Page 198 - Social Issues

1.8 L children living in child care institutions as parents unfit to take care: Report

A total of 1.8 lakh children are residing in child care institutions (CCI) in 2016-17 as their parents have been found unfit to take care of them, with over 50,000 such minors alone from Tamil Nadu institutions, according to a new report released Monday. Over 3.7 lakh children are lodged in homes meant for care of children in vulnerable circumstances across the country in 2016-17. According to the report released by the Jena Committee on Child Care Institutions, the Juvenile Justice Act states that a child, whose parents or guardian are found to be unfit or incapacitated by the committee or the board to care for and protect their safety and well-being, is deemed to be in need of care and protection. "It was found that there are 5,291 children in the age group of 0-6 years and 1,78,885 in the age group of 7-18 years found in CCIs and homes in this category, with boys being 17.2 per cent more than the girls. Amongst these, the CCIs in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra and ..

Kamala Harris to run for US President in 2020

Democrat Kamala Harris, the first Indian-American to serve in the US Senate, launched her campaign for the White House on Monday while appearing on ABC's Good Morning America.

Kinnar Akhara, a group of transgender saints, to build ashram in Allahabad

Kinnar Akhara, a group of transgender saints in Prayagraj Kumbh announced on Monday that it will set up an ashram in the city, according to a statement issued here by the Ministry of Culture. The group, which had attended the Ujjain Kumbh in 2016, have been taking part in the holy baths at the Kumbh Mela this year along with the other akharas. "Transgenders were badly exploited in the society and even their parents were forced to live a disgraceful life. Transgenders have been part of Sanatan Dharm and they have been given respectful status in religious epics and books of Hindu mythology. The Akhara has provided a forum to transgenders to pursue a dignified life with religious rituals. We will build an ashram at Prayagraj," Acharya Mahamandaleshwar Lakshmi Narayanan Tripathi, the chief of the Kinnar Akahara has been quoted as saying in the statement. He said the Juna Akhara, a traditional and powerful akhara, has given the recognition to Kinnar Akhara and has allowed it to be a part ..

First phase of agitation for rights of PoK people to end

SOS International, an organisation representing displaced persons from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) will end its 26-day long 'chain dharna' to demand their rehabilitation, it said here on Monday. However, the organisation will start the second phase of the agitation next week with mass demonstration-cum-dharna at Poonch followed by similar programmes at various district headquarters across Jammu division. "The first phase of the agitation, which began on December 27 with holding of chain dharnas, will culminate tomorrow (Tuesday)," chairman SOS International Rajiv Chuni told reporters here. He said the PoK displaced persons were not demanding anything extra ordinary but only their "due rights", which include implementation of the whole package passed by state cabinet in October 2014, facilities to all displaced persons at par with Kashmiri Pandit migrants and reservation of eight assembly seats. The SOS International is also seeking permission to visit religious places in PoK, ...

31 Rohingya in limbo on Bangladesh-India border

Thirty-one Rohingya Muslims including 17 children remained stranded on the India-Bangladesh border after three days, Dhaka officials said Monday, as both sides refuse to accept them. As many as 1,300 Rohingya Muslims have crossed into Bangladesh from India in recent weeks as fears of deportation to Myanmar spark an exodus. The latest group crossed barbed-wire fences along the Indian part of the border, but Bangladesh border guards stopped them from entering their territory. "They are now living in two tents provided by Indian border forces on the border's zero line," Mannan Jahangir, a local government official at the Bangladeshi border town of Kasba, told AFP. Lieutenant Colonel Golam Kabir, a Bangladesh border guard commander, said the group first arrived at the border from the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir on January 18. Senior officials from both sides held a meeting on Sunday, with Dhaka insisting that New Delhi take the refugees as they had Indian health cards and documents .

