Page 206 - Social Issues
Manipur opposes citizenship Bill unless it protects indigenous people: CM
Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren said on Wednesday that his BJP-led coalition government will oppose the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2018 until there was a clause to protect the indigenous communities of Manipur and other northeastern states.
Budget session from Jan 31 till Feb 13, Budget presentation on Feb 1
The Budget Session of Parliament will commence on January 31 and the interim Budget will be presented on February 1, officials said on Wednesday.The session will commence with the customary address by President Ram Nath Kovind to the joint sitting of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.The session, which will continue till February 13, will have 10 sittings, the officials said.It will be the last session of the Lok Sabha before the general elections which are due before May.
HC expresses satisfaction over steps taken by Delhi Police for women safety
The Delhi High Court has said it was satisfied that sufficient steps, including installation of 4,388 CCTV cameras in vulnerable areas, have been taken by the police to ensure safety and security of women in the national capital. A bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice V K Rao was told by the Delhi Police that a 24-hour helpline number 1091 is operational and separate specialised women police team is functional to attend to women in distress round-the-clock. "In view of the stand taken by the Delhi Police in the status report..., we are satisfied that sufficient and appropriate steps have been taken by the respondents," the bench said. The court disposed of a public interest litigation (PIL) filed last year by some lawyers for safety of women after a few women complained about "urine and semen-filled" balloons allegedly being hurled at them in and around North Campus of the Delhi University. The petitioner lawyers had sought formulation of guidelines to ensure safety of ...
Man kills wife, then self in Rajasthan's Bikaner
A man apparently killed his wife and then committed suicide in Rajasthan's Bikaner district, police said Wednesday. The accused Bhawani Dan Charan (45) killed his wife Chanda Kanwar (42) with a sharp-edged weapon on Tuesday and later committed suicide by hanging himself from a tree in his field, Lunkaransar Station House Officer Ranjeet Ram said. The couple had a domestic dispute for quite sometime, the SHO added. The bodies were handed over to the family members after post-mortem, he said.
Government proposes new Emigration Bill
The government has proposed to introduce a new Emigration Bill to replace the existing Emigration Act 1983 in view of a paradigm shift in the nature, pattern, directions and volume of migration over the last 35 years.
CBI registers FIRs against 2 shelter homes in Bihar for abuse of minors
The CBI has registered fresh FIRs pertaining to alleged abuse of children in two shelter homes in Bihar, officials said Thursday. The agency has registered FIRs against Bhagalpur-based Boys' Children Home run by Rupam Pragati Samaj Samiti and House Mother Children Home in Gaya, they said. Officials involved in the running of these shelter homes are under the probe of the agency, they said. There was national outrage last year following the alleged abuse of minor girls at a shelter home run by journalist Brajesh Pathak in Muzaffarpur in Bihar. The Supreme Court had directed the CBI to probe alleged abuse of inmates at 17 shelter homes listed in a study conducted by Tata Institute of Social Sciences. The TISS report stated that House Mother of Children Home, Gaya ill treated children by using abusive language, physical assault, forcing them to write lewd messages and taking manual labour. There was no proper arrangements for medical treatment, study, recreation, food, for the minor ...
Texas Sikh community feeds federal employees affected by govt shutdown
In a unique gesture, the Sikh community in San Antonio, Texas, offered free meals to fellow American government employees affected by the ongoing shutdown that has left thousands without pay in the US. The partial government shutdown, which entered the fourth week, has left more than 800,000 federal government workers out of work across the key departments. Trump wants to build a US-Mexico border wall and is seeking USD 5.7 billion in funding for the physical barrier which according to him is a must to prevent flow of illegal immigrants into the US. The Democrats assert that such a move is a "waste" of taxpayers money. All federal employees, who have been forced to work without pay, or have been furloughed during the partial government shutdown were offered freshly prepared, hot vegetarian meals for three days starting January 11. The Sikh community workers prepared the gurdwara menu which comprised lentils, vegetables, rice and tortillas. "Workers and families affected by the ...
