Issued by India

Issued on Dec 30, 2005

Issued for : The Department of Posts is happy to issue a stamp to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of the De Facto Transfer of Pondicherry.

Credits :
Stamp & FDC : Sankha Samanta
Cancellation : Alka Sharma

Type : Stamp, Mint Condition

Colour : Multicolor

Denomination : 500 Paise

Print Quantity : 0.8 Million

Printing Process : Photogravure

Printer : India Security Press, Nashik

About : 

• Pondicherry, situated in the Coromandel Coast, derives its name from the French word “Pondi”, which means beautiful, is celebrating its golden jubilee of independence from the French colonial rule.
• Pondicherry is one of the oldest habitations in the world. The human skeleton excavated in a nearby village called Bommayarpalayam dates back to 0.15 million years.
• The archaeological excavations at Arikamedu, near Pondicherry, indicate the existence of a commercial city for the Romans before the Christian era.
• Pondicherry has 535 rock edicts and two copper plates. These copper plates and the twelve volumes of the Anandha Rangapillai Diary depict the history of Pondicherry and its significance in South India.
• The Pallavas, Cholas, Pandyas, and Mughals ruled this place. In 16^th century the Portuguese, the Dutch, the Danish and the French had established their trade centres in Pondicherry, but it was the French who came to Pondicherry in 1673 AD and ruled till 1954.
• Legend has it that Krishna Deva Raya, the Emperor of Vijayanagar, while touring this place, asked ‘Aayi‘ a lady in Pondicherry to get a well dug for public use. Aayi got it done and the well is known as ‘Aayi Kulam‘. People expressed their gratitude by constructing a memorial and placing her copper statue in it. The inscription on the western side of the memorial, which is an example of the French architecture, narrates this tale.
• Before independence, Pondicherry consisted of five enclaves, namely, Pondicherry, Karaikal, Chandranagur, Mahe and Yanam. Just before independence, as desired by the people of Chandranagur, it was merged with West Bengal on 2^nd May 1950. Pondicherry and Karaikal are enclaved in Tamilnadu, Mahe in Kerala and Yanam in Andhra Pradesh. The uniqueness of Pondicherry is manifest in the diversity of geography, language, culture and conventions duly represented by the people of all the four enclaves.
• Pondicherry symbolizes the multicultural identity of our country. The official languages of Pondicherry are English, French, Tamil, Malayalam and Telugu in view of the different geographical locations of the constituents of the Union Territory. Since independence, Pondicherry has been attracting people from different parts of the world. Apart from the notable achievement of attaining 100% literacy, significant achievements in the sphere of women’s emancipation have also been made.
• To many, Pondicherry is synonymous with Sri Aurobindo Ashram. Maharishi Aurobindo discovered his spiritual senses and dreams in this ‘City of Peace’.
• Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru described Pondicherry as a window to the French culture. The immediate post-merger development was the establishment of the JIPMER, a medical college named after him.
• ‘Aayi Mandapam’ which has been depicted in the stamp is an appropriate recognition of the great people of Pondicherry, known for their love for art and culture and for their patriotism.
• Text : Based on material received from proponent.

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Issued by India

Issued on Dec 27, 2005

Issued for : The Department of Posts is proud to issue a commemorative postage stamp on 16 Squadron Air Force.

Credits :
Stamp & FDC : Kamleshwar Singh
Cancellation : Nenu Gupta

Type : Stamp, Mint Condition

Colour : Multicolour

Denomination : 500 Paisa

Stamps Printed : 0.8 Million

Printing Process : Photogravure

Printer : India Security Press, Nashik

About : 

