Page 183 - Social Issues
Kerala allocates Rs 150 cr for NRK schemes
Various schemes to the tune of Rs 150 crore to benefit the diaspora community of the state were announced in the Kerala Budget 2019-20 here on Thursday.
President highlights development works done in Northeast by Modi govt
President Ram Nath Kovind Thursday listed a series of development works being carried out by the Modi government in sectors like tourism, transport and other infrastructure in the Northeast, which of late has been witnessing unrest over the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill. Addressing the joint sitting of Parliament at the beginning of the Budget Session, Kovind said the government considers that the Eastern and Northeastern region have the potential to become a new "Growth Engine" for the country. "My government is working towards bringing about a transformation through transport and tourism in order to make the lives of the people of Northeast easier," he said. The president said almost all the railway lines in the Northeast have been converted to broad gauge and efforts are underway to provide rail connectivity to the capital cities of all the eight states of the region. "For this, the work on 15 new rail lines is under progress at a cost of approximately Rs 50,000 crore," he ...
Citizenship bill to give justice to persecuted minorities of Pak, B'desh, Afghanistan: Prez
Amid protest against the Citizenship Amendment Bill in the Northeast, President Ram Nath Kovind said Thursday the contentious legislation will give justice to persecuted minorities of Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan through Indian nationality. Addressing the joint sitting of Parliament at the beginning of the Budget session, Kovind said the NDA government was mindful of the prevalence of injustice and deprivation in the society and has been working towards reforming the legal system so as to "ensure social and economic justice". "The Citizenship Amendment Bill will help in the securing of Indian citizenship by those victims who were persecuted and were compelled to seek refuge in India. These people cannot be blamed since they were victims of circumstances," he said. The bill provides for according Indian citizenship to Hindus, Jains, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Parsis from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan after seven years of residence in India instead of 12 years, ...
Demonetisation a defining moment in war on corruption, black money: President
Describing demonetisation as a defining moment in the NDA government's war on corruption, President Ram Nath Kovind Thursday said it had struck at the very root of the parallel economy which was thriving on black money. Addressing the joint sitting of Parliament, Kovind listed several measures taken by the government, like enactment of new laws, constitution of Special Investigation Team (SIT) and signing of tax information exchange agreements with various tax havens, to effectively deal with the menace of black money. "Demonetisation was a defining moment in the government's war on corruption and black money. This decision struck at the very root of the parallel economy thriving on black money, and the money outside the formal system was brought within the ambit of the nation's economy," he said. The government had demonetised currency notes of 500 and 1000 denomination on November 8, 2016, to check black money. Post note ban, Rs 15.31 lakh crore worth demonetised notes were ...
New H-1B visa regulations to give more preference to US-educated
The US government has announced new regulations to give greater preference to workers with advanced degrees from US institutions for H-1B non-immigrant professional visas.
Citizenship Bill will secure citizenship to victims of persecution: Kovind
Amid opposition from several allies of BJP to the Citizenship Amendment Bill, President Ram Nath Kovind on Thursday said it will help those persecuted and compelled to seek refuge in India to secure Indian citizenship.
Chinese Govt urged to legitimise babies of unmarried woman to tide over low fertility crisis
A single Chinese woman has asked the law makers to legalise children of unmarried women to tide over the problem of low fertility rate haunting China, the world's most populous nation, after the number of new-borns dropped by two million last year despite the government permitting two children since 2016. China's two-child policy implemented in 2016 has failed to make an impact on the country's low birth rate as the number of new-borns dropped by two million last year in the world's most populous nation, recent figures from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) revealed. After China implemented the comprehensive two-child policy that allows all couples to have two children - abandoning its decades-long one-child policy - in 2016, the country's health authority predicted that the fertility rate in 2017 and 2018 would be 1.97 and 2.09 Zhang Ahlan (pseudonym), 27, from Beijing has proposed that children of unmarried women be legitimised which was strongly opposed by some experts, ...
Parrikar skips morning session of Goa Assembly
A day after presenting the budget, ailing Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar on Thursday skipped the morning proceedings of the ongoing budget session of the state Assembly. Though the reason behind his absence from the House was not mentioned, Speaker Pramod Sawant during the session announced that questions listed under Parrikar's name be postponed to the next session. Meanwhile, sources in the Chief Minister's Office said Parrikar was expected to attend the afternoon session of the House. Parrikar, 63, is suffering from a pancreatic ailment. Despite his ill-health, he had presented the state budget on Wednesday in the House, saying, "I am presenting the budget in josh. The josh that is too high, very high, and fully in hosh". The three-day-long budget session of the state Assembly will end on Thursday.
