Slum Yuva Daud is part of the Adopt Slum Campaign

Union Ministers Vijay Goel, Prakash Javadekar and V. K. Singh flagged off Slum Yuva Daud

 Union Minister of State (I/C) for Youth Affairs & Sports shri Vijay Goel here today flagged off the 11th Slum Yuva Daud with HRD Minister shri Prakash Javadekar and MoS for Ministry of External Affairs Gen.(Retd.) VK Singh. Also present in today’s Daud was Dr. Vinay Sahasrabuddhe and Mahesh Girri, MP. 

Today’s Daud started from Vijay Chowk and ended at Major Dhyanchand National Stadium. More than 3000 youth from various Delhi slums participated with tricolor in their hands. Each participant was awarded medal and certificates.

Shri Goel interacted with the participants and himself took part in the run with the tricolor. The youngsters from various Delhi slums appreciated the Ministry’s efforts to provide them a platform like this. Addressing the participants shri Goel said his aim is to motivate the youth to work for a better tomorrow and therefore he wants them to engage in positive activities to deter them from drug abuse and criminal activities.

Shri Goel added that his Ministry would also form mini-youth clubs in slums areas to work for the development and cleanliness of their own surroundings. He said the ministry will also organize competitions in football, volleyball etc. which would enable to spot hidden sporting talent from these slums.

Shri Prakash Javadekar praised the initiative of Slum Yuva Daud and said, “Youth must give equal importance to studies as well as sports”. He urged the youngsters to utilise their skills for a “New India”. Gen.(Retd.) VK Singh interacted with the participants and motivated them to join the armed forces and work towards “Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat”.

The Slum Yuva Daud is part of the Adopt Slum Campaign initiated by the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports and Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan. Total 11 Slum Yuva Runs have been organized across Delhi so far with a mammoth combined participation of about 50,000 youth.

Cryobanks International to expand network in Bihar

Cryobanks International India, a cord blood stem cell banker, is eying to expand its network in Bihar where awareness of stem cell banking is still very low, a company official said.

"We will expand our network across the state to create more awareness among people to come forward for stem cell banking," company's marketing head Ashim Ghazi said.

He said till now 18 to 20 umbilical cord blood stem cells were collected from Bihar on an average per month. "So far about 200 parents have stored samples of umbilical cord blood stem cells."

Ghazi said 14,000 of 35,000 samples collected for stem cell banking in India were with Cryobanks International India.

Falgun Sah, medical adviser of Cryobanks International India, said nearly 10,000 people across the world were being treated through stem cell therapy but in India the number is as low as 25 to 30.

Cryobanks International India provides a programme for families that wish to store their baby's stem cells and another for those who prefer to donate.

Human trafficking on the rise in Bihar

The Bihar government Friday admitted that there has been a marked increase in the number of women and children being smuggled from the state since the launch of its Human Trafficking Prevention Programme in 2007. 

Bihar Water Resources Minister Bijendra Prasad Yadav told IANS that over 50 cases of human trafficking had been registered till July this year. There were 50 cases in 2008 and 21 in 2007.

The minister had told the state assembly last week that 128 human traffickers were arrested in 2009 and 91 women were freed from their clutches. 

Most cases were reported from Kishanganj, Purnia, Araria, Katihar, Sitamarhi, Madhubani and Saharsa.

Yadav said it was a matter of serious concern that human trafficking was on the rise though special cells had been set up to initiate effective measures to check the crime.

The state government launched the Human Trafficking Prevention Programme for checking smuggling of women and child labourers and ensure a comprehensive rehabilitation scheme for the victims.

A senior police official said Bihar had become a hub of human trafficking due to large scale poverty and illiteracy. 

Officials in the social welfare department said that last year's devastating floods in the Kosi region had provided a golden opportunity to human traffickers to target poverty stricken people.

According to a report prepared by the state government along with NGOs, most children smuggled from the state end up as bonded labourers, domestic workers and employees at roadside restaurants or small textile units. 

Most young girls are either forced to marry men from Punjab and Haryana or work in brothels.

Three Dalits beaten in Bihar for listening to songs

A middle-aged Dalit woman, her son and his friend were allegedly abused and beaten by upper caste men in a Bihar village for listening to popular Hindi songs on a mobile phone, police said Friday.

The incident took place in Kurji village near here. According to one of the victims, the three of them were in a group listening to songs on their mobile phone when a group of upper caste Bhumihar men objected and asked them to stop. When they ignored their threat, the men allegedly beat them up. 

Kishori Ravidas, in his early twenties, told IANS: "Our only crime was that we were listening to Hindi songs on the mobile phone. This was disliked by some upper caste men. But when we continued to listen to the songs, we were beaten up." 

Ravidas' mother Bhagwania Devi and his friend Lalbabu Paswan were also assaulted.

Ravidas was seriously injured and was admitted to a private hospital here Thursday. He was so shocked by the incident that he refused to lodge a police complaint.

Phulwarisharief police station officer-in-charge Balram Prasad said it took a lot of convincing and an assurance of protection for the victims to come forward and lodge the complaint.

The officer said a case under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (prevention of atrocities) Act has been lodged against seven men of the village. All the accused are absconding, he added.