• 16 Squadron Air Force has been in the service of the nation for fifty years. The Squadron has actively participated in all the post independence wars and continues to be one of the mainline strike squadrons of the Indian Air Force.
• Initially a flight of Spitfires and later Tempest aircraft, 16 Squadron Air Force, known as “Cobras” was formally formed on 15 September 1954 with Liberator aircraft. At this stage, its role was changed from Bomber to that of Heavy Bomber. In addition, the task of training the Bomber aircrew was also assigned to the squadron.
• On 19 November 1957, the squadron was re-equipped with Canberras and the role was re-defined as Light Bomber/Interdictor Squadron. In 1957, the squadron moved to Kalaikunda and formed a part of operational forces of Central Air Command. Towards the end of 1965, the Squadron moved to Gorakhpur. On 10 November 1986, the Squadron was re-equipped with modern aircraft and the role has now been defined as Counter Air and Interdiction.
• The Squadron has participated in the various operations such as:–
  • Liberation of Goa : After being re-equipped with Canberra aircraft, the Squadron got its first operational assignment during liberation of Goa, and carried out bombing attacks over Dabolim airfield. A few sorties were also mounted in support of operations against Diu.
  • Indo-China 1962 : During the Chinese aggression in 1962, the Squadron operated a dett from Kalaikunda.
  • Indo-Pak Conflict 1965 : During Indo-Pak conflict in 1965, the squadron was deployed in the Eastern Theatre for Counter Air Operations and carried out a number of successful missions. Subsequently, the Squadron also carried out a number of strike missions over vital targets including the formidable Sargodha airfield, Chakjkhumra and Badin SU. The most significant of these strikes was the one mounted in day light against a very well defended static radar at Badin. The radar was put out of action, thus disrupting the enemy air defence organization in the sector.
  • Indo-Pak Conflict 1971 : During the Indo-Pak war of 1971, the Squadron went into full scale operations under the command of late Wg. Cdr P Gautam, MVC and Bar VM. It carried out successful bombing missions over heavily defended targets in both East and West Pakistan. In spite of difficult operating conditions, the Squadron maintained aircraft serviceability at its peak and undertook all the missions assigned to it. In these operations, the Squadron earned a Bar to MVC, three Vir Chakras and two VMs.
  • Kargil and Operation Parakram : During Kargil Operation and later Operation Parakram, the Squadron was the Indian Air Force’s mainstay in the South Western sector.
• In recognition of the distinguished services rendered by this Squadron to the nation and its meritorious record, the then President of India, Mr. Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed presented the president’s Standards to the Cobras on 13 November 1976.
• The Squadron has so far won one Bar to MVC, four Vir Chakras, six VM’s, five VSMs, one Mention in Dispatches and a number of Commendations by the CAS and AOC-in-C.
• Text : Based on material given by the proponent.

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Issued by Nepal

Issued on Dec 26, 2005

Issued for : To commemorate the golden jubilee anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations; and for further deepen Nepal–China relations this postage stamp has been issued depicting the white pagoda, great wall and National flags of two countries.

Issued by :
HMG/N Postal Services Department
Nepal Philatelic Bureau, Kathmandu

Designer : M. N. Rana

Type : Stamp, Postal Used

Denomination : Rs. 30.00

Color : Four Color

Size : 40 x 30 mm

Format : Vertical

Paper : High Quality Stamp Paper

Quantity : One Million

Sheet Composition : 50 Stamps

Process : Offset Lithography

Printer : Austrian Government Printing Office, Vienna, Austria

About : 

• The history of Nepal-China relations can be traced back to the fifth century when sages and saints moved far and wide in pursuit of knowledge and peace. The travelogues by Fa Hien and Huen Tsang are a testimony to the eternal connecting tissues of religion and culture between these two ancient civilizations. The marriage of Bhrikuti to the Tibetan King, Song Sang Gompo, in the 7^th century and the White Pagoda temple and other Pagoda buildings in Beijing constructed under the guidance of Nepalese architect Araniko are important signposts of these historical relations. The age-old friendly relations acquired a new dimension with the establishment of diplomatic relations between Nepal and China on 1 August 1955.
• Bilateral relations since then are founded on the principles of peaceful co-existence, cordial friendship and mutual understanding. Notwithstanding the high and mighty Himalayas that separate our two countries, we have overcome all geographical difficulties in further consolidating our age-old ties of friendship and co-operation. Growing interaction at government-to-government and at people-to-people levels between us have contributed to further consolidate the relationship in the political, economic and cultural fields.

