Page 152 - Social Issues
HP Assembly passes state budget for 2019-20
The Himachal Pradesh Assembly on Monday passed the budget for 2019-20 and the related Appropriation Bill authorising the state government to spend Rs 46,971 crore from the consolidated fund. The budget was presented in the Assembly on February 9 by Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, who also holds the finance portfolio. As many as 36 members from the opposition Congress, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the lone CPM MLA participated in the budget debate in the Assembly. The Assembly was adjourned sine die after passing the budget. This was the last session of HP Assembly before upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The budget session was called earlier and was cut short to 13 sittings keeping in view the probable announcement by the central election commission in the first week of March regarding the schedule of upcoming general elections.
SC rejects PIL challenging interim Budget
The Supreme Court on Monday rejected a public interest litigation (PIL) challenging the presentation of the interim Budget by the Modi government in the just concluded last session of the 16th Lok Sabha.
Delhi budget on February 26, Assembly session to begin on February 22
The budget session of Delhi Assembly will begin with Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal's address on February 22 and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia will present the annual budget on February 26. The Business Advisory Committee (BAC) of Delhi Assembly met Monday, under the chairmanship of Speaker Ram Niwas Goel, and took the decision, according to a Delhi Assembly secretariat statement. "Being the first session of the year, Lieutenant Governor will address the Assembly at 11 AM on February 22. The formal sitting of the House will commence half-an-hour after conclusion of the L-G's address," it said. Discussion on the Motion of Thanks to the Lieutenant Governor's address will be initiated by Minister of Development Gopal Rai on February 23. The Deputy CM will also present the 'Status Report of Outcome Budget 2018-2019 (as on 31.12.2018)' on the same day. The Economic Economic Survey of Delhi 2018-2019 will be presented by Sisodia on February 25. The annual budget will be presented on
U'khand announces interest free loans of Rs 1 lakh to farmers in 2019-20 budget
The Uttarakhand government announced interest-free loans of up to Rs 1 lakh to poor and small farmers in the Rs 48,663-crore budget for 2019-20 presented in the Assembly on Monday. Interest free loan up to Rs 5 lakh to self-help groups engaged in agro-related activities was also announced in the budget which focuses on agriculture and allied sectors, and rural employment. Tabling the state's budget, Finance Minister Prakash Pant saidit was a balanced budget which took care of education, health, agriculture, employment generation in rural areas, infrastructure, housing and urban development. The total expenditure for the Financial Year 2019-20 is estimated to beRs 48,663.90 crore while total receipts for the period are pegged at Rs 48,679.43 crore which means it is a surplus budget, he said. The budget size is around 7 per cent more than the one passed last year, Pant told reporters at a press conference after tabling the budget in the House. "Though it is a balanced budget which takes
Flesh trade racket busted in Chennai; duo held
A prostitution racket that was run at a house here has been busted with the arrest of two persons and three women were rescued, police said Monday. A special police team raided a house at Seven Wells in the city and nabbed Naresh Kumar and Anand Raj, a police release said. The duo were produced before a local court which remanded them to judicial custody. They have been lodged at the Puzhal prison. Three women, who were involved in the flesh trade, were rescued and sent to a government home for women, the release added.
Rape victim hangs self out of 'shame'
A 22-year-old woman allegedly committed suicide by hanging herself in her house in Maharashtra's Nagpur district, after she was raped by an accomplice of her friend last week, police said Monday. The woman, in a suicide note purportedly written by her, stated that she was ending her life out of shame as the incident has become public. Police arrested four persons, including the main accused Mayur Kularkar (21) and two others, on Saturday, a day after the alleged rape. A minor boy has been detained. The woman, a resident of Marodi village in Mauda taluka, hanged herself Sunday evening, a police officer said. Other accused are identified as Rahul Kambli (25), Shyam Katore (19) and the minor. They also are residents of Marodi village. "Katore, who is a friend of the woman, had called her to meet him at Marodi bus stop at 8:30 PM on Friday (February 15). Katore arrived at the isolated spot with three of his friends. He then made the woman drink alcohol," Assistant Police ...
BJP to support Odisha shutdown for farmers' cause
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday said it would extend support to Odisha shutdown call given by farmers' outfit Nava Nirman Krushak Sangathan (NNKS) on February 21.
