days

With 22,431 people testing positive for coronavirus infection in a day, India’s total tally of Covid-19 cases rose to 3.38 crore, while the active cases declined to 2.4 lakh, the lowest in 204 days, according to Union Health Ministry data.

The death toll climbed to 4.5 lakh with 318 fresh fatalities, according to the data updated at 8 am.

‘Mastermind’ of the 2019 Easter bombings indicted

Sri Lankan prosecutors on Monday indicted the alleged mastermind of the 2019 Easter Sunday suicide bombings along with 24 men they say were co-conspirators in the island's worst single terror attack. Mohamed Naufar has been accused of being the mastermind of the deadly suicide bombings and of being a member of the ISIL (ISIS) group.

Mamata Banerjee and two other MLAs take oath West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee was sworn in as a member of the state assembly by Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar. Trinamool members Jakir Hossain and Amirul Islam also took oath soon afterwards. Banerjee won the Bhowanipore by-poll with a record margin of 58,835 votes.

Women in urban Karnataka are more prone to obesity than their rural counterparts

By Simran Sharma

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besity is more prevalent in women living in Urban Karnataka as compared to women living in rural areas, according to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) that was conducted in 2019-20.

NFHS finding NFHS data of the past three surveys show there is an increase in the number of women suffering from obesity in Karnataka. About 11.8 per cent of women in urban regions of the state suffer from obesity; in rural areas, the percentage is 6.3, according to the 2019-20 survey.

Bengaluru Urban district had 40.1 per cent of women suffering from obesity

and 33.2 per cent women in rural districts suffering from the same.

The number of obese women has increased in Bengaluru Urban and Rural districts by 8 per cent and 8.7 per cent from the year

2015-16 to the year 2019-20.

Dr Srividya Arvind Iyer, a senior health associate, informed The Observer: “Obesity is caused mainly because of family history, sedentary lifestyle, poor dietary

habits, eating disorders, and other medical conditions. Around 20-25 women come in a month suffering from the same problem.

Urban women are more affected because of little physical activity, sedentary jobs, and stress.” A high carb and fat diet with little protein and fibre causes obesity.

Sanskriti Singh, a graduate from St Joseph’s College, Bengaluru, said: “I have a body mass index (BMI) above 30. I have a sedentary lifestyle which further adds to the problem.” She was diagnosed with PCOS at age 16.

Since then, she has faced a lot of instances of body shaming. “I have tried gyming 4 to 5 times but never really lost weight....It is easy to gain weight but it is very difficult to lose it,’’ she added. ►Continued on page 3

CITY

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The­Observer Thursday,­October­7,2021

Commercial St reconstruction work is anything but smart Vendors’ losses mount; shoppers want to avoid it

By Tina Freese

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odging vehicles, and managing her bags while preventing the loose end of her dupatta from dragging in the muddy path, a woman struggled to walk on the broken path. A little boy ran in a zigzag manner to steer clear of the cement piles on the footpath. A little girl sat on her father’s shoulders eating potato chips while he tried to duck the pile of broken tiles.

The Observer saw a shopkeeper sitting near the counter looking for a customer. Another shopkeeper was sweeping away the debris lying in front of his shop. A tussle between the shopkeepers to win customers was a common scene. Assistants from shops were runing arounf trying to lure the customers there.

Commercial Street, which once used to be packed, is now largely empty. With construction work going on, shopping in that market is not easy.

Vendors say their losses have increased due to a reduced number of customers.While they faced losses during the pandemic, the construction work has almost killed their

Around the city Apple is Red,Stand up comedy

by Vaibhav Sethia, Vapour Brewery and Pub, HAL 2nd stage, Indiranagar,5pm,October 9.

The Village by Steppinout, a flea market, JW Marriot Hotel, 12 noon, October 9.

