Page 286 - Social Issues
Farm worker commits suicide in Punjab
A 40-year-old farm worker apparently committed suicide by hanging himself in a village in Phagwara district, police said Wednesday. Jakhan Shah, originally from Bihar, hanged himself from a tree on his landlord's field at Bhakhriana village on Tuesday. Shah is said to be an alcohol addict and has left behind six children and his wife, the police said. A case under Section 174 (unnatural death) of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) has been registered, the police said, adding that the body had been handed over to his family after post-mortem.
Now, you can pay LIC premium through Paytm
Digital payments service Paytm has entered into a partnership with Life Insurance Corp (LIC) to help customers make insurance premium payments, One97 Communications Ltd, which owns the Paytm brand, said on Wednesday.
'Social media makes women feel worse about their bodies'
Young women who actively like or comment on Facebook or Instagram images of friends they find attractive are likely to be left feeling worse about their own appearance, scientists say. The research by a team from the York University in Canada shows how young women interact with images online can affect how they feel about their own bodies. The research published in the journal Body Image, focused on young women, aged 18 to 27 years old, who liked or commented on photos of people they deemed to be more attractive than themselves. "The results showed that these young adult women felt more dissatisfied with their bodies," said Jennifer Mills, associate professor at York. "They felt worse about their own appearance after looking at social media pages of someone that they perceived to be more attractive than them," said Mills. "Even if they felt bad about themselves before they came into the study, on average, they still felt worse after completing the task," she said. The research ...
NDCP to bridge digital divide between rural Bharat and urban India
He said that the Telecom sector is the pivotal force driving India's digital transformation. Surge in data consumption and the rapid adoption of new technologies continue to re-define connectivity and digital engagement dynamics in India. As the largest data consumer and the second largest smartphone market, India is carving a new digital identity globally, said Mr Sinha.
As India becomes wealthier, more Indians leave its shores
Mumbai, Nov 21 (IndiaSpend/IANS) As India has become wealthier, more of its citizens are leaving its shores.
Bru refugees to vote in Mamit district of Mizoram : Official
The Election Commission of India has decided to hold polling for Bru refugees residing in Tripura at the inter-state border village of Kanhmun in Mamit district of Mizoram. The place of voting for 11,232 Bru voters has become the most controversial issue in the run up to the Mizoram Assembly polls, leading to replacement of the Chief Electoral Officer S B Shashank in less than two weeks ahead of the elections to the 40-member House. Shashank had reportedly facilitated voting by Bru voters in the relief camps in Tripura. "We have been informed by the Election Commission that the polling for the Brus must be arranged at Kanhmun village inside Mizoram territory. We have started our preparations for that," an official in the CEO office told PTI. A written order to this effect is likely to be received by the Mizoram CEO Ashish Kundra in a day or two, he said. Kanhmun is an inter-state border village between Mizoram and Tripura. The six camps of the Bru refugees are located between two km ..
Seoul will dissolve Japan-funded sexual slavery foundation
South Korea said Wednesday it will dissolve a foundation funded by Japan to compensate South Korean women who were forced to work in Japan's World War II military brothels. The widely expected decision effectively kills a controversial 2015 agreement to settle a decades-long impasse over the sexual slavery issue and threatens to aggravate a bitter diplomatic feud between the Asian US allies over history. Seoul's Ministry of Gender Equality and Family said in a statement that it will take legal steps to dissolve the foundation. Lee Nam-hoon, an official from the gender equality ministry, said Seoul's Foreign Ministry plans to consult with Tokyo on what to do with the 1 billion yen (USD 8.8 million) Japan funded to the foundation that was formally launched in July 2016. "After considering diverse opinions over the 'Reconciliation and Healing Foundation' based on victim-centric principles, we have decided to push for the dissolution of the foundation," Gender Equality Minister Jin Sun ...
Honda recalls minivans because doors can open unexpectedly
Honda is recalling 122,000 minivans worldwide because the sliding doors can open while the vans are moving. The recall covers Odyssey vans from 2018 and 2019. Honda says some parts in the power door rear latches can stick and stop the doors from fastening securely. The company says it has no reports of injuries. Dealers will replace the latches, but currently they have only a limited parts supply. Honda expects to have more parts by late December. If dealers can't get repair kits, owners will have the option of temporarily disabling the power sliding door until parts are available. Manual door operation would still be possible. Honda says owners should take their vans to a dealer as soon as they get recall letters that will be mailed in late December.
