'Slippage' : The Bane of Rural Drinking Water Sector (A Study of Extent and Causes in Andhra Pradesh)

Slippage is one of the main bottlenecks of achieving full coverage of water and sanitation services in India. Slippage is the term often used to reflect unsustainable service delivery of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services, especially in rural areas. Off late slippage is attracting attention at the policy level though slippage is as old as the coverage of water supply services. This paper makes an attempt to identify the causes of slippage in a systematic manner. The broad objectives of the paper include : i) assess the extent of slippage at the national and state level; ii) identify the causes of slippage at various levels; and iii) provide some pointers for policy based on the analysis. The extent of slippage is quite substantial even at the aggregate level. The situation is alarming in some of the states where the extent of slippage is as high as 60 percent. Our analysis at the national, state and habitation levels suggests strongly that policy makers should look beyond the often repeated supply sided strategies. As evident from the experience of Andhra Pradesh, the demand side and governance factors play an equally, if not more, important role in addressing the sustainability issues. So far the experiences are that large investments in water sector would not automatically lead to increase in coverage. The sector also needs a sound policy and capacity so that money is spent effectively and leads to increased water security. The policy should also address resource sustainability and behavioural change goals instead of relying upon a one-sided target driven approach. These aspects are highlighted in the proposed guidelines and their effective implementation needs to be ensured.slippage, India, supply side strategies, policy

A STUDY ON PHYTOCHEMICALS, FUNCTIONAL GROUPS AND MINERAL COMPOSITION OF ALLIUM SATIVUM (GARLIC) CLOVES

Objective: The present study on garlic cloves (Allium sativum) belongs to family Amaryllidaceae has been focused. This is a natural medicinal plant used for disease preventions against all kinds of internal infections. Preliminary screening of phytochemicals has found plenty of secondary metabolites which are present in garlic cloves. Their functional groups and mineral compositions, the potential of trace elements have been evaluated using FTIR and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICPOES).Methods: The screening of phytochemicals, FTIR and ICPOES. All the methods were performed by standard protocols.Results: The phytochemical screening of plant extracts of hexane, ethyl acetate, methanol and water revealed the presence of steroids, saponin, alkaloids, flavonoids, glycosides, phenolic compounds, terpenoids and carbohydrates. The results of the methanolic extract of A. sativum analysis showed rich bioactive compounds. The FTIR spectroscopic studies revealed characteristic peak values from 3500-1000 cm-1 for various functional compounds like hydroxyl, carbonyl, carboxylic and organosulfur and aromatic compounds in the garlic methanolic extract. The elements present in the garlic play an important role in the treatment of various diseases described in the traditional medicinal system. The elemental analysis was carried out on garlic methanolic extract using the ICP-OES technique and it showed the order of abundance as K>P>Mg>Ca>Zn>Al that could enhance the curative process of ill health and the potentially toxic elements were not detected.Conclusion: Thus our data on garlic shows a great importance to understand the pharmacological actions and therapeutic efficacy possessed by majority of active compounds

Kinetics and cellular site of glycolipid loading control

CD1d-restricted natural killer T cells (NKT cells) possess a wide range of effector and regulatory activities that are related to their ability to secrete both T helper 1 (Th1) cell- and Th2 cell-type cytokines. We analyzed presentation of NKT cell activating α galactosylceramide (αGalCer) analogs that give predominantly Th2 cell-type cytokine responses to determine how ligand structure controls the outcome of NKT cell activation. Using a monoclonal antibody specific for αGalCer-CD1d complexes to visualize and quantitate glycolipid presentation, we found that Th2 cell-type cytokinebiasing ligands were characterized by rapid and direct loading of cell-surface CD1d proteins. Complexes formed by association of these Th2 cell-type cytokine-biasing αGalCer analogs with CD1d showed a distinctive exclusion from ganglioside-enriched, detergent-resistant plasma membrane microdomains of antigen-presenting cells. These findings help to explain how subtle alterations in glycolipid ligand structure can control the balance of proinflammatory and antiinflammatory activities of NKT cells