Naresh Kumar Vaid, Director , Vaids ICS

Mr. Kapil Sibal seems to be a man in hurry to pass the bill on foreign universities and other institutions of higher education. His logic is that it will generate competition resulting in improvement in the quality of education in our own institutions. Besides, it will prevent our students to go abroad as they will get the same quality in India itself, saving millions of rupees being spent on the fee, boarding and lodging etc. He. the arrogant as he is, is not ready to listen to any logic against. Mr. Riyaz Punjabi, the vice-challanclor of Kashmir University laments that the two central universities proposed for the state of J&K are bound to have a negative effect on the quality of education of State universities (The Tribune dtd. april 27). He has cited two reasons. Many quality teachers shall migrate because of higher perks in central universities. Besides, the age of retirement in central universities is 65 compared to 60 in State universities. Mr Sibal, Do You Agree? If central

Since 2003, as per FAO estimates Malnutrition reduced by 73%, Infant mortality by 45 %, and poverty by 33% . These are the figures for Brazil 2003-2008. Mired with red- tapism , corruption, pilferages , wastages etc., with lack of inter- ministerial and/or interdepartmental coordination, we, in India are yet to confirm even the number of our poor. All our programmes, particularly women-centric, are either yet to take off or have gone awry. The government e ven is not aware that a child, whose mother is not healthy, can not be healthy himself/herself. Even when the food stocks are full to the brim the proportion of malnourished children is high. Why? President Luiz Inacio da Silva popularly known as Lula, on his day one as President, started the Zero Hunger programme integrated with structural changes like family agriculture programme, agrarian reforms and initiative to educate people about nutrition. He, through his Bolsa Familia (family purse) programme, gave 55 dollars a