Delhi HC dismisses Manipur student activist's plea in sedition case
The Delhi High Court Monday dismissed a Manipur student activist's plea challenging his arrest and transit remand here in a sedition case against him for allegedly making remarks over the controversial Citizenship Bill on social media. Justice Sunil Gaur said prima facie it appeared that Veewon Thokchom's act attempted to bring hatred and incite disaffection to the government established by law. The contentious Citizenship (amendment) Bill was cleared by the Lok Sabha on January 8 but it is set to lapse on June 3 as it was not tabled in the Rajya Sabha during the Budget Session after which the Upper House was adjourned sine die on February 13. Thokchom, former president of Manipur Students' Association, Delhi, was arrested by the Manipur police in Delhi on February 15 and was produced before a magistrate here on February 16 who granted five days transit remand till Tuesday. The Manipur police had taken his transit remand to produce him before the concerned court in Imphal where the ...
3% Indians use cannabis to get high, UP tops chart: Govt survey
Nearly 3 per cent Indians use cannabis to get high with Uttar Pradesh topping the chart in use of the narcotic substance, a recent government survey has found. According to the survey, bhang is the most common form of cannabis used in the country, followed by ganja and charas. Conducted by the Social Justice and Empowerment Ministry in collaboration with the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), the survey titled "Prevalence and Extent of Substance Use in India" covered all 36 states and Union territories. The survey found that 3.1 crore Indians between the age of 10 and 75 years or 2.8 per cent of the total population used cannabis in the last twelve months to get high. According to the government, about 72 lakh individuals need help for their cannabis use problems. It said that though bhang use is more common, prevalence of harmful use is proportionately higher for people who smoke ganja and charas. The states which have recorded use of cannabis more than the national ...
Centre is providing 100 pc financial support to utilise Waqf properties, says Union Minister Naqvi
The Central government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is giving 100 per cent financial assistance to use Waqf properties for the empowerment of minorities, said Union Minister for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi here on Monday.Naqvi, who was chairing the meeting of newly constituted Central Waqf Council, said: "For the first time since the Independence, the Central government is providing 100 per cent financial help to utilise Waqf properties across the country for educational empowerment and job-oriented skill development of the needy sections of the society.""The Central government has provided basic amenities to ensure educational empowerment and job-oriented skill development of Minorities, especially girls, in those backward areas of the country which were deprived of these facilities since the Independence," he said."Under Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakram (PMJVK), the Minority Affairs Ministry, for the first time after the Independence, has constructed schools, ...
Youth arrested in UP for posting 'anti-India' slogan on social media
A youth here was arrested on Monday for allegedly posting an "anti-India" slogan on social media, police said. The youth, identified as Farhan, allegedly posted the picture of a burning tricolour with a slogan denouncing India on social networking site Facebook, SP (City) Dinesh Tripathi said. Members of a right-wing group lodged a complaint in this regard, following which the accused was arrested, police said.
Only 1 in 38 alcohol dependent people received any treatment last year: Govt survey
Only one in about 38 alcohol dependent people in India have received any treatment, while only one in about 180 people with the affliction were hospitalised, indicating a massive treatment gap in the system, a government survey stated. As per the "Prevalence and Extent of Substance Use in India" survey, alcohol is the most commonly used psychoactive substance by Indians, with about 14.6 per cent (16 crore people) in the 10-75 age group consuming liquor and the habit is 17 times higher in men when compared to women. Chhattisgarh, Tripura, Punjab, Arunachal Pradesh and Goa were found to have the highest prevalence of liquor use. After a hiatus of 15 years, the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, in collaboration with the National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre (NDDTC) of AIIMS, conducted the survey and compiled national and state level estimates of people involved in drug abuse. "This is for the first time that substance use has been studied and documented in the populations .
Work for socio-economic empowerment of minorities done on 'war-footing': Naqvi
Work has been done on a "war-footing" under the Modi government to provide basic amenities to minorities and ensuring their socio-economic empowerment, Union Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said Monday. Naqvi, while chairing a meeting of the newly-constituted Central Waqf Council (CWC) here, said for the first time since independence, the government has been providing 100 per cent financial help to utilise Waqf properties across the country for educational empowerment and job-oriented skill development of the needy sections of the society. The Modi government has provided basic amenities to ensure educational empowerment and job-oriented skill development of minorities, especially girls, in those backward areas of the country which were deprived of these facilities, he said. The meeting started with a two-minute silence to pay tributes to security personnel killed in the Pulwama terror attack. "Work has been done on war-footing to provide basic amenities to ensure ...
Pulwama attack: Bengal teenager held for objectionable social media posts
A 17-year-old boy from West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district has been apprehended for his objectionable social media posts against the Indian Army, police said on Monday.
