NCR's first ever Children Carnival by Rit

A week ahead of Children’s Day, the NCR on Saturday, Nov 7th organized its first ever Children Carnival in Noida. The Child Artist Sparsh Khanchandani, who plays the role of Ichcha in teleserial Uttaran, has been the BRAND AMBASSADOR of the Carnival and thrilled the children with her performance at the show.
The Carnival has been an attempt to bring out the hidden talent among the school going children and give a platform to show case them among their own peer group, parents and educationists. The Carnival and Chuckkle Quiz was aimed at developing awareness and pride among the children about their heritage. Vaishnavi Sridhar emerged as the winner of the first Chuckkle India Quiz, while Rishabh dey was the runner and Shiv Chawla and Rohit Yadav were declared the third and fourth rank respectively.
The meritorious children from the orphanage were also felicitated on the same occasion. To encourage creativity and talent among them, participation certificates were also awarded to them. The Children Carnival has been organized at Great India Place, Noida on Saturday evening. The Carnival was organized alongwith the final of the Chuckkle Quiz among the schools of the NCR. On the eve of the Children’s Day, it proved to be an ideal platform to encourage the children with such an event dedicated to showcase their talent.
Speaking about the Carnival, Chitra Awasthi, Managing Director of Rit International said, “Just like mom and dad, our children too need their own carnival but we have tried to make sure it is a wholesome, family friendly affair. This carnival is the beginning of a series of events for the kids and we are taking this carnival to the children across the country. There can’t be a better way to treat your children than to take them to Children Carnival.”
The Children enjoyed mimicry, performance, and they had on their platter loads of entertainment, while the quiz competition was an exciting feature of the carnival. The Carnival provided a chance to everybody to come forward and showcase their talents to the audience. Pick and drop, accommodation and other conveniences were provided and planned well in advance leaving no stone unturned for the children
In celebration of Children’s Carnival as newest and largest project, Rit International today also announced the Chuckkle All-India Quiz Contest, inviting children across the country to participate in a call for entries. Children between the ages of 7 to 18 have the opportunity to become the National Chuckkle champion.

Dr Ketan Desai at MCI at loggerheads with Health Ministry

Known for his shielding of the guilty and patronizing the capitation fee in private medical colleges, Dr Ketan Desai, President of the Medical Council of India, it seems is heading for another confrontation with the Ministry of Health. The bone of contention is not the reports about the scrapping of the Medical Council of India but the pick-and-choose mechanism of the MCI to shield the corrupt medical colleges while victimize the government run medical colleges which do not abide by his dictates. It is noteworthy here that Dr Desai and his protégés have been found in the board of trustees in many such colleges where capitation fee has been astronomical.

Moreover, Dr Ketan Desai under the scanner of the CBI for his alleged role in the capitation fee had also been in the news for his opposition with the former Health Minister A Ramdoss. Now bidding for the “Biggest Deal” of his life as the head of the World Medical Council, Dr Desai had yet again rubbing the union government the wrong way. Sources with the ministry suggest that the Union Minister of Health is extremely upset with the way Dr Ketan Desai recently leaked to the media as to how the ministry of health and family welfare has been holding back de-recognition of 10 medical colleges and ninety medical courses in various universities recommended by the Medical Council of India (MCI). The issue was raised in the Parliament too where the stand of the MCI was vehemently supported by the Arun Jeitley of the BJP. This is something that has not gone too well with the powers-to-be.

The list of these colleges and courses for de-recognition shows that some of the recommendations were made even way back in 1998 and 2002. However, the MoHFW was shown as simply sitting on the issue. However, what these documents fail to suggest is the fact that most of the medical colleges whose fate hangs in balance are actually government run colleges while some of the most corrupt private medical colleges have been given a clean chit

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On repeated attempts, the MCI president kept away from reacting to any of the queries posed by the media. Their PR Agency too denied now working for them after some serious differences with the MCI. However, a senior official in the MCI, on the condition of anonymity, said: “The Health Ministry is still examining the recommendations since the track record of the MCI is not clean enough to be taken on their recommendations alone. Some of the representations have been made by these colleges and there was no merit found in the allegations of the MCI. Other colleges have also been asked to present their case so that a neutral view could be taken.”