5.84 lakh new names added to Odisha voters' list

The number of voters in Odisha has increased to 3.18 crore after the addition of 5.84 lakh new electors, according to the final electoral roll released on Monday ahead of Lok Sabha and assembly elections due this year. "The number of voters as per the draft E-roll published on September 1 last year was 3,12,52,333. (In the final roll) it has gone up to 3,18,00,787 with the addition of 5,84,454 new voters," Chief Electoral Officer Surendra Kumar told reporters. Out of the total voters, 1,63,37,310 are male, 1,54,60,545 female and 2932 are transgenders, he said. The number of young electors (in the age group of 18-19) has increased from 1,33,896 to 5,45,401, Kumar said adding that 1,80,391 voters have been deleted. The CEO said the Electoral Registration Officers (ERO) had identified 9,02,792 Demographically Similar Entries after analysis of the database of the ERONET, a software that links all the EROs of the country. Out of these, 2,97,323 electors were noticed as ...

'Centre not keen on safeguarding indigenous people in Assam'

Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) chief Akhil Gogoi on Monday alleged that the Centre is not keen on safeguarding interests of the indigenous population of Assam, and appealed to people to step up the agitation against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill. Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma's claims that the indigenous population will be safeguarded is simply an attempt to "fool the people", Gogoi told reporters here. "The bill was introduced in the last session (Lok Sabha) and a Committee has also been set up for the purpose which is scheduled to submit its recommendations within six months, but the term of the Lower House ends much before that," he said. It is a fact the BJP and the RSS, along with Sonowal and Sarma are "simply not interested" in safeguarding the indigenous people, but want to "finish them off by dividing the society along religious lines," he alleged. "We are in support of providing ST status to six communities, .

Assam Cong urges Rahul to oppose citizenship bill in RS

The Assam Congress urged party president Rahul Gandhi on Monday to ensure that the grand old party votes against the contentious citizenship bill when it is placed in the Rajya Sabha. "People of Assam are very disappointed that the Congress Party MPs decided to walk out prior to the voting on the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill in the Lok Sabha on January 8 during the passage of the Bill, thereby sending a message of tacit understanding with the BJP on this issue," the legal department of the state Congress said in a letter to Gandhi. The signatories to the letter are legal department convenor Monoj Bhagawati, chairman Niran Borah and coordinator Krishna Sarmah. The members pointed out that a secular Constitution cannot discriminate on the lines of faith, alleging that the bill struck at the very core of the Constitution. The bill, which is pending in the Rajya Sabha, seeks to provide citizenship to non-Muslims -- Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Christians and Parsis -- from Bangladesh,

Rohingyas fleeing India stranded in no man's land on Bangladesh border

At least 31 Rohingya Muslims trying to enter Bangladesh from India have been stranded in no-man's land between the two countries' borders for three days, Bangladeshi authorities said on Monday.

Policy holders may get option to get accident/health claim benefits in installments

Policy holders may get option to receive payment of claims in installments in respect of personal accident (PA)/ benefit based health insurance, once the recommendations of a committee are accepted by the Irdai. Various general/ health insurance companies have proposed to the insurance regulator the need to give an option to policy holders to receive payment of claim benefits in these two type of policies. The concept may be altogether new to the general/ health insurance industry, but it is in vogue since long in the life insurance industry, especially in respect of endowment policies, where maturity claim benefits are paid in installments to the policyholders. Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (Irdai) had set up a working group to study the proposal. The settlement of PA/ benefit based health insurance claims in installments should not be a default option, said the report, which has been made public. "The General and Health insurance companies may be allowed to

Indian diaspora has dramatically changed world's perception of Indians: Sushma Swaraj

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said on Monday that diaspora community has changed the world's perception about Indians.

Akhilesh says not in race for PM post

The country is looking for a new prime minister and the BJP needs to come out with a new face, if it has one, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav said Monday while making it clear that he is not in the race for the top post. "As far as leadership issue is concerned, it is actually the people who decide it...you will see, in time to come, how many choices we have," he told reporters here when asked as to who would be the leader of opposition parties against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He, however, made it clear that he was "not in the prime ministerial race". "But, one thing is totally clear that the country is waiting for a new prime minister...if the BJP, which is so concerned about us, has a new prime minister, they should tell the people," Yadav, who recently shared platform with opposition leaders in Kolkata, said. To a question, the SP president said the SP and the BSP have taken a decision on most of the seats and an announcement in this regard will be made soon. "As far .

Nitish Kumar demands caste-based census in 2021

With the 2019 general elections round the corner, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday stressed the need for a caste-based census in 2021 and supported the demand for reservation in government jobs and educational institutions according to caste population.