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Issued by India

Issued on Dec 21, 2005

Issued for : The Department of Posts is happy to issue a commemorative postage stamp on Jadavpur University on its golden jubilee.

Credits :
Stamp & FDC : Sankha Samanta
Cancellation : Alka Sharma

Type : Stamp, Mint condition

Colour : Multi Colour

Denomination : 500 Paise

Stamps Printed : 0.8 Million

Printing Process : Photogravure

Printer : India Security Press, Nashik

About : 

• The history of Jadavpur University can be traced from the Swadeshi Movement onwards. A unitary University, its parent institution was set up by the National Council of Education, Bengal in 1906. In 1910, the Society for the Promotion of Technical Education in Bengal, which looked after Bengal Technical Institute, and later became College of Engineering and Technology, Bengal, was amalgamated to National Council of Education. After Independence, the institution was converted to a University under the first Jadavpur University Act in 1955, and recognised by the University Grants Commission (UGC) the same year. From the very beginning, this University distinguished itself by developing a trans-disciplinary programme of teaching and research.
• In its sprawling campus of 60 acres in Jadavpur and the newer 20-acre campus in Salt Lake, Jadavpur University has been offering quality education in humanities, science, engineering and technology.
• The University was accredited with five star-status in 2001 by the National Assessment and Accreditation Committee for its sustained excellence in teaching, research, outreach programmes, academic administration and infrastructural facilities. The University Grants Commission has also identified it as one of the first five universities in the country credited with ‘Potential for Excellence’. This is the first Indian University recognised by the Nippon Foundation as a Sasakawa Young Leaders Fellowship Fund (SYLFF) institute to promote research by young leaders in social sciences and humanities.
• Jadavpur University has a very focused research agenda. An average of 350 research projects funded also from abroad, are being executed. Close interaction between the faculties of Arts, Science and Engineering and Technology has enabled the University to take up several important multidisciplinary research activities.
• The Central Library of Jadavpur University has over 4,18,000 volumes of books on record, 80,000 bound volumes of journals, 5000 theses and dissertations, and 37,000 items of non-book materials such as reports, pamphlets, maps and micro-forms. In addition, the second campus library has over 14,000 volumes. There are also 29 departmental libraries.
• Jadavpur University has a record of extension work and social service, to provide both higher education and technical services to the less privileged section of the society. Various programmes have been started aiming the unemployed youth, rural women, street children, women in urban slums, the mentally challenged, drug addicts, visually challenged, hearing impaired, physically handicapped etc. Safe drinking water programme, afforestation programme, alternate energy promotion programme and programme for women empowerment are some other examples of target group based or issue based education.
• Jadavpur University has collaborated with various universities all over the world i.e. Bournemouth University, U.K., Technical University of Munich, Germany, University of Trento, Italy, Brunel University, U.K., University of Maranhao, Brazil etc. on strategic services.
• Jadavpur University has also been in close contact with industry through its support and services in fields like Technology Development, Consultancy and Testing, Manpower Training, Entrepreneurship Development Programme (EDP) and Extension. The Industry Institute Partnership Cell (IIPC), which has achieved great success in its endeavours, is an example of this interaction.
• Text : Based on material given by the proponent.

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Issued by India

Issued on Dec 19, 2005

Issued for : The Department of Posts is pleased to issue a commemorative postage stamp on the occasion of the Golden Jubilee of Integral Coach Factory.

