Page 146 - Social Issues
SC asks Centre to respond to PIL for grant of quota in jobs to speech-disabled persons
The Supreme Court Friday granted four weeks to the Centre for filing response to a plea seeking quota benefit in government jobs for people with speech and language disability. The apex court, on November 22 last year, had issued notice to the Centre on the PIL filed by Reepal Kansal which said that though disabled persons falling in the category of 'speech and language disability' are getting the benefit of reservation in education, the same is not given to them in public employment. 'Speech and language disability' refers to a permanent disability arising out of conditions such as laryngectomy or aphasia affecting one or more components of speech and language due to organic or neurological causes. "Four weeks' time, as prayed, is granted to the Union of India to file reply affidavit, if any. List the matter after four weeks," said a bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Sanjiv Khanna. The PIL said the Centre was unjustified in not granting reservation in employment
National Women's Party unveils election symbol in alliance with All Indian Women's United Party to start campaigning for Lok Sabha Election 2019
Reiterating its commitment to eliminate gender disparity in Indian politics and promising to bolster women's participation across the political spectrum, the National Women's Party (NWP) unveiled its election symbol, a gas stove allotted to it by the Election Commission of India. The Party is all set to contest more than 283 seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections."Social and economic upliftment of women and increasing political awareness among women remains our topmost agenda. It is only through equal political representation that women will have the power to realize their potential, assert their authority and play a central role in the growth and development of the country. We intend to bring a women-centric narrative in the country's politics," stated Dr. Swetha Shetty, M.B.B.S, Chairperson, National Women's Party."AIWUP has a strong Pan-India presence from Kashmir to Kanyakumari. We hope that the alliance with NWP has the potential to give voice to the silent hopes and aspirations ..
Women again outnumber men in Mizoram voter list
Women again outnumbered men in Mizoram's final voter list, which was published on Friday after a four-and-a-half month long summary revision.
Shutdown in parts of Srinagar to protest attacks on Kashmiri people
A shutdown was observed in Lal Chowk city centre and adjoining areas here on Friday as a mark of protest against the attacks on Kashmiri people in Jammu and outside the state in the aftermath of the Pulwama suicide car bombing. Shopkeepers in Lal Chowk, Maisuma, Residency Road and other adjoining areas downed their shutters at 3:30 pm following a shutdown called by trade bodies and civil society organisations of the valley. The traders also took out a protest march to condemn the attacks on Kashmiri people in Jammu and outside the state. They demanded safety of Kashmiri traders and students outside the valley.
Thousands of survivors of sexual violence march to demand end to such abuse
Thousands of survivors of sexual abuse in India, who have formed a first-of-its-kind collective to seek justice and provide support to others, travelled from across the country to participate in a dignity march here on Friday to demand an end to such violence. The survivors, both women and children, who have faced some form of abuse in their life, travelled 10,000 km connecting 200 districts in 24 states starting from Mumbai on December 20. One of them was 56-year-old Bhanwari Devi, gang-raped and brutalised over 25 years ago. Bhanwari Devi, who is still awaiting justice, asserted that she would continue to fight for it. The National Network of Survivors, the first-ever pan-India network to mobilise and orient more than 25,000 survivors and their family members across 25 states and 250 districts of India was launched at Ramlila Maidan during the culmination of the march. A fierce Bhanwari Devi said,"I will not be silenced. I will continue to fight till my last breath until I get ...
Mizoram adds 14,032 new voters in updated list
There are a total of 7,84,405 voters in Mizoram of whom 4,02,408 are women, state chief electoral officer (CEO) Ashish Kundra said Friday. Kundra said the latest figures were arrived at after the completion of a special summary revision of the voter list using January 1, 2019 as the qualifying date. The updated list, which saw the addition of 14,032 new voters compared to last year's Assembly election, was published on Friday. Kundra told reporters that the sex ratio was 1,053 females per 1,000 males. Female voters outnumbered their male counterparts by 20,417. For the first time in Mizoram, third gender (transgender) has been officially recognized in the electoral rolls with six voters identified for the category who were earlier clubbed under 'others' in the voter list. Kundra said that the enrollment of voters would be a continual process till the last date of withdrawal of nominations before the elections. The CEO said that he would convene a conference of the deputy
Raj: Rights activists demanded protection for Kashmiri students
Rights activists Friday here demanded protection for Kashmiri students and others living in various parts of Rajasthan. Prem Krishan Sharma, lawyer and activist who represents the People's Union for Civil Liberty (PUCL), said Kashmiri students and employees are living under fear as they are being threatened in the wake of the Pulwama attack. He said nearly 7,000 students and over 2,000 employees from Jammu and Kashmir currently live in the state. Besides the PUCL, activists of Jamat-e-Islami-Hind and other organisations also demanded protection for the Kashmiri people. "Several people have returned to Kashmir. They are living under fear and the government should ensure their security. They are also Indian citizens and they should not be forced to leave," Mohammad Iqbal of the Jamat-e-Islami Hind told reporters.