An evening of Baithaki Music & Drama, a musical, 4th main road, Domlur, 5.30 pm, October 9 Stand Up Comedy Live,Bistro Claytopia, Kormangala, 7.30 pm, October 8 Honey Singh Live, Leela Palace, 2nd stage HAL, Kodihalli, 6pm, October 9

Quiz 1.In which state of India, Dusshera is celebrated with the parade of elephants?

2.According to Hindu mythology which puja is performed by Lord Rama to win over Ramana?

3.Vijaydashmi is celebrated after the killing of which demon by Durga Devi?

4.What is the name of the book that Ravana has written on astrology?

5.The festival of Navaratri is observed as Dashain in which country? ►Answers on page 3

Shoppers­in­distress­due­to­broken­pavements­and­scattered­debris­in Commercial­Street| Credit:Tina­Freese

hopes of a financial revival.

The makeover project, under the Bengaluru Smart City Ltd, (BSCL)was started in May 2020. Since then, the project has only brought troubles to the shopkeepers. With water logging and tiles coming out, they have suffered losses.

Susheelamma N, joint MD of BSCL, informed The Observer: “The work will be completed soon. There have not been any cost overruns as such” She added she is aware of the losses that the vendors are facing but believes that things will get better soon.

Lokesh Singhal, the owner of

the shop, said: “The number of people visiting the street has decreased substantially, and that is because it is inconvenient to shop here. The street is full of dust and cement, and theregore it looks ugly. Streetlights work sometimes; sometimes they don’t.”

Tarik Iqbal, who owns an antique shop in the market, shared: “The work, if implemented well, would have brought us a lot of profit. But they gave the work to the wrong contractor. It is a mess here now. We all have accepted the reality thhat we are going to see hard days ahead.”

Prakash, a stationery shop owner, said: “The number of students coming into the shop has declined. The government made many promises, but nothing has happened. We are facing losses over losses.”

Babita Kumari, a regular visitor to the street, said: “There is no space to walk here; half of the road is occupied by cars and the footpath is also broken. Such conditioms make it very difficult for us to do shopping in the street Astha Sudhanjula, a regular visitor, said: “I have sinusitis and it is triggered when I come here. I visit Commercial Street only when it is absolutely necessary. Because the road is so congested.There is absolutely no space to park vehicles.There is a lot of dust there because of the construction so I prefer going to a market near my house.”

The Observer saw a different picture in a neighbouring market called Ibrahim Sahib Street. The market was flooded with customers. The street was covered with layers of multicoloured bangles and dupattas.

Vendors of Commercial Street fear that this reconstruction project might cause a long-term damage to them .They also fear that they might lose a large number of their customers because of this construction work that is being done in the Commercial Street. tina.f@iijnm.org

Citizen’s Voice When will Modi speak on farmers’ protest?

After 14 months of protest at the borders of Delhi, farmers stand firm in their sheer determination to fight the farm laws . Narendra Modi’s government has tried different ways to break the protest.

This may be the longest resistance movement that the Modi government has faced by far. It remains to be seen how long the Prime Minister will remain silent on the farmers’ protest and on their demand that the farm law should be rolled back.

Rakshita Kumar

The poor stays poor, and the rich gets rich Singer-writer Leonard Cohen said this in 1988 but it is relevant to this day as well. The recent Pandora Papers expose by the International Consortium ff Investigation Journalists and more than 100 media organizations reflects the global financial “black market” among the elites. One side there is suffering; on the other is ignorance of world leaders towards their primary duty.

Jinit Parmar

Scientific temper is now disregarded As the winners of the Nobel Prize are being announced this year, I am reminded of the fact that after CV Raman not a single Indian scientist whose body of work was based in the country has been awarded the prize. The current atmosphere, where there is total disregard for scientific temper, seems to contribute to this.