Credits :
Stamp & FDC : Shankha Samanta
Cancellation : Nenu Gupta

Type : Stamp, Mint condition

Colour : Multi Colour

Denomination : 500 Paise

Stamps Printed : 0.8 Million

Printing Process : Photogravure

Printer : India Security Press, Nashik

About : 

• Integral Coach Factory is the largest railway passenger coach manufacturing unit in Asia and India‘s premier coach building factory. Known for its state-of-the-art technology, it was started in Perambur, Chennai in Tamilnadu, in technical collaboration with Swiss Car & Elevator Manufacturing Corporation Ltd., Switzerland. Its construction commenced on March 1952. The first coach was flagged off by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India, on 2^nd of October 1955.
• The first in India to produce all-steel, all-welded ‘Integral’ coaches with anti-telescopic end construction, the Integral Coach Factory combines the three major factors of modern passenger transport, viz. speed, comfort and safety.
• Initially, the Integral Coach Factory was designed to produce only Broad Gauge Shells, which were to be furnished by the Zonal Railways. Later, a separate Furnishing Division was set up in view of severe limitations of capacity in the railway workshops and also to take advantage of mass production techniques. Now the entire production is carried out indigenously.
• From modest beginning of just 35 shells in its first year of operation, the Integral Coach Factory is now capable of producing 1000 coaches per year. It manufactures more than 200 different types of coaches. They can be broadly classified into Self Propelled Coaches, Trailor Coaches, AC Coaches, Conventional Coaches and Special Coaches for prestigious trains like Palace on Wheels, Royal Orient Express, Deccan Odyssey etc. The Integral Coach Factory also bagged ISO 9001 for quality system and ISO 14001 for environment system. It has exported variety of coaches to about 13 Afro-Asian countries.
• Apart from introducing new types of coaches, the Integral Coach Factory has introduced many safety features to ensure a comfortable and safe journey for the passengers. Integral Coach Factory has the distinction of manufacturing the first stainless steel coach for Indian Railways. From design and development, to manufacturing and after-sales service of coaches, the Integral Coach Factory has achieved excellence.
• Text : Based on Material supplied by the Integral Coach Factory.

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Issued by India

Issued on Dec 18, 2005

Issued for : The Department of Posts is proud to issue a commemorative postage stamp in honour of M. S. Subbulakshmi, who had mesmerised packed audiences the world over with her consummate mastery of carnatic music for almost six decades.

Credits :
Stamp : Designed by Sh. Sankha Samanta based on photographs provided by Mr. Yoga.
FDC : Sankha Samanta
Cancellation : Alka Sharma

Type : Stamp, Mint Condition

Colour : Multicolour

Denomination : 500 Paise

Stamps Printed : 0.6 Million

Printing Process : Photogravure

Printer : India Security Press, Nashik

Name : Madurai Shanmukhavadivu Subbulakshmi

Born on Sep 16, 1916 at Madurai, Madras Presidency, British India

Died on Dec 11, 2004 at Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

About : 

• Mudurai Shanmukhavadivu Subbulakshmi popularly known as M.S. was a renowned carnatic vocalist. She was one of the great woman artistes of India who had been able to move the hearts of millions and millions of men and women and was the most beloved idol of the public in the recent annals of Indian Music.
  
• Subbulakshmi was born on September 16, 1916 at Madurai to Smt. Shanmukhavadivu, a celebrated veena artiste of her times. At the tender age of 13, she made her maiden public recital with her mother, who was also her Guru. She studied under Srinivasa Iyengar of Madurai who taught her upto the ‘varnam’ stage. In the later years she had the good fortune to learn from several great musicians like Musiri Subramanya Iyer and Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer. In 1940, she married T. Sadasivam, a freedom fighter and a film director. She gained in him a friend, philosopher and mentor.
  
• Two events brought Subbulakshmi early into national prominence. The first was her participation in the All India Dance Conference in Mumbai in 1944 where her performance created a great sensation. The second was her appearance in the lead-role in the film ‘Meera’ produced by her husband where she sang and acted, which brought her instant all-India-fame. So overwhelming was her music that Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru crowned her as “Queen of Song” and Sarojini Naidu, a poet and leader of our freedom movement praised her for the beauty of her voice and the magic of her personality.
  
