Grain of hope for diabetics

Diabetics needn’t feel depressed about having to go without rice. The doctor might have said no, but a Tamil Nadu company has given them more than just hope.

Moolgiri, a new variety of low glycemic rice unveiled last week, is deemed “safe and good” for those with too much blood sugar. The stamp of approval came from renowned agricultural scientist and MP M.S. Swaminathan.

He saw the discovery of the rice strain as another example of India’s young scholars and researchers doing something to ensure science benefits the common man.

G. Sivaraman, head of research at Tajmahal Agro Industries which has launched the unique strain, said the rice has a low glycemic index — a ranking system for carbohydrates based on their effect on blood glucose levels.

The medium-grain variety is processed scientifically after harvest. The University of Madras was involved in the research. Tests were carried out in Toronto labs, while Sydney University’s Glycemic Index Programme certified it.

CM on shaky ground

Y.S.R. Reddy has what it takes to be a politician. But the swings in his stance could cost Andhra Pradesh a huge sum of money in shady land deals.

The chief minister has allowed a construction group to resell government land allotted for a township and a golf course. The state, which was to have participated in the plan, has cut its holding to 26 per cent from 49 per cent.

When he was in the Opposition, Reddy trained his guns on predecessor N. Chandrababu Naidu, accusing him of bartering away the state’s interests by handing NRIs plum plots.

Now, he is allowing the company to get away with much more. The Delhi-based construction firm has been selling the plots, some say at a huge premium, and building projects on freehold land offered by the government.

Sources in Reddy’s office speak of pressure from Delhi to favour the firm. Even so, he is on shaky ground.

Eye opener at Amway

Tucked away in a distant corner of Delhi, the slums of Shahbad Dairy aren’t easy to find. Not, perhaps, if you’re a direct selling outfit that survives on the strength of door-to-door marketing.

Consumer goods major Amway International organised an eye check-up camp for the slum dwellers of the locality last week in the first of a three-part campaign for the blind among the city’s poor.

Over 500 people approached doctors at the camp and, because they never had enough money for treatment, many were found to have serious visual disorders.

Those who were identified as having visual imperfections at an initial stage were given spectacles, while others with cataract and other disorders were referred to clinics run by Mahavir International, a Delhi-based NGO that is partnering Amway. The next two camps will be at Trilokpuri and Okhla.

Case history

The legal system is groaning under the weight of cases, we are often told.

But last week, something in Bombay High Court gave hope that the problem isn’t as insurmountable as it is made out to be.

A division bench of Chief Justice Swatanter Kumar and Justice S.C. Dharmadhikari disposed of 77 cases — in a single day. This was a first in the court’s long history. On April 19 this year, 30 cases had been dealt with.

The pleas cleared included writ petitions, first appeals, cross-objections and arbitration applications. If other courts take this is an example, justice would have a chance of arriving when it matters.

Delhi: Listen to The Trout Quintet, one of Franz Schubert’s classics and a Vikram Seth favourite (the author writes passionately about the piece in The Equal Music), this Tuesday. The 1969 recording by five young musicians, including Zubin Mehta, will be played at the India International Centre.