Vaibhav Sadhamta

No usable washrooms for the disabled They are either locked or lack basic facilities ►Continued from page1

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here are two washrooms for differently abled people at the KSR stationOne is undergoing renovation and the other is closed due to Covid-19. It is opened on request, but that requires many visits to the cabins of the Deputy Station Manager, Chief Commercial Inspector and Nodal Officer. Once a person gets the lock opened, it still isn’t accessible to PwDs. The Observer saw that the loos had no ramps,handlebars, running water, soap dispenser and hand sanitizer.

Saurabh Jain promised that he would make the washrooms for handicapped more accessible just as platforms are accessible for PwDs, with ramps and Braille mapping on elevators. The renovation would be done in 30 days and hence the disabled-friendly washrooms would be accessible to

­Six­years­since­the­work­is­being­done­but­washrooms­for­PwDs­still­remain­unaccessible |Credit:Swarali­Bodas Persons with disabilities. . Mr Peter, a personal assistant to the Station Manager, informed The Observer that the flush was working and there were bars, but there was no running water.

The railways started a programme months ago to revamp

the station and add amenities for PwDs.“Bengaluru Cantonment is a heritage building. We have to build… without disrupting the structure... of the building. Hence the delay in ramp,’’ shared K. S. Vijaykumar, Station Manager.

There was a puzzled look on the

face of K.R. Shanmugam, Station Manager of the K.R. Puram station when he was asked about washrooms for the differently abled. “There is only one ladies’ bathroom and one gents’ bathroom.’’ There are no separate washrooms for PwDs. According to the Swachh Bharat Mission handbook, a washroom for the differently abled should have accessible doors, movable commode seats, grab bars and ramps. None of the above was installed in any of the washrooms at the railway stations that The Observer had gone to.

“It has been six years since we started the Sugamya Bharat Abhiyaan. The implementation is in process,’’ said Niranjan Bhatt, Assistant Director of Department of Empowerment of Differently Abled and Senior Citizens.

According to the rights of People with Disabilities Act, 1996 –the government shall ensure that persons with disability enjoy the right to equality . All public buildings shall be accessible to Pw as per the rules formulated by the central government. swarali.b@iijnm.org­

CITY

B’luru has many fintech cos, but MSMEs lack access to credit Tedious process, lack of awarness lead to this

By Shristi Achar A

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hough Bengaluru has a large number of credit-oriented fintech companies, micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the city lack access to formal credit facilities.

The issue is pronounced in the Peenya Industrial Area, one of the largest industrial hubs in the country, with more than 5,000 units. According to the Peenya Industries Association (PIA), 95 per cent of these units are MSMEs, with about 3000 of them being members of the association.

H.S. Sreenath, a manager at PIA, informed The Observer: “We largely rely on nationalized banks and some private banks for our credit needs, though there are bottlenecks in reality. Many banks come here, conduct workshops and try to get us to access their loan schemes. But when the companies approach them, there are always issues regarding formalities and required documentsThere is always something that we aren’t aware of.”

Lack of awareness and complicated formalities are the major barriers for MSMEs to gain access to credit, Sreenath added.

In contrast, Bengaluru’s fintechs have received the largest amount of funding in 2021. According to the Startup India website, the city has close to 200 fintech startups that are credit-oriented.

Fintech refers to companies that

Multiple schemes for MSMEs are in place but they find few takers | Credit: Shristi Achar A. use technology to provide financial services. Google Pay, Phone pay and Paytm are some wellknown fintech companies.

“Some fintechs had approached us via phone calls, to talk about providing paperless loans. However, when we asked them to approach us formally with information on letterheads, they never called back,” he added. Some companies in the area are tired of fintechs, while others are open to the idea.

“Our company has had no scope of expansion since Covid. So why would we get a loan in the first place? Even if we do, the regular bank is more reliable than a startup,” said D. Srinivas, executive-marketing at Soni Special Steels and Alloys (India) Pvt. Ltd. Shankar N. M of NMS Enterprises, on the other hand, is open

to the idea. “MSMEs are majorly troubled by the lack of working capital and at the same time not receiving their payments on time.