• Subbulakshmi known for her extraordinary vocal range never exceeded the demand of the composition of the song. She breathed music twenty-four hours a day and was also deeply religious. Her famous renditions include Bhajagovindam, Vishnu Sahasranamam and Venkateswara Suprabhatham. Gandhiji loved her rendition of North Indian Bhajans and requested her to sing some for his 78^th birthday on October 2, 1947. Gandhiji particularly wanted to hear “Hari Tuma Haro” whose haunting refrain translates, “Oh Lord, take away the pain from mankind”. Not knowing this bhajan, she suggested another singer, but he refused, saying that he would rather listen her speak the words than another sing them. Such was the influence of the divine voice of Subbulakshmi.
  
• She was India’s cultural ambassador. She has travelled widely to places like London, New York, Canada, the Far East to give concerts. In 1963, Subbulakshmi was invited to participate in the most popular event ‘Edinburgh Festival’. In October 1966, Subbulakshmi sang at United Nations as India’s representative on the occasion of United Nations Day celebrations. Hers was the inaugural concert at the Festival of India in London in 1982 and in the Soviet Union in 1987.
  
• Subbulakshmi has rendered more than 200 benefit performances in aid of several national, social, religious and cultural causes and raised over a crore rupees. She has received several titles and awards the world over. She was awarded ‘Padma Bhushan’ in 1954, when the national awards were first instituted. She was also honoured with title ‘Sangeetha Kalanidhi’. She was awarded Ramon Magsaysay Award in the year 1974 and the entire amount of US$ 10,000 has been donated to the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Mumbai, the V.H.S. Hospital etc. She was honoured with ‘Padma Vibhushan’ title in 1975. She was conferred Doctorate Degree “Desikottama” by Visva Bharathi University, Shanthiniketan, in 1981. She was awarded ‘Bharat Ratna’, the highest civilian award of Govt. of India in the year 1998. In addition, she received many other awards conferred Doctorate, the list of which will be exhaustive.
  
• Subbulakshmi’s music was unique in that it had universal appeal. In addition to its technical perfection, it was full of devotion to God. She had the ability to harmonise strict standards and popular appeal to do justice to the Music of South and the North. She used to point out that Ragas and Bhajans have been composed for the “purpose of directing the minds of the listeners towards God and his manifestations” and that “one’s singing comes through one’s own experience and it is this depth of feeling that enables one to communicate with the audience”.
  
• M. S. Subbulakshmi gave lot of importance to mastering pronunciation, proper intonation. She always believed in hard work and that there was no short cut and advocated gurukula system of learning. Subbulakshmi advocated compulsory teaching of music at all levels of education, from primary through University for she believed that just as the study of science leads to the growth of knowledge, the study of music would bring serenity of mind.
  
• The great musician attained Lord’s abode on 11^th December 2004.

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Issued by India

Issued on Dec 4, 2005

Issued for : The Department of Posts is happy to issue a commemorative postage stamp on the Builder’s Navy depicting a Leander class Frigate (Udaygiri), a Kora class ship and a Delhi class ship.

Credits :
Stamp & FDC : Kamleshwar Singh
Cancellation : Alka Sharma

Type : Stamp, Mint Condition

Colour : Multicolour

Denomination : 500 Paise

Stamps Printed : 0.8 Million

Printing Process : Photogravure

Printer : India Security Press, Nashik

About : 

