Page 191 - Social Issues
Prison inmates to receive certificates of yoga courses
In a first, prison inmates will be provided certificates of diploma, bachelor and master degrees in yoga to help them become professional trainers and live a dignified life after completing their sentences, officials said Friday. The Delhi government has inked Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Moraji Desai National Institute for Yoga, the Ministry of Ayush and the Tihal jail authorities to provide the courses under the Project Sanjeevan. "The motto of these courses is to keep jail inmates physically and mentally fit. It will also help them in reformation, rehabilitation and re-integration. "After successfully completing the yoga courses, they will be able to earn livelihood proudly after their release from the jail," a senior government official said. The training programmes include a Master Trainers Program - a Certificate Course in Yoga Science for Wellness Instructors (CCYSc) of 480 hours duration - and a Foundation Course in Yoga Science for Wellness (FCYScW)- of 50 ...
Himachal has taken steps for weaker sections: CM
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur said on Friday that his government took steps for the welfare of the weaker sections of society, saying his one-year term marked a "generational change" in state politics.
CBI seeks custodial interrogation of Chidambaram in INX Media case
New Delhi [India], Jan 25 (ANI): CBI wants to carry out custodial interrogation of former Union Minister P Chidambaram in the INX Media case, the central investigating agency on Friday told the Delhi High Court, which reserved the judgement in the matter."We are opposing the anticipatory bail of P Chidambaram and want to take him on the police remand for interrogation. We want to exercise our statutory right to investigate the case," Solicitor General (SG) Tushar Mehta told the court, while appearing on behalf of the CBI. "Indrani Mukerjea and Peter Mukerjea have told the agencies that P Chidambaram had asked them to meet his son, and thereafter transaction of money took place. We want to take P Chidambaram in the custody," the SG further told the court."Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) approval was granted under the signature of P Chidambaram. And during that time some transaction has taken place. The companies in question are directly or indirectly in control of Karti ..
UN human rights expert to visit Turkey over Khashoggi murder
The United Nations is dispatching a human rights expert to Turkey over the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The UN, in a statement Friday, said Agnes Callamard will head an international inquiry, starting with a weeklong visit to Turkey on Monday. The Washington Post columnist, who wrote critically about the Saudi crown prince, was killed inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on October 2. The expert on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary killings is to evaluate the circumstances surrounding Khashoggi's murder "from a human rights perspective." Turkish officials have called for an international investigation and have complained of a lack of cooperation by Riyadh. Saudi Arabia has indicted 11 people, including some from the prince's entourage, over the killing and is seeking the death penalty against five of them.
Zimbabwe's violent crackdown continues with reports of rapes
Reports of a violent crackdown continue in Zimbabwe as rights groups and others accuse security forces of raping women during house-to-house searches. Zimbabweans say abuses have not calmed since President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Tuesday denounced the violence as "unacceptable." The unrest began last week as people protested a steep increase in fuel prices. The army asserts that uniformed perpetrators of abuses are "bogus elements" out to tarnish its image. Fearful residents in poor and working-class suburbs are locking themselves in at night. Human Rights Watch says it has received "very disturbing reports of a number of cases of women allegedly raped by members of security forces." Police spokeswoman Charity Charamba says she has not received any reports of rape. Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights says arrests of suspected protesters continue.
BJP's 'mothership' RSS wants to control all institutions: Rahul Gandhi
Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Friday targeted the RSS, alleging that the BJP's "mothership" was trying to penetrate and control all institutions and its imprint was evident everywhere be it "North Block and the South Block" which has led to chaos in the country including the judiciary. During an interaction with intellectuals as part of the Congress' outreach efforts ahead of Lok Sabha polls, Gandhi said unlike the BJP, his party "respects decentralisation, independence of institutions and constitutional advances". He said that their fight was against the ideology that "one state, one ideology and one set of people should run the country" and stressed that the nation should be driven by its 1.2 billion people. He criticised the Modi government over the issue of loan waiver to industrialists, implementation of GST and MGNREGA and Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme. Gandhi said he takes "constant abuse" by the RSS and BJP as a "gift" which has strengthened him as he has learnt
National Voters' Day celebrated across northeast
National Voters' Day was celebrated across the northeast on Friday as leaders urged the young voters of their respective states to exercise franchise without fail. The National Voters' Day is the foundation day of the Election Commission of India (ECI) which was set up in 1950. The day was first celebrated in 2011 to encourage young voters to take part in the electoral process. In Aizawl, Mizoram Governor Kummanam Rajasekharan launched the voters' helpline number '1950' and mobile app for people with disabilities as part of the celebrations. The governor appealed to all voters to exercise their franchise in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections and ensure peaceful conduct of the polls. State chief electoral officer Ashish Kundra said that the electronic voting machines' (EVM) reliability was proven and statements questioning it were unwarranted. Arunachal Pradesh Chief Secretary Satya Gopal said that adult franchise is a constitutional right of every citizen above 18 years of
Twitter testing new feature to identify who started fake tweet
In a bid to curb the spread of fake and abusive content with untraceable origins on its platform, micro-blogging platform Twitter is testing a new feature that would help track the original tweeter.