Free eye care treatment for all in Odisha
The Odisha government has launched Rs 680 crore "Sunetra" scheme which has a provision of free eye care treatment for all the citizens of the state. The scheme was announced by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday. The new scheme is aimed at achieving the target of universal eye healthcare by 2023. "The scheme is for all irrespective of economic background. The people of all age can take benefit from the scheme," Patnaik said. The scheme will be extended to all patients with cataracts, who will be operated on at different government hospitals, without any paperwork, he said. All of them will be given spectacles for free, he added. Under the scheme, eye check-up programmes will be held in schools every year and students detected with vision problems would be given spectacles for free as well. Those detected with major eye problems can also avail free treatment, the chief minister said. Around Rs 680 crore will be spent in the first five years under the scheme, ...
Kinnar Akhara debuts at Kumbh, call for more public acceptance
The inclusion of the Kinnar Akhara led by transgender activist Lakshmi Narayan Tripathi is drawing huge crowds at the ongoing Kumbh Mela, the spiritual congregation here.
Canada asks China for clemency for convicted drug trafficker
Canada urged Beijing on Tuesday to grant clemency to a Canadian sentenced to death for drug trafficking, after his sentence reignited a diplomatic dispute that began last month. Ottawa has warned its citizens about the risk of "arbitrary enforcement" of laws in China following a court's sentencing of Robert Lloyd Schellenberg, 36, to death on Monday, increasing a previous 15-year prison term. The sentence came during a clash between Ottawa and Beijing over Canada's arrest in December of Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of telecom giant Huawei, on a US extradition request related to Iran sanctions violations. "We have already spoken with China's ambassador to Canada and requested clemency" for Schellenberg, Canada's Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland told reporters in Sainte-Hyacinthe, Quebec. Earlier, Beijing said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had made "irresponsible remarks" for saying China chose to "arbitrarily apply" death penalties. Freeland recalled Canada's long-standing ..
Anger at Malaysia textbook telling girls to 'protect sex organs'
Malaysia's government will alter an elementary-school textbook which suggested girls should dress modestly to prevent sexual assault, authorities said Wednesday, after it sparked widespread anger. Social media exploded with outrage after images circulated of a section of the book, which is used by nine-year-olds, entitled "Saving one's modesty". It featured a series of pictures of a fictional girl called Amira, whose parents advise her to protect "the modesty of her sexual organs" by wearing the correct attire. They also tell her to keep the door of her room closed when changing clothes, and to avoid spending time in quiet locations alone. If she fails in her efforts to prevent an assault, Amira would bring shame on her family, be shunned by her friends and face emotional problems, the book said. Activists said the book was teaching children from a young age that female victims of sex attacks only had themselves to blame. "We are appalled," said Meera Samanther, vice president of ...
Bru refugees in Tripura camps to get free ration, allowance till March 31
Around 35,000 Bru refugees living in relief camps in Tripura would continue to receive free ration and cash allowance till March 31, officials said Wednesday. A senior Mizoram government official said inmates of the six relief camps at Kanchanpur sub-division in North Tripura district were in uncertainty as the the Centre was scheduled to discontinue the assistance from Tuesday. The home ministry has conveyed to the state government that the assistance would be available to the Bru refugees till March 31, Mizoram additional secretary for home Lalbiakzama told PTI. The Bru community in the relief camps were happy about the decision, said R Laldawngliana, vice-president of the Mizoram Bru Displaced People's Forum (MBDPF), an umbrella organisation of the refugees. Laldawngliana, who is now in Delhi along with other leaders of the MBDPF, said they were informed of the decision by officials of the home ministry. The Centre had earlier decided to close the relief camps and stop the ...
Over 2,300 women to go on Haj this year without 'Mehram': Naqvi
Over 2,300 Muslim women from India will go on Haj this year without 'Mehram' or male companion as all those who applied under this category have been exempted from the lottery system, Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said Wednesday. The Modi government had last year allowed women going to Haj without Mehram, which had resulted in about 1,300 Muslim women going for the pilgrimage without any male companion. They had been exempted from the lottery system. Naqvi, while inaugurating the new office space of Haj Division at RK Puram here, said that for the first time after the Independence, 2,340 Muslim women have applied to go on Haj 2019 without Mehram. This year too, on the directions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Minority Affairs Ministry has made arrangement to send these women on Haj without the lottery system, he was quoted as saying in a statement released from his office. Women from all states are among the 2,340 that have applied to go on Haj 2019 without ...