• The existence of an ancient sea-faring, shipbuilding and repair tradition in India can be traced back to around 2300 BC. It is believed that the first tidal dock of the world was built at Lothal during the Harappan Civilisation, near the present day Mangrol harbour on the Gujarat coast. The Rig Veda mentions Varuna, who has knowledge of the ocean routes. It describes naval expeditions, which used hundred-oared ships to subdue other kingdoms. The Atharva Veda also mentions boats, which were spacious, well constructed and comfortable.
• Even in the pre independence India, Indian shipbuilders continued to hold their own well into the nineteenth century. Many Indian built ships were inducted into the Royal Navy, i.e. HMS Hindostan in 1795, the frigate Cornwallis in 1800, HMS Camel in 1806 and HMS Ceylon in 1808. Another landmark was the construction of the Bombay Dock, which was completed in 1735 and is in use even today in the Naval Dockyard at Fort Mumbai.
• The Navy of independent India made a modest beginning with half a dozen destroyers and frigates, a few mine sweepers along with a corvette and a survey vessel inherited from the Royal Indian Navy. The creation of a Corps of Naval Constructors in 1954, setting up of a Central Design Office (CDO) in 1964 and the decision to construct Leander class frigates under license at Mazagaon Dock Ltd. in early sixties marked the early steps of modern warship building in the country. The Directorate of Naval Ship Design, established in 1970, followed by Directorates of Ship Production and Submarine Design has metamorphosed into the controllerate of Warships Production and Acquisitions at Naval Headquarters. The Indian Navy’s resolute pursuit of indigenous design efforts, combined with the relentless endeavours of our shipyards in construction of warships and submarines have laid the foundation of what is proudly termed a “Builder’s Navy”.
• From a modest beginning of designing small vessels such as Ocean Going Tugs, Landing Craft Utility, Seaward Defence Boats and Survey Crafts, the naval designers graduated to designing of Landing Ship Tank, Sandhayak class Survey Vessels and Training ship (INS Tir) productionised by the three defence PSUs, Mazagaon Docks Ltd., Mumbai, Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers, Kolkata and Goa Shipyard. In the mid eighties, designing of missile corvettes, Delhi class Missile Destroyers and Brahmaputra class Missile frigates posed many challenges, which were all successfully overcome. The production of two German type 209 submarines in MDL under license between 1984 and 1994 was another hallmark achievement. The Navy is presently engaged in the design and production of the modern Shivalik class multi-purpose Frigates incorporating latest design concepts and stealth features.
• Along with indigenous ship building efforts, development of indigenous machinery, equipment, systems, weapons and materials has also been progressed. Initially, this was done by establishing collaborations between foreign manufacturers and Indian companies and subsequently developing our own vendor base, involving both public and private industries. These efforts have resulted in increasing the indigenous content of our warships and submarines to over 70%.
• Text : Based on material given by the proponent.

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Issued by India

Issued on Dec 2, 2005

Issued for : The Department of Posts is proud to issue a commemorative postage stamp in honour of Shri Jawaharlal Darda.

Credits :
Stamp & FDC : Brij Raj Goel
Cancellation : Alka Sharma

Type : Stamp, Mint condition

Colour : Multi Colour

Denomination : 500 Paise

Stamps Printed : 0.6 Million

Printing Process : Photogravure

Printer : India Security Press, Nashik

Name : Jawaharlal Amolakchand Darda

Born on Jul 2, 1923 at Babhulgaon, Yavatmal district, Maharashtra, India

Died on Nov 25, 1997 at Mumbai, India

About : 

• Shri Jawaharlal Darda was a veteran freedom fighter and a committed journalist who laid the foundation of people-oriented journalism in Maharashtra.
• Shri Jawaharlal Darda was born to Shri Amolchand and Smt. Kusumba in Babhulgaon village of Yawatmal district in Maharashtra on July 2, 1923. At the tender age of 17, he joined the freedom struggle. He also undertook a 400-mile long ‘padyatra’. He actively participated in the ‘Quit India’ Movement in 1942 and was imprisoned by the colonial rulers.
• In 1947 Shri Jawaharlal Darda launched ‘Nave Jag’, a weekly newspaper from Yawatmal to foster the spirit of nationalism. Later he launched ‘Lokmat’, a Marathi weekly in 1952 which was transformed into a daily in 1971. Now this newspaper is published from 13 cities of Maharashtra besides editions in English and Hindi.
• Shri Jawaharlal Darda was elected as the President of the Yawatmal District Congress Committee from 1944 to 1956. A large area of land was donated in Yawatmal district during Vinoba Bhave’s Bhoodan Movement. He was elected to the Maharashtra Legislative Council between 1972 and 1995. He made a mark in the governance in Maharashtra with his admirable handling of the portfolios of energy, industry, irrigation, health, food and civil supplies, sports, youth affairs, textiles and environment as a minister.
• Shri Jawaharlal Darda was actively involved in co-operative and agricultural movements in the state. He set up the Amolchand Darda Mahavidyalaya, which runs several colleges and other educational institutions in the Vidarbha region. He was also the Chairman of Maharashtra State Housing Finance Corporation.
• Shri Jawaharlal Darda, popularly known as ‘Babuji’, took effective steps for upliftment of the poor and the oppressed. To expedite the development in the energy sector, he launched the expansion of the Koradi Thermal Power station near Nagpur. A new industrial policy came into force due to his keen interest during his period. His efforts put Maharashtra on the forefront of Indian economy, earning him the title ‘Vikas Purush’.
• He breathed his last on 25^th November, 1997 at Mumbai. His ideals of constructive social service will inspire the generations to come.
• Text: Based on material given by the proponent.