He said that the state governments, the concerned university and the medical colleges are consulted and given ample opportunity before any decision is taken in the matter. Out of these 10 medical colleges recommended for de-recognition, six are government-run colleges. In the list, five are from Madhya Pradesh, three from Karnataka and one each from Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra. The 10 colleges in the list include Shyam Shah Medical College, Rewa, Gandhi Medical College, Bhopal, MGM Medical College, Indore, Gajra Raja Medical College, Gwalior, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Medical College, Jabalpur, BRD Medical College, Gorakhpur, Dr Panjabrao Deshmukh Memorial Medical College, Amrawati, Dr BR Ambedkar Medical College, Bangalore, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal and Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore.

MCI, which is a statutory body regulating medical colleges, affiliation, new colleges, and doctors registration, also inspects the colleges in order to maintain the standard of medical education and health services in the country. Those colleges which are found not adhering the requirements as per MCI regulations are recommended to ministry of health and family welfare for withdrawal of recognition under section 19 of Medical Council Act. According to the Council, when upon reported by a visiting team that the staff, equipment accommodation, training and other facilities for instruction and training provided in such medical institution do not conform to the standards prescribed by MCI, it can make a representation for de-recognition in that reference.

The Ministry of Health then send it to the concerned State Government, which forward it along with such remarks as it may choose, with an intimation of the period within which the institution has to submit its explanation to the State Government. On the receipt of the explanation or, where no explanation is submitted within the period fixed, then on the expiry of that period, the State Government shall make its recommendations to the Central Government. The Central Government, after making such further inquiry, if any, as it may think fit, may by notification in the official Gazette, direct that an entry shall be made in the appropriate Schedule against the said medical qualification declaring that it shall be a recognised medical qualification, only when granted before a specified date.

Nurturing holistic development of children

Request by a journalist friend to meet an educationist working for kids and young adults was honoured by me like any normal invitation. To be honest, it was more to do with personal obligation than meeting or finding a platform to work for the social cause, so I thought. That is how I met educationist Chitra Awasthi and her organization, Rit International. Rit means truth in Sanskrit, and as the name itself indicates she set up this organization more as a cause and with a social purpose in mind. A strategic brand consultant in me never thought that it is not necessary to compete with the existing education in order to bring a meaningful reform. If there is a will, you can add value to the existing educational framework in the given society. What is all the more important is the fact that the society and educational institutions will be more than willing to accept and adopt you. A number of emerging replicas of this model is a testimony to the fact.

Of course, there has to be initial skepticism with many of the existing players feeling threatened. But the continued acceptance by the society only reflects the fact that there is absence of quality education in the country. More importantly, there is an urgent need to shape the young minds that are going to be our future. No wonder, the innovative approach in education management has driven Rit International to the forefront with various schools, institutions and children’s’ associations. However, and I must admit it honestly that as against the advice of TRACK2MEDIA as a strategic consultant, Chitra Awasthi has resisted the temptation to convert it into a business venture in the conventional term.

For Chitra Awasthi and her team of educationists Rit International has more to do with a mission than business vision. Actually, it was while working as consultant on various educational Programmes that she did realize the need to create a platform for the same purpose. Moreover, in a technology driven new India she also felt the need for an education management online programme to cater to the students, particularly the school kids.

In the kitty of TRACK2MEDIA it is interesting to have an organization where Vision and Mission Statement is derived from the social philosophy that every kid is special in his/her own unique way. And hence they believe in the holistic development of the child. More importantly, Rit International is a platform to provide academic and other creative avenues to each and every child, unlike some other platforms like the talent shows on various TV channels where it is meant for a select and privileged lot.