Afghanistan launches polio vaccination in high-risk districts

The Afghan Public Health Ministry on Monday launched a polio vaccination campaign in 179 high-risk districts.

Protests against Citizenship Bill continue in Assam; Sonowal shown black flags

Protests against the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Bill continued for the fourth week in Assam and state Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal was shown black flags in Chirang district on Monday. Students Federation of India activists waved black flags at Sonowal's convoy when he was on way from the helipad to a school he was to inaugurate in Bijni town. The protestors were then forcibly removed and three persons were taken into custody, the department said. In Dhubri district on the banks of the mighty Brahmaputra river, various political, social and students organisations took out a massive rally to protest against the Bill and demanded its withdrawal. The Bill, passed in Lok Sabha on January 8, seeks to provide Indian citizenship to non-Muslims from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan. A large section of people in the northeast have opposed the Bill, saying it would nullify the provisions of the Assam Accord of 1985, which fixed March 24, 1971, as the cut-off date for ...

Countries like US, Japan, China ageing, India getting younger: Swaraj

Underlining that countries such as the US, Japan and China are ageing rapidly, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj Monday said India is getting younger and this demographic perspective offers it an "unprecedented edge" that will help in building a "New Young India" by 2022. Swaraj, in her inaugural address at the Youth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, said the Indian diaspora has dramatically changed the world's perception of Indians and our country. "India has the largest diaspora in the world, at almost 31 million, which is spread throughout the globe. However, what marks all of you is the shared common identity of Indianness and a shared common origin India, land of your forefathers," Swaraj said at the Youth PBD. The Youth PBD marked the start of the 15th Pravasi Bhartiya Diwas and was attended by Swaraj, Minister of State for Sports and Youth Affairs Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Minister of State for External Affairs V K Singh, among

Nitish defends JDU's stand on citizenship bill

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday defended the Janata Dal (United)'s decision to vote against the citizenship bill in the Rajya Sabha. "When the issue of citizenship bill cropped up, we took the view that the identity of Assamese people must not come under any sort of attack. We expressed our views to the Union Home Ministry and the BJP leadership as well," Kumar, who is also the JDU president, told reporters here on the sidelines of his weekly public-interaction programme, 'Lok Samvad'. "I do not think it's going to cause any problems in our alliance with the BJP. We have been allies for long, but maintained our independent stand on a number of issues. The AGP (Asom Gana Parishad), too, had sought our support on this issue. The BJP, being in power in Assam and at the Centre, is empowered to take a final call... but, we are free to voice our differences," Kumar added. Bharatiya Janata Party ministers Prem Kumar, Mangal Pandey and Vijay Sinha were present at the event. On ...

HC upholds conviction of boarding owner for sodomising boys

The Bombay High Court has upheld the conviction and 10-year sentence awarded to a 28-year-old man for sodomising and sexually assaulting three minor boys at a boarding house run by him in Pune district of Maharashtra. Justice A M Badar last week dismissed an appeal filed by the accused - Bansidhar Ghumare - challenging a June 2015 order of a sessions court convicting and sentencing him to 10 years' imprisonment. Ghumare, who runs the boarding house at Khed taluka in Pune district, was arrested in January 2014 for sodomising and sexually assaulting three minor boys who used to stay there. The boys were admitted to the boarding house by their parents to learn musical instruments and to take up other religious studies. According to the prosecution, the alleged incident took place between October 2013 and January 2014. On January 27, 2014, the victims discussed about the incident with each other following which one of them called his parents and informed about the assault. The parents of .

3.18 cr people registered in final Odisha voters list

A total of 3,18,00,787 people have been registered in Odisha's final voters list for this year's Assembly and Lok Sabha elections, a poll official said on Monday.

China's low birth rate falls for 2nd year, two child policy fails to enthuse couples

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, according to official figures released Monday. The figures released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said the low birth rates coupled with the slowdown of the Chinese economy raised concerns as the country faced demographic crisis with the population of above 60 years making 249 million, accounting for almost 18 per cent of the total population. 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. They predicted that the number of new-borns in 2018 would be 7.90 lakh more than 2017. The steady increase in old age population raised concerns over mounting costs of ...