12-hr Assam bandh hit life in 4 Bodo-dominated districts
The 12-hour Assam Bandh called by the NDFB on Thursday to protest against the life sentence awarded to its president Ranjan Daimary and nine others affected normal life in the four Bodoland Territorial Area Districts (BTAD). There was, however, no report of any untoward incident, police said. The bandh, which began at 5 am, brought life to a standstill in Kokrajhar, Chirang, Baksa and Udalguri districts with all shops and business establishments remaining closed and vehicular traffic remained off the roads. These four districts were Bodo dominated and comprise the BTAD. The day being a local holiday it had no affect in the attendance in the government offices, schools, colleges and other educational institutes. There was no report of train services being affected. The impact of the bandh was not much in the Brahmaputra valley while in the Barak Valley it failed to evoke any response. The bandh has been called to protest against the life sentence awarded to NDFB chief ...
Tinsukia BJP president sustains injuries in clash between RSS-AASU
Tinsukia district BJP president Lakheswar Moran was injured in a clash between activists of the RSS and All Assam Students' Union (AASU), Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chhatra Parishad (AJYCP) on Wednesday.A meeting was organised by the RSS at Gopal Chandra Rabi Chandra Natya Mandir near Tinikunia Pukhuri here. As per the information, the local leader of the student's body AASU, AJYCP and AGP prevented the RSS activists from holding the meeting which led to a clash.Various organisations across Northeastern states are opposing the Citizenship Amendment Bill.The AASU activists also waved black flags at the RSS workers and raised slogans against the RSS and the BJP.Later, the police came to rescue Lakheswar Moran and resorted to lathi-charge to disperse the protesters.The police have arrested three activists of AASU- Rana Gohain, Rituparna Dohotia, Dighanta Gohain.
Demonetisation struck at root of parallel black economy: President
President Ram Nath Kovind on Thursday lauded the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led central government's demonetisation move and said that it had "struck at the very root" of the country's parallel black economy."Demonetisation was a defining moment in the Government's war on corruption and black money. This decision struck at the very root of the parallel economy thriving on black money, and the money outside the formal system was brought within the ambit of the nation's economy," President Kovind said in his address to the Joint Sitting of both Houses of Parliament of the Budget Session."This action of the government broke the back of the forces destabilising the country, and the systems sustaining the flow of black money. The registration of 3 lakh 38 thousand dubious shell companies responsible for the flow of black money have been annulled by the government. The directors of these companies have also been prohibited from holding such offices again," he added.President Kovind went ..
People expect tax reliefs, universal income scheme from the Union Budget
People from all walks of life hoped for tax relief measures, farm loan waivers and universal income scheme on Thursday, a day before unveiling of the interim Union Budget.INDUSTRY LEADERSAnil Khaitan, Former President of PHD Chambers, said the income tax exemption limit for individuals should be raised to Rs 5 lakh. "For corporates, we have always said that exemptions and subsidies in tax rates should be removed. A flat levy rate of 20 per cent will increase tax compliance," he said."We need at least Rs 40 lakh crore budget to be able to focus on all sectors," said Khaitan adding that improving productivity of agriculture sector is very important. Marketing focus is necessary for farmers to get the income they deserve. This has to be meticulously implemented. Loan waiver is not a solution, he said. "Any country that waives off loans cannot do well, everything becomes a mess. Increasing productivity is necessary."Sanjay Aggarwal, Vice President of PHD Chambers, appreciated the ...
Before 2014, country was going through uncertainty: President Kovind
Ahead of the Budget Session, President Ram Nath Kovind on Thursday addressed the Joint Sitting of both Houses of Parliament and said that the country was going through a phase of "uncertainty" before the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, hence the BJP-led central government took up the initiative to form a "New India.""The country was going through a phase of uncertainty before the (2014 Lok Sabha) election. After the election, my government took up the initiative to form a 'New India'," President Kovind said.Lauding the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government over its various initiatives, President Kovind said: "We know that expenses on health makes a poor even poorer. My government understood this and started Ayushman Bharat Yojana. In the last four months, more than 10 lakh poor people availed health benefits in hospitals under this scheme. Healthcare is my government's topmost priority. I am happy to inform you that the benefits of government's schemes are reaching poorest of the poor."He
President hails 10% quota for economically backward as historic
President Ram Nath Kovind on Thursday termed the Modi government's decision to provide 10 per cent quota to the economically backwards sections among upper castes as "historic" and said it will help provide justice to the poor.