This is because Chitra Awasthi feels that unless we succeed in laying a solid foundation for all the children irrespective of the economic strata that they belong to, this sort of vacuum and demand-supply mismatch in education will always be there. The difference and the surprise package do not end here. Actually, in all their educational and other creative Programmes for the children and young adults, you will find a Brand Ambassador from the same age group only. Well, I am indeed impressed.

Why TRACK2MEDIA is not a PR Agency

On my recent visit to Delhi, I could spend some time with an old friend Ravi Sinha who jumped from journalism to public relations. Actually, it would be better to say that he graduated from a boring profession to a much boring profession, so it seemed to be. In course of my interaction over the last few years I always provoked him to get back to his favourite profession. Actually his love for writing, flair with the language and nose for the news was something that I always admired. Thus, could never figure out as to why he turned to the business of public relations, which to me always appeared second class as far as my understanding of the media business has been.

The frequent requests by the PR pros to get their unworthy news releases getting published was something that further strengthened my belief that PR is the last resort of drop out journalists. But here I was finding an astounding journalist getting into PR, whose academic acumen made him worthy of any other profession, if at all he decided to quit journalism. I spoke to him so many times on the subject and every time got the same answer that he used to think like me till the time he realized the business of creating news more worthy than following it up.

I think the first time I started finding a method in his madness was when he called me up to say that he has floated his own agency, TRACK2MEDIA. Please be noted that I have used the caps for the agency, as Ravi Sinha takes an offence on the wrong use of his agency with lower case. My basic instinct instantly started ringing the caution bells, if not the alarm bells. With the global threat of recession looming large, business profits nose-diving and many ventures getting closed, what actually is TRACK2MEDIA up to?

So on my recent visit to Delhi I was determined to explore all my queries. Over the lunch we discussed a whole lot of media affairs and Ravi told me as to how the business of public relations is practiced, both globally and in India and how TRACK2MEDIA is poised to set the differentiator. Fired with the same old academic acumen, he told me the difference between the media relations and the gamut of services falling under the PR spectrum. I must admit that my understanding of the PR has been mostly media centric. Buzz Management and Image makeover is something that I thought was the job of the marketers and the advertising pros.

This is where TRACK2MEDIA is not just a PR agency, Ravi insisted. I admit sir; you have given me lots of “gyan” on the business of communications. I never knew that if PR is actually practiced with journalistic wisdom, it is not necessary that PR pros have to run after the journos. It can be the other way round also. While I look forward to keep in touch with him for insightful stories, I am hereby fulfilling my promise to admit and write as to why TRACK2MEDIA is not just a PR agency.

Dr Ketan Desai at MCI shows the way

With a distinction of being the world’s largest trained manpower in healthcare, medical education in India has significantly improved in the qualitative terms also. The credit for this goes to a large extent to the apex body of the medical education in the country, Medical Council of India. Ever since Dr Ketan Desai has been at the helm of the MCI as its president, the Council is also working to further standardize the curriculum of medical education which is not only expected to be catering to the national needs but also cater to the global needs.

Dr Ketan Desai, President, MCI has been repeatedly taking initiatives so that the Council incorporates the global needs in the ambit. All due to the excellence in performing the role of the medical education watchdog, India today has the distinction of being the single largest producer of trained health manpower in the entire Globe. With 299 medical colleges in operation as of now with annual intake capacity of approximately 33,000 for the M.B.B.S. Courses, in terms of the number it is the largest producer of the trained health manpower when interpolated against the facts that even the United States of America, has only 152 medical schools as on date.

This is only considering allopathic medicine. When we consider Ayurved and other systems, the number gets even larger. However, the respective governments never seem to have made it a priority sector. Medical education per-se has never been construed as a priority in any of the budget making exercises of either the Central or State Governments and therefore to that extent the annual budget of the financial year 2009-2010 does not make any exception.