Sikhs in US to donate funds, food to unpaid federal workers
Two Sikh communities in the US state of Indiana will donate funds and food to Transportation Security Administration (TSA) workers, as they remain unpaid due to the ongoing partial government shutdown.
Have met and apologised to Phehlukwayo, says Sarfaraz
Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed Friday met Andile Phehlukwayo and apologised for hurling allegedly racist slurs at the South African all-rounder during the second ODI here. Sarfaraz was caught making racist comments by the stump mic in the 37th over of South Africa's run chase on Tuesday. South Africa eventually won the match by five wickets. "This morning I apologised to Andile Phehlukwayo and he was gracious enough to accept my apology .and I hope the people of South Africa also accept my apology," Sarfaraz wrote on his twitter page. Sarfaraz had earlier issued a long apology on Wednesday, insisting that his comments were not directed at anyone in particular. But on Thursday he met Phehlukwayo. "Abey kaale, teri ammi aaj kahaan baitheen hain? Kya parwa ke aaye hai aaj (Hey black guy, where's your mother sitting today? What have you got her to say for you today)?" Sarfaraz was what he had been recorded as saying on the field. His action had attracted widespread criticism with former .
2 lakh leprosy cases reported every year, India accounts for more than half of them: WHO
Around 2 lakh leprosy cases continue to be reported every year in the world with India accounting for more than half of them, the WHO said Friday, adding leprosy-related "discrimination, stigma and prejudice" were the most powerful barriers in ending the disease. WHO Regional Director for South-East Asia Poonam Khetrapal Singh also lauded India for repealing two legislations - one that discriminated against persons affected by leprosy and another which allowed leprosy as legitimate grounds for divorce. She said significant numbers are detected in the South-East Asia Region, Brazil, sub-Saharan Africa and the Pacific. "Leprosy-related discrimination, stigma and prejudice are the most powerful barriers to ending leprosy for good, especially given the disease is 100 per cent curable when detected early. "Though the number of leprosy cases has steadily declined worldwide, an estimated 2,00,000 cases continue to be reported every year, with India accounting for more than half," Singh ...
'In My Heart' celebrates unity that one finds in family: Nandana
Actress-writer-child rights activist Nandana Sen on Friday launched her new children's book "In My Heart" that deals with the topic of adoption.
Holding an opinion against govt can be termed 'seditious': Aruna Roy
Spaces of debate and disagreement are "shrinking" in the country, warned activist Aruna Roy, who said holding a mere opinion against the government is akin to "sedition" these days. Aruna Roy was speaking at the session, "The Right To Know", on the second day of the Jaipur Literature Festival at the Diggi Palace here on Friday. "When you close the space for dialogue and when you say that certain kind of thought is itself seditious this is when you are on a very dangerous ground," said Roy. Referring to the case of Anand Teltumbde, a social justice activist booked by the Pune police in Bhima Koregaon violence, she argued that the situation was particulary worrying for an information activist as asking for "information of any sorts" can be termed "seditious". "Anand Teltumbde has been told he is working against the state and thereby possibly going to be accused of sedition. This is very worrying for an information activist because information of any sort can be termed seditious. "Like, .
Kerala to launch NRI pension scheme
The Kerala government will soon launch a 'Pravasi Dividend Pension Scheme' to provide regular pension to Non Resident Keralites on a one-time payment of Rs 5 lakh, Governor P. Sathasivam said on Friday.
