India Tales: Bharat gets to shop online, birth certificates for orphans get easier

We all know how tender an emotion motherhood can be. But did you know it can also turn ferociously brave, if need be.

Champa Devi recently snatched her son from the jaws of a leopard in Uttar Pradesh's Bahraich district.

The seven-year-old boy was attacked while answering nature's call in the Katarniaghat forest reserve area near their home in Karikot village.

[twittable]Champa Devi attacked a leopard with stones and a stick and managed to save her son[/twittable]

Champa, standing near by, started throwing stones at the leopard and beating it with a stick while raising an alarm. She fought the leopard some 15 minutes before villagers gathered and shooed the beast away.

Later, forest officials reached the village and took the injured child to hospital. He is now recuperating from his injuries, but the villagers fear that the leopard may attack again.

Registering the births of orphan kids will now be easier. The Union government has removed the requirement of mentioning the name of parents in the registration form.

Deputy Registrar General PA Mini issued a detailed circular to the effect to all states and Union Territories.

Registration will be possible even if the date and place of birth of an orphan is not known. States have also been instructed not to mention the word 'orphan' in the certificates issued.

Birth registration for orphans was arduous until now as the whereabouts of parents in most such cases are unknown.

[twittable]Orphanages will have to make sure to register the birth of all orphans[/twittable]

The current residence of the child would now be deemed as the place of origin if the actual birth place is not known. The concerned chief medical officer will ascertain the child's age after due medical tests.

It would be incumbent upon the conveners of orphanages to register the birth of all orphans.

Mini has also instructed states to transfer officials involved in registering births for more than three years. A clear message has been given to take strict action against officials found involved in corruption or negligence during registration.

Online shopping is no more an urban fad. And government postmen are now taking parcels to rural consumers as most e-retailers have tied up with India Post.

For example, Jodhpur now gets 100-125 cash-on-delivery parcels a day. The postmen also collect the payment for the deliveries.

"There is a steady increase in parcels from e-retailers due to our extensive network and the credibility of the postmen," says PR Kadela, senior superintendent at the Jodhpur's main post office.

[twittable]Main post office in Jodhpur has seen a steady rise in parcels from etailers for villages[/twittable]

Internet access in rural areas is on the rise, especially due to smartphones. Market experts say most etailers have no option but to collaborate with the postal department as their delivery network is confined largely to urban areas.

The process is being facilitated with the online networking of the post offices. The delivery of a parcel is shown to the company through a portal. The money is paid by post office to the company on monthly basis after deducting the commission.