Paris Jackson checks into treatment facility
Paris Jackson, model and daughter of late pop legend Michael Jackson, is seeking treatment to improve her "emotional health".
Swwapnil to raise awareness about lymphatic filariasis
Actor Swwapnil Joshi has been roped in as the brand ambassador for elimination of lymphatic filariasis in Maharashtra by the state government's Public Health department.
#MeToo at UN: 1 in 3 staff reports sexual harassment
The global organisation's own #MeToo survey has found that one in three employees responding to it have said that they have suffered sexual harassment in the last two years.
Bihar: 2 killed by Naxals on suspicion of being police informers
Two villagers were shot dead by Naxals on suspicion of being police informers in Bihar's Jamui district.Both deceased, identified as Usman Ansari and Ghulam, were attacked by Naxals on Tuesday night at around 11 pm at their respective houses.As per locals, Naxal commander Sindhu Koda, along with his 25-30 associates, entered the house of the victims and shot them after tying their hands.A Naxal pamphlet was also found near the bodies, which read: "Punishment for being a police informer".Police have reached the spot and are probing the incident.Meanwhile, anguished villagers took to the streets to protest against the killings and demanded strict action to be taken against the perpetrators.
Canada asks China clemency for convicted drug trafficker
Canada urged Beijing on Tuesday to grant clemency to a Canadian sentenced to death for drug trafficking, after his sentence reignited a diplomatic dispute that began last month. Ottawa has warned its citizens about the risk of "arbitrary enforcement" of laws in China following a court's sentencing of Robert Lloyd Schellenberg, 36, to death on Monday, increasing a previous 15-year prison term. The sentence came during a clash between Ottawa and Beijing over Canada's arrest in December of Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of telecom giant Huawei, on a US extradition request related to Iran sanctions violations. "We have already spoken with China's ambassador to Canada and requested clemency" for Schellenberg, Canada's Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland told reporters in Sainte-Hyacinthe, Quebec. Earlier, Beijing said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had made "irresponsible remarks" for saying China chose to "arbitrarily apply" death penalties. Freeland recalled Canada's long-standing ..
Odisha: Lesbian couple threatens to commit suicide if separated
Upset with their family, a lesbian couple from Odisha's Kendrapara district threatened to commit suicide if they are separated.Monalisa Nayak (28) and Sabitri Parida (27) had filed an affidavit before Notary Magistrate Court in Kendrapara seeking its permission to marry.They have been living together for the last five months.On January 12, both left Kendrapara and fled to Bhubaneswar.However, Monalisha's parents have filed a complaint with the police, alleging that Sabitri had kidnapped and forced their daughter to marry her.On the basis of the complaint a case under Sections 365 and 295 of the Indian Penal Code has been registered."We have received a complaint from Antaryami Nayak, father of Monalisa Nayak, and on the basis of the complaint police have rescued both from Bhubaneswar and recorded their statements. During the interrogation, both expressed their willingness to live together and threatened to commit suicide in case of any attempts were made to separate them" said Ranjan ..
Spanish feminists rally against far-right 'sexist' party
Spain's powerful feminist movement rallied across the country on Tuesday against far-right party Vox for seeking to scrap tough laws against gender violence which it argues "criminalises" men. Thousands of people, mainly women, gathered outside Andalusia's regional parliament in Seville, where Vox will Wednesday endorse a conservative coalition government made up of the Popular Party and Ciudadanos, putting an end to 36 years of Socialist rule in Spain's most populous region. The demonstrators -- many wearing purple, a colour long associated with gender equality -- chanted "Our rights are not negotiable". Crowds gathered across the country in the evening for protests against Vox, notably in the capital Madrid and Barcelona, the country's second-largest city. "We have to keep fighting with all means at our disposal against machismo violence," said Seville campaigner Isabel Britos, 48. The main slogan for the protests called by feminist groups is: "No step backwards in terms of ...