Especially for a non-tech startup, or even mechanical companies, the margins of profit are merely 10 per cent. So they don’t have too much to offer in terms of security to avail loans. If fintechs can solve this, one can consider (their offers),” he said. “Smaller loans, like personal loans or credit cardloan , are easier to get, so maybe such mechanisms would work to gain working capital for such units.”

Working capital is the money needed by a company to manage its day-to-day expenses, either for buying raw materials, and to maintain inventory or even to pay off the short-term debt.

Rajath Kumar, associate vice-

president of marketing at Capital Float, Bengaluru, said: “We would work with industry bodies and associations to inform their members (SMEs) of our financial offerings. We found this to be an effective way of expanding our reach and cutting through the clutter. We would place our advertisements in the periodical magazines published by these associations and implemented several ‘Below-The-Line’ actities.”

“Back then, the challenge was to inform SMEs of the merits offered by fintech companies as, traditionally, SMEs had a set way of availing credit. We employed various content and brand-led marketing activities to build awareness,” he added.

D. P. Danappa, treasurer at PIA had a different opinion. “No matter who it is, they will be seeing the companies’ CIBIL scores and turnover. So ultimately the scope of availing loan from anyone gets limited. It matters if they provide lucrative interest rates,” he noted.

CIBIL scores are three-digit numbers given to an individual/organisation, indicating their credit worthiness, or their credit payment history, based on which they can get loans in future.

There are several schemes from the National Small Industries Corporation (NSIC) to boost credit facilities for MSMEs. The Raw Material Assistance against Bank Guarantee scheme provides funds to MSMEs’ raw material providers without asking for any security in return. Additionally, NSIC has signed several Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) with various banks to facilitate loans for the enterprises. shristi.a@iijnm.org

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Biswajit Paul, a trainer who has been in the fitness industry for 10 years, said: “Now younger girls from 18 to 30 years are very interested in fitness. About 70 per cent to 80 per cent per cent of girls are overweight or obese. The reason is that most women are working professionals and thus have less time to exercise.”

Rural women are active and thus it would take about 3 months for them to get obese if they ate unhealthy food, whereas it would take much less time for a woman living in an urban area, Geetha Ghaliyavar, a dietician and sports nutritionist with the International Olympic Committee, said: -“ Obesity leads to infertility, diabetes, hypertension and other health problems.” Women are usually more obese than men due to physioligical reasons caused by hormonal changes. simran.s@iijnm.org

This Day, That Year Born on January 1809, Edgar Allan Poe an American poet, writer and literary critic died on October 7, 1849. He rose to instant success after the publication of his poem ‘The Raven’.

He was also known as the 'father of detective stories', as he famously created the genre of detective fiction with his 1841 story, ‘The Murders in the Rue Morgue’.

He is one of the central figures in bringing Romanticism in America.

His death is still America’s greatest mysteries.

Quote of the day “Words have no power to impress the mind without the exquisite horror of their reality.”

-Edgar Allan Poe

Quiz answers

Weather

Obesity can cause infertility, diabetes ►Continued from page 1 avya Singh, a BTech student, said: -“It is during the pandemic that I have gained a lot of weight. I was overweight before, but now I am in the obese category. Covid has worsened things for me as I hardly used to exercise and maintain a good lifestyle in the lockdown period. I have been to multitudes of gyms and dieticians, but nothing much has worked out for me.” She is currently suffering from PCOS and borderline diabetes as well.

According to research done by the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2005, in Karnataka, women of higher socio-economic status were likely to be more affected by obesity. The study revealed that economic constraints were one of the reasons because of which obesity was comparatively seen less in rural women.

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1.Mysore, Karnataka 2.Durga Puja.