It needs to be borne in mind that ultimately medical education is the platform from where the trained health manpower is expected to be generated. The efficacy and efficiency of this trained health manpower therefore is directly proportional to the standardized sustenance of medical education. If the necessary requirements of medical education in the context of ‘developmental grants’ are not met with, the desired standards would not be attainable. This will result in the compromised generation of the health manpower, which is suicidal. The Medical Council of India under Dr Ketan Desai can only pave the way; the onus of excellence in the medical education ultimately falls in the power corridors.

DEFAMING MCI TO MALIGN DR KETAN DESAI; VESTED INTERESTS CALLING THE SHOTS

It is ironic that while the Medical Council of India is working on the modalities to have a curriculum for medical education that caters to the growing needs of the nation, a section of media instigated by certain vested interests are targeting it for reasons more than one. It seems that MCI has become the latest media obsession and in the name of investigative journalism, mud slinging has become the norm. For instance, if we see some of the media reports on the MCI, it is found that the apex body of medical education is being criticized even for the follies of the respective state medical councils.

One wonders whether this is borne out of ignorance or whether certain vested interests are working overnight behind it. Had this blogger not been writing on the medical education for quite sometime now, it would have been difficult to get an answer to this. But some of the recent anonymous mails clearly suggest that there is a deep rooted conspiracy to malign the MCI. Some further investigation brings to the light that the character assassination is targeted more against the MCI President Dr Ketan Desai who has time and again refused to toe their line and entertain such vested interests into the realm of medical education.

Dr Ketan Desai has been clearly advocating the concern of the Medical Council of India that the curriculum for the various modern medicine courses needed to be updated in a periodic manner, so as to make them commensurate with immediate and long term requirements. In order to give an academic direction and fillip, ‘Academic Cell’ has been constituted in the MCI, which is primarily vested with the responsibility of catering to the academic requirements of medical education in the country.

Curriculum update is the one of the premier tasks, which is being dispensed, for which a ‘standing mechanism’ in the forms of 72 Boards of specialties with expert members included thereat has been constituted. This Board of specialties taking stock of the various developments updates the curriculum in the concerned specialties for the consideration of the authorities of Medical Council of India. The council has also defined the ‘unit of update’ which in case of the postgraduate studies is three years and for the undergraduate 5 years, which incidentally is the duration of the said courses.

It is ensured that the updated curriculum is affected in a prospective manner. Likewise, a continuous effort is made by the academic cell to evolve desired innovations in the domain of teaching, learning and evaluation process and also evolving quality measures to be inculcated in to the system, so as to make the model of medical education ‘competitive and sustainable’. The context worked out by the council is in the paradigm that the ‘national objectives’ for the health care delivery system are required to be set in and a commensurate national curriculum is to be evolved for the fulfillment of the said objectives. It is also envisaged that the curriculum is not only expected to be catering to the national needs but as India is required to generate trained manpower even for the global requirements, hence the global needs are also incorporated in the ambit.

Does anybody still have any questions on the functioning of the MCI or the integrity of Dr Ketan Desai? No wonder, in India many luminaries of the medical fraternity who could otherwise have served this nation got frustrated by this system and became self centered. Dr Desai has given a paradigm shift to the apex body of medical education and for this; he deserves the appreciation of one and all.

ENDS….

No MCI, No UGC; Minister wants to have his way

Strange are the ways of functioning in the power corridors, so it seems. Instead of curing the disease, its symptoms are treated more often than not. When the issue of the capitation fee in medical colleges erupted in the media, suddenly the powers-to-be wanted to be seen in the media with their own wish list. Not only an ambitious blue print for reforms in the higher education mooted out, it was conveniently leaked to the media as well. The moot point here is what was the need to have a super regulator in the first place.