Editors Guild condemns abuse and intimidation of journalists
The Editors Guild of India on Friday condemned incidents of abuse and intimidation of senior journalists in the run-up to the parliamentary election and urged the government to take necessary steps to bring the abusers to book. The strong condemnation from the Editors Guild comes days after alleged harassment of journalist Barkha Dutt on social media. Dutt has alleged that she had received threat calls and had been harassed on social media after she offered to help Kashmiris who were being targeted following the Pulwama terror attack. Several other senior journalists have also been targeted on social media with abuse and intimidation. The Guild, in a statement, said it strongly condemns the recent tirade of abuse and intimidation against the media and many senior journalists, especially women, in the wake of their reportage and commentary in the run-up to the general elections. "Since much of this is being done through social media, especially Twitter, the Guild urges their respective
Editors' Guild slams abusive trolling of journalists
The Editors Guild of India on Friday condemned the ongoing tirade of abuse and intimidation of mediapersons, especially women journalists, in the wake of their reporting and commentary in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls.
#MeToo pushes Google to end forced arbitration for employees globally
Intense protests over workplace misconduct and discrimination in the #MeToo era have finally brought the curtains down on the controversial forced arbitration policy at Google offices across the globe.
Preparing database for elderly people, widows: Assam govt
The Assam government said Friday that it did not have data related to the old people, widows and physically challenged residing in the state. In a written reply to a query by AIUDF MLA Aminul Islam, Social Welfare Minister Pramila Rani Brahma said her department has not prepared any data or list of these three categories of people in the society. "There is a need to prepare a databank for overall development of the neglected section of the society. The Social Welfare Department is taking steps to prepare such a databank," Brahma said. She informed the House that her department has compiled data of 1,38,493 physically challenged and 6,84,772 old persons. The government has various financial schemes for the physically challenged persons, while new old-age homes are being constructed with state support in different locations, the minister said.
Safety of digital platforms must amid rapid internet adoption: Prasad
Amid rapid digitisation and internet adoption, India must ensure that its digital platforms remain safe and have cybersecurity architecture built into their foundation, with safeguards such as involvement of security auditors, IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said Friday. Prasad cited India's growing digital clout in the global arena and its thrust on initiatives to spur electronics manufacturing, and said he is also pushing for a software products policy. "We are working to make India a robust digital economy, because India does not only offer services but also offers a robust consumer base for people to do business in field of IT and IT enabled services," Prasad said after conferring the 'Digital India Awards' to winners in multiple categories. The minister said that the safety of digital platforms and systems are an absolute pre-requisite. "Your platforms must be safe and secure and therefore cybersecurity architecture must be inbuilt into your system. You need to have security ...
Maha legislature: 6-day budget session to begin on Feb 25
The six-day budget session of the Maharashtra Legislature will begin on February 25 and is expected to be a heated one as it would be the last before the Lok Sabha elections. It was initially planned for three weeks starting February 18 but had to be curtailed to a six-day affair as the model of code of conduct for the 2019 general polls is expected to come into force by March. The six-day session will begin with the address of Governor C Vidyasagar Rao to the state Legislature. Supplementary demands will be tabled on February 26 and passed on the same day while the vote-on-account, which will have budget provisions till July 31, will be tabled on February 27. The provisions of the interim budget will be discussed and passed on February 28. The vote-on-account is expected to focus in a major way on agriculture, and a two-day debate on the state's drought situation will also take place on March 1-2. The opposition Congress and Nationalist Congress party will try to the ..
Telangana: State Cabinet approves Vote-on-Account budget for 2019-20
Telangana state Cabinet on Thursday approved the Vote-on-Account budget for the year 2019-20.The Vote-on-Account budget was approved by the cabinet chaired by Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao.The Cabinet also approved supplementary demands for grant for the financial year 2018-19.A proposal for replacing the ordinance with a suitable bill to amend certain provisions of Telangana Goods and Services Tax (GST ACT 2017) was also approved.In December last year, Rao, who is Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) president, took oath as the Chief Minister for a second term.TRS had bagged 88 seats in the 119-member Assembly in the polls held in December.