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Issued by India

Issued on Nov 24, 2005

Issued for : India Post is happy to release a postage stamp on “New-born Health in India” to commemorate ‘Silver Jubilee Year’ of the National Neonatology Forum.

Credits :
Stamp & FDC : Sankha Samanta
Cancellation : Nenu Gupta

Type : Stamp, Mint condition

Colour : Multi Colour

Denomination : 500 Paise

Stamps Printed : 0.8 Million

Printing Process : Photogravure

Printer : India Security Press, Nashik

About : 

• India faces the biggest new-born health challenge in the world. Each year, 20% of the world’s infants – 26 million babies – are born in this vast country. Of these, 1.2 million die in the four weeks of life, accounting for nearly 30% of the 3.9 million neonatal deaths worldwide each year.
• The rate of neonatal mortality varies widely by state. Kerala boasts an NMR of 10 per 1,000 live births, while in Orissa and Madhya Pradesh, the rate is as high as 60.
• Substantial rich-poor and rural-urban differences exist as well. New-born care practices in India are rooted in its diverse traditions. Traditional new-born practices vary by region, rural or urban settings, religion, caste, ethnicity, and socio-economic status; but in many of the country’s cultures, the new-born is not recognised as a person, and new-born deaths are accepted as common occurrences. A strong gender bias in care-seeking against female neonates is conspicuous at all levels of the health system in the available facility based studies; for every two sick new-born boys, only one female neonate is admitted to a facility.
• Families often recognise common signs of neonatal illness, but they do not perceive many of them as serious and thus delay seeking care.
• New-born health care was first introduced to India through the CSSM programme in 1992 and has continued to be a part of the RCH programme since 1997. These initiatives included antenatal care for pregnant women; promoting institutional deliveries; strengthening PHCs, FRUs, and district hospitals; and providing training for physicians.
• The Government of India has also incorporated new-born care into India’s adaptation of Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) strategy, using the name ‘INMCI’, with an emphasis on the ‘N’ for ‘neonatal’. INMCI training programme devotes 50% of the overall training time to the care of new-borns and young infants. Its implementation strategy incorporates home visits for preventive-promotive new-born care by AWWs and ANMs.
• Need has been felt to ensure greater synergy between the Integrated Child Development Services and the health system and fully involve AWWs in maternal-neonatal care at the household and community levels in rural and urban communities.
• Involvement of Panchayati Raj Institutions in saving new-born lives and preparing advocacy and education materials targeted at the institutions’ leaders is also required.
• The National Neonatology Forum (NNF) was started by leading paediatricians working in the field of new-born care in the year 1980. It has approximately 3000 members.
• The 10 member governing body of the NNF with a mix of elected and nominated members, steers the activities of NNF.
• Annual convention of the NNF is organised in different cities with workshops, symposia and plenary sessions on issues of national importance. The NNF of India is the foremost champion and catalyst for new-born health in the country. The NNF, which has laid a strong foundation of neonatology and new-born care in India, had led the way with several projects and innovative approaches to new-born care in several parts of the country. The NNF has been instrumental in placing new-born care very high among the national health priorities through sustained advocacy, coupled with academic contributions and consensus-building in key program areas.
• Despite the scale of neonatal mortality in India being high, India is on the threshold of a neonatal survival revolution.
• Through the National Population Policy (NPP) – India’s comprehensive policy framework for family planning, maternal health, and new-born and child health programmes – the Government of India is calling for the reduction of the infant mortality rate (IMR) to less than 30 per 1,000 live births by 2010.
• The 10^th Five Year Plan aims at achieving an NMR of 26 by 2007 and specified IMR and NMR targets for all states. India is a signatory to the Millennium Declaration (2000) of the UN and is thereby committed to the Millennium Development Goals.
• Neonatal health is the foundation of child and adult health. A healthy start to life also depends on the health of the mother and the care that she and her baby receive before, at, and after birth. Evidence-based interventions, if taken to scale, can save millions of new-born lives in India in the next five years. Translating knowledge into action is the key to meeting this challenge and realising the goal.
• Amongst various other activities round the year, the NNF in partnership with Government organises National New-born Week throughout the country from 15^th-21^st November every year. During this week activities related to new-born health are organised across the country.
• Text : Based on material given by the proponent.