This attempt to remote control the academic institutions is nothing but an anti thesis of democracy, where the jurisdiction of independent bodies is being curtailed. After all, democracy is the art of decentralization of the power and not to decentralize it. If there are reports of corruption in states, should it mean that the centre should take charge of the states as well? What is the guarantee that the proposed super regulatory authority will be corruption free?

The basic tenet of democracy and the conventional wisdom suggests that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. If there has not been a fool proof system in the admission procedure of medical colleges despite of so many regulatory bodies playing their role, how will the new super regulator do it without any check and balance mechanism.

Actually the whole business of getting into independent bodies is borne out of the desire to control the institutions. Not very long ago, the then Union Health Minister A Ramdoss tried his best to control the All India Institute of Medical Sciences by curtailing the wings of then AIIMS chief Dr Venugopal Rao. The move failed, thanks to the apex court intervention. And now is there another move to take control of the independent bodies, like the Medical Council of India, the University Grants Commission and the Bar Council of India. However, conventional wisdom would suggest that the centralization of power only adds to more corruption, but then probably wisdom has no place in the megalomaniac society.

Media into the hands of vested interests

The mushrooming of the medium of information and the “business of news” has quite paradoxically started defeating the very purpose for which it actually exists. The malaise is so deep rooted that the leading media houses don’t even feel shy of calling the newspapers a “product” where supplements are mostly paid ones. In fact, one of the largest media houses conveniently calls the edition as “Made in Delhi” with Resident Editors labeled as “Editor Delhi Market” and likewise. Therefore, when the very same newspaper does an expose in the name of social cause, the whole business of media seems to be sheer hypocrisy.

The expose of the Times of India on the capitation fee in the medical colleges and deemed universities is a Case Study for reasons more than one. The alacrity with which the expose was followed by a series of editorially driven news stories defied all news sense because the whole issue was merely stating the obvious, something we all know and have subconsciously accepted as a way of life. Even at the cost of being a devil’s advocate I must say that this was not something that came as a shock.

However, there is more than what meets the eyes in this case. There were very many factual anomalies in the whole reportage. It was said that the business of capitation fee is flourishing because the Medical Council of India is on largesse in granting the nod to all these medical colleges and deemed universities. It was alleged that it is the MCI which is actually encouraging the high capitation fee in these colleges and deemed universities.

As a communication professional I have been covering the sector for quite some time. To the best of my knowledge the Medical Council of India has no role in determining the fee of these colleges. Whenever a proposal to establish a medical college or deemed university is sent to the MCI, it is entitled to review it on a specified parameter only. It seems the sting operation was done in such a hurry that the reporters had no time to find out what is under the purview of the MCI and what the role of the University Grants Commission is.

Even when the UGC chairperson came on record to clarify to some other newspapers, the Times of India conveniently kept lambasting the MCI in its headlines. The satisfaction of “I did it” and “Impact of our expose” often takes us so high that we fail to see the logic and rational. The question that needs to be addressed here is that was it just the problem of perception in this case or there has been a bigger picture behind the episode.

Actually, the fact is that there is more than what meets the eyes. In the following week of the TOI expose, when the controversy started dying its own natural death, certain vested interests in whose hands the ropes of sting operation seem to have gone, started getting restless. The TOI had by then started downplaying it. It had never been earth shattering news in any way. And hence, the next round of media plant was planned.

But in their over zeal to do the things, they forgot the fact that the anonymous mail with fictitious and malicious information is never sent to all and sundry, including the competing newspapers of the TOI. Media got suspicious of the intentions of the mailer and in their cross checking of facts, it was clear that somebody was just using the media for their own vested interests.

The tonality of the media reports have since then been a bit different, though a section of them still seem to be determined not to accept that they have erred in their judgment. But their over zeal to rake up the same issue every now and then has been both perplexing and funny. The moot point here is that whether there should be any defined parameters for sting operation, or should the media be left alone to defame whosoever they wish to as per their whims and fancies.

ENDS……