3.Demon Mahishasura 4.Lal Kitab branch of astrology 5.Nepal

The Observer Thursday, October 7, 2021

Maximum temp: 29° celsius Minimum temp: 20° celsius Precipitation: Nil Humidity: 68 percent Wind Speed:10 kmph Forecast:The city might have moderate rain. Expected precipitation is 11.10 mm

Team Observer

NAVARATRI SHOPPING: The market in Basavanagudi was a riot of colours on October 6 ahead of Navaratri. Excitement and joy engulfed the air as enthusiastic shoppers made their purchases. But a lack of social distancing and improper usage of masks were a common sight | Credit: Sayli Patil

Editor: Shristi Achar A Reporters: Tina Freese, Saumyangi Yadav, Swarali Bodas, Shristi Achar A, Simran Sharma Copy editors: Tina Freese, Saumyangi Yadav, Swarali Bodas, Simran Sharma Page Layout: Saumyangi Yadav, Simran Sharma, Tina Freese, Swarali Bodas Photo editor: Tina Freese, Shristi Achar A, Swarali Bodas, Simran Sharma, Saumyangi Yadav Supplement: Arshreet Singh.

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The Observer Thursday, October 7, 2021

Entomology

SUPPLEMENT

The invisible world of Bengaluru has seen a 41% dip in species of insects in past decade

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ne way to spot insects is to sit in a place, preferably on a patch of grass in your neighbourhood park, and simply observe. Human eyes are blessed with this amazing ability called motion detection — the eye’s gaze can fix on the slightest movement in its field of vision. A blade of grass will move, and you may notice a ladybug climbing, or a tiny grasshopper jumping on it.

The longer you sit, a startling realization will come to you: This invisible universe of insects is all around us, going about their lives unnoticed.

Text and pictures by Arshreet Singh I went for a stroll in a village in Kumbalgodu, looking for insects, and was left astonished at the variety of insects that inhabit this area: Butterflies with the most intricate patterns on their wings, also notoriously hard to get a picture of; goldenyellow bees shimmering in the sunlight; scary spiders with long legs and not so scary ones with short legs; dragonflies darting around like tiny drones; and all sorts of creepy crawlies.

A December 2013 study titled: Patterns of Insect Abundance and Distribution in Urban Domestic Gardens in Bangalore, India published in ResearchGate written by Madhumita Jaganmohan, Lionel Vailshery and Harini Nagendra detailed how even small urban

gardens in Bengaluru attracted a rich variety of insect species.

In the 50 domestic gardens studied, more than 2,000 insects were recorded from 10 different orders. These insects played an importatnt role in nutrient cycling, organic matter decomposition, pollination and soil aeration in the urban areas that were studied.

According to a report in the Deccan Herald titled: A peek into the world of endangered beneficial bugs published on December 2, 2019, the Gandhi Krishi Vigyan Kendra’s Entomology Department estimates Bengaluru has seen a 41 percent decline in total species of insects over the past decade. A major cause for this is light pollution, which upsets the natural sleep-wake cycle of these insects. In other words, rapid urbanization and increasing living standards of humans across the globe are to blame.

Apart from the loss of crops that are dependent on pollinators, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish also depend on insects as a source of food. When their source of food dries up, these species could also vanish.

Insects, for the most part are invisible and seemingly unimportant in our lives, but their importance cannot be understated. So the next time you crush an ant under your boot, think about its role in the functioning of our fragile ecosystem.

arshreet.s@iijnm.org

Argiope Anasuja, harmless orb-weaver spider, builds wheel-shaped webs. It is found all over South Asia

Honeybee, a pollinator. It is a native to Eurasia

Unidentified Millipede: Decomposer: The millipedes are found everywhere but Antarctica

False Tiger Moth: Daytime pollinato. It is found in India, China, Myanmar and Andaman Islands

Tawny Coster Caterpillar:It will grow up to become an orange butterfly found in South and Southeast Asia

Common Chaser Dragonfly:The dragonflies are found in all continents except Antarctica

Brown Marmorated Stink Bug: It is a native to Asia and recently established in South America

Tropical Leatherleaf, a decomposer, is an invasive species in South Asia. It is also a native of the African continent