Chamling presents interim Sikkim budget of Rs 3,566.29 crore
Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling Monday presented an interim budget of Rs 3,566.29 crore to meet various expenditures of the state government in 2019-20. Chamling, who holds charge of the Finance department, tabled the interim budget in the state legislative Assembly on the inaugural day of the two-day session. The interim budget comprises of revenue expenditure of Rs 2,713.88 crore and capital expenditure of Rs 852.41 crore for half of the duration of the financial year 2019-20. The House will discuss and vote on the interim budget on February 20 next, the last day of ninth legislative assembly. Earlier, the chief minister, who also holds charge of Land Revenue and Disaster Management Department, introduced The Sikkim Regulation of Transfer of Land (Amendment) Bill, 2019 to ensure protection of land belonging to Limboo community. It was followed by introduction of The Sikkim Prohibition of Beggary (Amendment) Bill, 2019, by the Social Justice, Empowerment and
Calcutta HC allows woman to terminate 29-week pregnancy
The Calcutta High Court Monday allowed a 42-year-old woman to terminate her 29-week pregnancy since the foetus was suffering from Down Syndrome, considering her claim of mental, physical and financial stress. Noting that the state has not come forward to alleviate her problems by offering any financial and medical assistance, a division bench headed by Acting Chief Justice B Somadder said along with the unborn child, the mother also has a right to life with dignity. A report by a medical board constituted by the West Bengal government has said that the foetus is suffering from Down Syndrome and is likely to be affected by deformities in the oesophagus, heart and abdomen. The report of the government-appointed panel said that the child, if born, would require long-term treatment and specialised care, but the outcome is uncertain, the woman's lawyers told the court. The bench, also comprising Justice Arindam Mukherjee, observed that the birth of the child in such circumstances would ...
16 crore Indians consume alcohol: Survey
At the national level, about 14.6 per cent (16 crore) people (in the 10-75 age group) consume alcohol with Chhattisgarh, Tripura, Punjab, Arunachal Pradesh and Goa having the highest prevalence of liquor use, a recent government survey has found. After alcohol, cannabis and opioids are the next commonly-used substances in the country, the survey has found. Among those dependent on alcohol, one in 38 reported some form of treatment, while one in 180 reported getting in-patient treatment or hospitalisation. Conducted by the Social Justice and Empowerment Ministry in collaboration with the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), the survey titled "Prevalence and Extent of Substance Use in India" was conducted in all the 36 states and Union territories. At the national level, 2,00,111 households were visited in 186 districts and a total of 4,73,569 individuals were interviewed, the report stated. About 2.8 per cent of Indians (around 3.1 crore) reported having used some cannabis .
SP MLA breaks down in House, says he has been robbed off Rs 10 lakh
Uttar Pradesh Assembly witnessed an unusual situation on Monday as a Samajwadi Party legislator broke into tears, saying his Rs 10 lakh was stolen and if it was not recovered, he would "commit suicide". Kalpnath Paswan, SP MLA from Mehnagar constituency in Azamgarh, said no FIR has been registered in this connection. "I am pleading with folded hands in the House. Where should I go, if I do not get justice from here. I will die...I am a very poor person...If my money is not recovered I will commit suicide," Paswan said while raising the matter during Zero hour. The MLA said the money was stolen from a hotel in Azamgarh and no FIR has been registered yet. Replying to him, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Suresh Kumar Khanna said he will seek a report and ensure justice. "If he wants to register FIR, it will be registered," he said, adding when the MLA approached him, he had directed Home department and officers concerned to workout the case.
No new tax in Punjab budget, focus on agriculture, health, education
Punjab Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal Monday presented the state budget for 2019-20 with a total outlay of Rs 1,58,493 crore with no new taxes. Focussing on agriculture, health, education and rural and urban infrastructure, the budget proposed hikes in the range of 9-36 per cent in the allocation of funds for these sectors. The total outstanding debt of the state has been projected at Rs 2,29,612 crore for 2019-20 as against Rs 2,12,276 crore for 2018-19 (revised estimates). However, Badal blamed the previous Akali Dal-BJP government for its "irresponsible fiscal actions" for the accumulated debt. Badal further informed the state assembly that as against the allowed net borrowing limit of Rs 17,335 crore for financial year 2019-20, the debt servicing is a whopping Rs 30,309 crore. "The servicing of the state's huge debt pre-empted its major revenue receipts, leaving it with little resources for credible efforts," said Badal. The finance minister pegged the revenue deficit and ..
China's elderly population to grow in 30 years
People aged 65 years and older are expected to make up for around 30 per cent of China's population in the next 30 years, authorities said on Monday.