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Issued by India

Issued on Nov 19, 2005

Issued for : The Department of Posts is happy to issue a commemorative postage stamp on Kolkata Police Commissionerate on its 150 years of dedicated service.

Credits :
Stamp & FDC : Sankha Samanta
Cancellation : Alka Sharma

Type : Stamp, Mint condition

Colour : Multi Colour

Denomination : 500 Paise

Stamps Printed : 0.6 Million

Printing Process : Photogravure

Printer : India Security Press, Nashik

About : 

• The beginning of policing in Kolkata can be traced in 1704 when a decision was taken to protect the life and property of the people by setting up a watch and ward unit for the township. In 1720, the East India Company formally appointed the Zamindar of Calcutta to be in-charge of both civil and criminal administration who was assisted by Indian functionary. In 1778, the strength of the police in Calcutta was raised which was controlled by Thanadars and Naibs under a Superintendent.
  
• In 1829, a six-member Committee was appointed by Lord William Bentinck for enquiry and advice on police reforms. Subsequently, in 1845 another Committee headed by Mr. Patton was appointed by the Government. This Committee recommended the appointment of a Commissioner of Police with powers of a justice of peace, which were necessary for the preservation of order and prevention and detection of crime. The recommendations of the Patton Committee resulted in Act XIII of 1856 after receiving the assent of the Governor-General on 13 June 1856. Calcutta Police for the first time was treated as a separate organisation and S. Wauchope, the then Chief-Magistrate, was appointed as the First Commissioner of Police on November 1856.
  
• Starting with a modest strength, Kolkata Police, has grown into an organisation comprising of more than twenty-six thousand police personnel. With its jurisdiction spread over 104 sq. km. with a population of over 5 million and an additional floating population of over 2.5 million, policing in Kolkata is a unique challenge.
  
• Kolkata Police has served the city with sincerity and dedication. Be it in the maintenance of law and order, prevention and detection of crime, controlling communal violence, disaster management or in providing internal security. Quick action springing from purposeful direction is achieved by the Police Commissionerate System with a unitary chain of command and control.
  
• In 1720 the Police establishment was located on the east of Norton’s Buildings. In 1784, the police establishment, including the police force, was shifted to another building, “Harmonic Tavern”. Subsequently, the entire police office was relocated to the house of John Palmer. In 1835, the Government purchased the building for the Calcutta Police Head Quarters, demolished it in 1914 to facilitate construction of new premises. In November 1918, the present day Kolkata Police headquarters popularly known as “Lal Bazar” was completed.
  
• As a people-friendly force, Kolkata Police has a number of proactive programmes to involve people from all walks of life into its work. Community Policing programmes involve regular interaction between Police Stations and local communities on local issues and problems. There are women’s counselling centres to help women in distress from domestic violence, sexual harassment or oppression. The force has also reached out with the Nabadisha education programme for street children, the friendship cup for the youth, and regular blood donation programmes that involve men of the force as well as the community.
  
• Text : Based on material given by the proponent.

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