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Thursday, June 9, 2011

Church push for pesticide ban in India-Bishop Thomas.K.Ommen

Church push for pesticide ban in India: The Church of England Newspaper, May 13, 2011 p 8. May 15, 2011
Posted by geoconger in Church of England Newspaper, Church of South India, Environment.
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Bishop Thomas K Oommen of Central Kerala

First printed in The Church of England Newspaper.

Church leaders in India have called upon the government to ban the pesticide Endosulfan, saying its health hazards far outweigh its benefits to farming.

However, India’s agriculture ministry — which manufactures the pesticide via the government-owned Hindustan Insecticides Ltd — claims there is no scientific evidence the chemical agent is harmful to humans, and has so far resisted local and international pressure to stop production.

In a 20April statement Bishop Thomas K Oommen of Central Kerala, the chairman of the Church of South India’s Ecological Concerns Committee, urged the Union Ministry for Environment and Forests to ban Endosulfan.

While the pesticide is still used in India and China, over 80 countries, including the EU, Australia and New Zealand, have banned its manufacture and use in response to concerns over potential for accumulation in the soil its acute toxicity.

In 2001, aerial spraying of Endosulfan was suspected in a rash of birth defects in Kerala. The state government banned the use of the substance, but under pressure from industry the ban was rescinded. In 2006, the state government paid compensation of Rs 50,000 (£700) to the next of kin of 135 people identified as having died from Endosulfan exposure in Kerala. In December 2010 the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) recommended banning the chemical, but the agriculture ministry declined to act.

However on 29 April, the agriculture ministry expressed its inability to clamp down on the pesticide to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) at a high-level meeting. The NHRC had recommended its ban in December 2010.

The Conference of Parties to the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants agreed to a ban on Endosulfan to take effect by mid 2012. In 2006 India signed the global environmental treaty and is bound by last week’s decision. However, certain uses of the chemical have been granted an exemption for five years, and enforcement of the ban is problematic.

In a letter read out to churches across his diocese on Easter Sunday, Bishop Oommen asked Christians to join him in implementing as 12-point programme of environmental stewardship.

He outlined a plan for rainwater harvesting projects for Church schools and institutions, the planting of vetiver grasses around church properties to control soil erosion and water loss, a ban on plastic cups and bags at all church functions, the encouragement of “eco-clubs” among school children, and encouraging farmers in the diocese to end the use of pesticides and hormones and switch to organic farming.

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Religion: a Wasteful Exercise in Futility-A meaningful article of Rev.Thomas John

'Chennaikkalude edayile kunjadugal'-A book written by Kaviyoor K.C.THOMAS



സി.എം.എസ് - സി.എസ്.ഐ സഭക്കുള്ളില്‍ നടന്ന സ്വത്വ ചര്‍ച്ചകളേയും അവകാശപ്പോരാട്ടങ്ങളെയും കുറിച്ച് നടത്തിയിട്ടുള്ള ഗവേഷണ സ്വഭാവത്തോടുകൂടിയ ഒരു ചരിത്ര പ്രബന്ധമാണ് 'ചെന്നായിക്കളുടെ ഇടയിലെ കുഞ്ഞാടുകള്‍ '.സി.എം.എസ് - സി.എസ്.ഐ കോട്ടയം ഡയോസിസിലെ ഉപദേശിയും സ്കൂള്‍ അദ്ധ്യാപകനും ആയിരുന്നു കവിയൂര്‍ കെ .സി തോമസ്‌ എന്ന കെ.സി രാജ് .ദളിതരോട് സഭയും സഭാക്കുള്ളിലെ സിറിയന്‍ പുരോഹിതരും നടത്തിയ ജാതീയവും മനുഷ്യത്വ വിരുദ്ധവുമായ പ്രവര്‍ത്തനങ്ങള്‍ക്കെതിരെ നിരന്തരമായി ശബ്ദമുയര്തുകയും separate administration movement വേണ്ടി പ്രവര്‍ത്തിക്കുകയും , വിവേച്ചനത്തിനെതിരെയുള്ള ശക്തമായ പ്രതിഷേധത്തിന്റെ ഭാഗമായി ഉദ്യോഗവും സുവിശേഷവേലയും അവസാനിപ്പിക്കുകയും ചെയ്തു.

പാര്ശ്വവല്കൃത സമൂഹങ്ങള്‍ക്കിടയില്‍ നിന്നും രൂപം കൊള്ളുന്ന എഴുത്തുകളേയും സംവാദങ്ങളെയും പരിപോഷിപ്പിക്കുക എന്ന ലക്ഷ്യത്തെ മുന്‍നിര്‍ത്തിയാണ് ഒന്നാമത്തെ പുസ്തകമായി centre for social studies and culture ഈ ഗ്രന്ഥത്തെ തെരഞ്ഞെടുത്തിട്ടുള്ളത് .

First Impression:1966
First CSSC Impression:2010
Price : Rs.100

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