24-hour general strike affects life in many parts of Manipur
Normal life was hit in several parts of Manipur Thursday following a 24-hour general strike called by a conglomerate of 66 organisations against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill. Demonstrations are being held at various place in state capital Imphal, and Thoubal and Lilong towns in Thoubal district and the headquarter towns of districts such as Churachandpur and Kangpokpi, the officials said. The strike was called from Wednesday midnight by the recently-formed Manipur People Against Citizenship Amendment Bill (MPACAB), with representation from 66 organisations. The grouping has demanded the withdrawal of the Bill. Educational institutes and commercial establishments remained closed in many districts, while vehicles were off the road, officials said Thursday. Security personnel were deployed across the state, they said. The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016, which was passed in the Lok Sabha on January 8, seeks to provide Indian citizenship to non-Muslim nationals from Bangladesh, .
Social media firms asked to combat rising Meghan-Kate abuse
The Kensington Palace has asked social media firms for help in combating rising abuse aimed at British Duchesses Kate and Meghan, a media report said.
Some expectations of the common man in Nagpur from Budget 2019
Though it would be an Interim Budget, the people of Nagpur are hoping the central government would raise the minimum tax slab from Rs 2 lakh 50 thousand to Rs 5 lakhs.ANI spoke with scores of people residing in Nagpur on Thursday to find out what they expect from the 2019 Interim Budget.Sanjay Patola, a resident of Davlameti area, said there is dire need to increase the taxable income slab to Rs 5 lakh as it was becoming difficult for people to meet their ends."The minimum tax slab should now be increased to Rs 5 lakh. Paying taxes despite earning as low as Rs 3 lakh per annum makes it difficult for us to run the household," Patola told ANI.Deepak Malhotra, another resident, said he feels that in order to boost the middle class and businessman, the Centre must exempt some more products from the Goods and Services Tax (GST)."They have not done much for the middle class and businessmen in these four years. Being a businessman, I am also facing trouble in filing GST every month. They ...
Those earning up to Rs 8 lakhs should be exempted from paying tax: Shiv Sena
Ahead of the interim budget, the Shiv Sena said it wants the central government to exempt those earning up to Rs 8 lakhs per annum from paying income tax."10 per cent reservation has been given to upper caste people. Those who earn less than or equal to eight lakh per annum can apply for this. So, we feel people who earn Rs 8,00,000 per annum are poor. Therefore, the limit of income tax should be eight lakhs. Those who earn up to eight lakhs per annum should be refrained from paying tax. This is our demand," Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut told ANI.The Parliament recently passed the Constitution (124th Amendment) Bill, 2019 to grant 10 per cent reservation in education and government jobs to economically weaker section individuals belonging to the general category, across religions.The Budget Session of Parliament will commence on January 31 and the interim Budget will be presented on February 1. The session will commence with the customary address by President Ram Nath Kovind to the ...
'World's deadliest sea crossing' claimed six lives a day in 2018: UN refugee agency
Six people died every day last year trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea to Europe "the world's deadliest sea crossing", the UN refugee agency said, citing ongoing political deadlock over sea rescue and disembarkation. According to a new report from the Office of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), an estimated 2,275 individuals drowned or went missing in the Mediterranean in 2018. This is despite the fact that Europe saw the lowest number of refugees and migrants arriving for five years, at 139,300, principally Spain (65,400), Greece (50,500) and Italy (23,400). "Saving lives at sea is not a choice, nor a matter of politics, but an age-old obligation," UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said. "We can put an end to these tragedies by having the courage and vision to look beyond the next boat, and adopt a long-term approach based on regional cooperation, that places human life and dignity at its core." Last year, shifts in policy by some southern ...
US lawmakers nominate jailed Uighur scholar for Nobel peace prize
US lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle said Wednesday they have nominated jailed Uighur scholar Ilham Tohti -- sentenced to life in prison for "separatism" -- for the Nobel peace prize. Senators Marco Rubio, a Republican, and Bernie Sanders, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, both signed the nomination letter, which came from the bipartisan Congressional-Executive Commission on China. "We believe there is no one more deserving of the Committee's recognition in 2019 than Professor Tohti, who embodies the peaceful struggle for peace and human rights in China," the lawmakers wrote to the president of the Nobel Peace Prize Committee, Berit Reiss-Andersen, and its other members Tuesday. Tohti, 49, was sentenced to life in prison in September 2014 over comments he made in class, in interviews and on a website he ran that were critical of official policies directed at China's mainly Muslim Uighur minority in the restive far-west Xinjiang region. The region has seen a ...