US biotech giant stops selling genetic sequencing equipment in Xinjiang
Thermo Fisher, a US-based biotechnology giant, on Thursday announced it will stop selling genetic sequencing equipment in the restive Xinjiang province of China, where local minority population have allegedly been subject to persecution by authorities. "We recognise the importance of considering how our products and services are used -- or may be used -- by our customer," Thermo Fisher said in a statement to The Wall Street Journal. The Massachusetts-based company said its policy is "consistent with Thermo Fisher's values, ethics code and policies" and followed "fact-specific assessments. In the last few months, the company has been facing criticism that its equipment were being used by Chinese authorities to persecute the minority Muslim population. Senator Tom Cotton welcomed the Thermo Fisher's decision. "Thermo Fischer has scientifically done the right thing by halting sales of genetic-sequencing technology in China's Xinjiang province. "China is committing human-rights abuses on .
Migrants to sue Italian PM, Minister in 'kidnapping' case
Rome, Feb 22 (IANS/AKI) A group of 41 migrants allegedly plans to sue Italy's Interior Minister Matteo Salvini and Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte over a case in which 177 migrants were held on an Italian coastguard ship off Sicily for ten days in August and only allowed ashore when other nations agreed to take them.
Over 130 missing children reunited with their families
Over 130 missing children were reunited with their families by the northeast district police in 2018 and 2019, police said Thursday. The Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU) of northeast district reunited 101 missing children with their families in 2018 and 37 in 2019. The missing children hailed from various states like Bihar, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi. At an event, Delhi Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik felicitated the missing children and the AHTU team. The AHTU staff visited various shelter homes and juvenile homes across Delhi and neighbouring areas and traced a total of 138 children who had been found to be staying in these areas and they were reunited with their families, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Northeast) Atul Kumar Thakur said. The traced children were aged between five and 18. Most of the children were from a poor socio-economic background, he said. Out of 138 children, there are 108 boys, 24 girl children and six are differently-abled, the DCP .
Pan-India survey to assess efficacy of police to begin in March
With an aim to strengthen the good governance practices in the police, the Union Home Ministry here on Thursday commissioned the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPRD) to conduct a pan-India survey called "All India Citizens Survey of Police Services."
Rise in number of small, marginal farmers in Gujarat: Govt
The Gujarat government Thursday told the legislative Assembly that the agriculture census of 2015-16 has indicated a rise in the number of small and marginal farmers in the state. Gujarat added over 2.02 lakh marginal farmers and 1.86 lakh small farmers between 2010-11 and 2015-16, Agricultural Minister R C Faldu told the Assembly while responding to a query by Kanti Parmar (Congress) during the Question Hour. In his written reply, Faldu said as per the 2015-16 Agriculture Census, conducted by the central government, there were around 53.19 lakh registered farmers in the state. Citing the provisional report of the census, he said the total number of cultivators in Gujarat has gone up from 48.85 lakh in 2010-11 to 53.19 lakh in 2015-16, showing a rise of around 4.34 lakh. As per the data shared by Faldu, around 18.15 lakh marginal farmers were recorded during the 2010-11 census in Gujarat. This number reached 20.17 lakh in the last census, indicating a rise of 2.02 lakh ..
Saudi sisters stopped in Hong Kong while fleeing kingdom
Two young Saudi sisters in Hong Kong said Thursday they had been intercepted by kingdom officials at the city's airport while attempting to escape to Australia, in the latest case of women fleeing the ultra-conservative country. The pair, who have adopted the aliases Reem and Rawan, said in a statement from their lawyer they had renounced Islam and fear the death penalty if forced to return to Saudi Arabia. The sisters aged 20 and 18, whose representatives say they suffered violent abuse, fled to Hong Kong in September from a family holiday in Sri Lanka and were planning to fly on to Australia. But they say they were obstructed by Saudi officials and have been living in hiding in the Chinese city for nearly six months since. "We fled our home to ensure our safety. We hope that we can be given asylum in a country which recognises women's rights and treats them as equals," the pair said in the statement shared by prominent lawyer Michael Vidler. Saudi Arabia is one of the world's most ..