Rahul 'disturbed' by protests in NE, says BJP polarising region for gains
Congress president Rahul Gandhi Friday expressed concern over protests and unrest in the northeast and hit out at the BJP for trying to "polarise" the region for political gains, saying such politics must be stopped. He also accused the BJP of using religion and ethnicity as weapons for playing such politics that pitches a brother against a brother and fans hatred in society. "I am disturbed by the growing violence & unrest in the N East where religion & ethnicity are being used as weapons by the BJP to polarise the region for political gain. This type of politics, that pitches brother against brother & fans hatred, is evil & must be stopped," he said on Twitter. His remark came in the wake of protests by various sections over the Citizenship Bill in Assam, ahead of general elections.
CPI(M) to protest against Citizenship Bill on February 4
The CPI(M) announced on Friday that it would would protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill across the country on February 4. The CPI(M) Politburo appealed to all parties, groups and citizens who believe in the unity and diversity of the country and the common basis of citizenship as enshrined in the Constitution to join this protest, a release issued by Hari Singh Kang on behalf of the CPI(M)'s Central Committee office said. The politburo expresses its deep anguish over the growing sense of disquiet and agitation of the people across the North East of the country over the proposed Bill which has been passed by the Lok Sabha and awaits the passage in the Rajya Sabha, it said. "The Bill infringes on the basic premise of our Constitution of common citizenship regardless of diversities of caste, creed, gender, ethnicity and culture and the idea of unity in diversity stands threatened with this proposal which exclusively recognizes religious identity as the basis ...
National Voters' Day: Mizoram launches helpline, mobile app
Mizoram Governor Kummanam Rajasekharan Friday launched the voters' helpline number '1950' and mobile app for people with disabilities as part of the National Voters' Day celebrations here. \ Rajasekharan congratulated the people of the state, law enforcement officials, polling officials, civil societies and churches for the peaceful and free and fair conduct of election to the 40-member state legislature held on November 28 last year. The governor appealed to all voters to exercise their franchise in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections and ensure peaceful conduct of the polls. State chief electoral officer Ashish Kundra said that the electronic voting machines' (EVM) reliability was proven and statements questioning it were unwarranted. Kundra said that the Election Commission was fully prepared to conduct the Parliamentary polls.
India accounts more than half leprosy cases globally: WHO
Even though the number of leprosy cases have steadily declined worldwide, an estimated two lakh cases continue to be reported every year, with India accounting for more than half, said World Health Organization (WHO).
Elaborate security arrangements for Republic Day function
Elaborate security arrangements have been made for Saturday's Republic Day function here, in view of the boycott call by the NGO Coordination Committee, a senior police officer said Friday. The officer told PTI that armed policemen with complete anti-riot gears would be deployed in around the Assam Rifles ground, the venue where Mizoram Governor Kummanam Rajasekharan is to address the Republic Day official function at 8 AM on Saturday. A thick security blanket has been thrown around the Assam Rifles ground, he said. The NGO Coordination Committee, an umbrella body of civil societies and student associations gave the boycott call in protest against the proposed Citizenship Amendment Bill. Negotiations between the state government and the NGO Coordination Committee was on even on Friday as the Mizoram Kohhran Hruaitute Committee (MKHC), conglomerate of 16 major churches was also invited by the government to make appeals to the civil societies, the officer said.
Raja Krishnamoorthi becomes first South-Asian American to head a Congressional panel
Raja Krishnamoorthi, a prominent Indian-American Congressman, has been named as the chairman of a panel on economic and consumer policy, making him the first ever member of South Asian descent to chair a congressional committee or subcommittee. Krishnamoorthi, 45, was on Thursday named as Chairman of the House Oversight Committee's Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy which will give him jurisdiction over important pocketbook issues such as education, workforce development, income inequality, health care, consumer protection and data privacy. "I am honoured and privileged to become the first ever South Asian-American to serve as a chair in Congress," Krishnamoorthi said. "As a child, I had the opportunity to see my parents work hard to achieve the American Dream of a middle-class life. As the Chairman, I will use my role on this subcommittee to grow and strengthen the middle class so that all Americans can have the same opportunities my family did," he said. The two-term ...