Australia joins US in rejecting UN migration pact
Australia's conservative government announced Wednesday it would reject a UN migration pact already denounced by the United States and several European countries. Adopting the pact "would risk encouraging illegal entry to Australia and reverse... hard-won successes in combating the people-smuggling trade", Prime Minister Scott Morrison said in a joint statement with his home and foreign ministers. Morrison was an architect of Australia's hardline policy of detaining asylum-seekers trying to reach the country by boat on remote Pacific islands. The policy choked off what had been an active people-smuggling trade that saw hundreds of people die at sea trying to reach Australia. But hundreds of people have since been held for years in Papua New Guinea and Nauru under the program, which has been harshly criticised as inhumane by the United Nations and human-rights groups. "We believe that the compact is inconsistent with our well-established policies and not in Australia's interest," the ..
Detained Saudi activists face torture: Amnesty
Saudi activists, including women, detained in a government crackdown this year have faced sexual harassment and torture during interrogation, Amnesty International said Tuesday. The activists, held since May in Dhahban prison on the western Red Sea coast, have faced repeated electrocution and flogging, leaving some of them unable to stand or walk, the rights group said in a report, citing three separate testimonies. At least one activist was made to hang from a ceiling and another detained woman was sexually harassed by interrogators wearing face masks, Amnesty added. The report comes as Saudi Arabia faces intense global criticism over the killing of insider-turned-critic Jamal Khashoggi in its Istanbul consulate on October 2, which tipped the kingdom into one of its worst crises. "Only a few weeks after the ruthless killing of Jamal Khashoggi, these shocking reports of torture, sexual harassment and other forms of ill-treatment, if verified, expose further outrageous human rights ...
CM moves resolution seeking 33 pc quota for women in assembly, Parliament
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday moved a resolution seeking 33 per cent reservation for women in the state legislative assembly and the Parliament.While moving the resolution for the consideration of the House, the Chief Minister said: "I initiate the discussion on this historic motion for providing 33 per cent reservation for women in the legislative assembly and the Parliament.""Empowerment of women is very close to my heart. No household, no society, no state, no country has ever moved forward without empowering its women. Our government has always been working sincerely for the socio-economic empowerment of women in the state," he added.He further said that historic initiatives like Mission Shakti, MAMATA, girls' education, loans at one per cent interest, hostels for 5 lakh tribal girls, provision of 7 lakh for women under the Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana (BSKY), land rights for women are some of the initiatives that have brought about a movement transforming the ...
Sajjan Kumar, Tytler would lose sleep after today's verdict: 1984 anti-Sikh riot victims
Yashpal Singh's capital punishment Tuesday by a Delhi court in the 1984 anti-Sikh riot case is a "glimmer of hope" to residents of Tilak Nagar's Widow Colony, who are now waiting for the "bigger fishes such as Congress leaders Sajjan Kumar and Jadgish Tytler" to be brought to book. Convict Yashpal, who was accused of killing two persons during the anti-Sikh riots in Delhi's Mahipalpur area, was given the first death sentence in the case by a local court. The other convict, Naresh Sherawat, will be serving a life term in prison. "We are definitely happy with this verdict. Yes, it would have been good if the other person had also got capital punishment only. But then we wholeheartedly welcome the court's decision. "Also, these all are small fries. Ab hum magarmachh ke fasne ka intezar kar rahe hain (We are now waiting to see when the big guns face action). We are hopeful that it would happen under this government's regime only," said Ganga Kaur, whose family's 11 people, including ...
Ten persons protesting against Avni killing detained
At least 10 persons protesting against the killing of tigress Avni were detained by police at Nariman Point in South Mumbai on Tuesday, an official said. The incident took place near Air India junction this afternoon, where eight women and two men staged protests, the official said. The protesters were chanting 'save wild animals' slogans and started walking towards the Mantralaya, the state administrative headquarters, located nearby, he said. All the protesters were detained under sections of the Bombay Police Act by Marine Drive police. They were later allowed to go, he said.
Poland latest country to withdraw from global migration pact
The Polish government said Tuesday that it will not support a global compact seeking international cooperation on migration, citing national sovereignty as it joins countries including Hungary, Austria and the United States in rejecting it. The Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, which won't be legally binding, was finalised under UN auspices in July. It is due to be formally approved at a Dec. 10-11 meeting in Marrakech, Morocco. After a meeting of the Polish Cabinet, the government press office released a statement saying the document fails to meet "Poland's demands regarding the confirmation of adequately strong guarantees of the sovereign right to decide who the countries accept in their territory and the distinction between legal and illegal migration." Poland's government has taken a strong anti-migrant position. It won power in 2015 amid Europe's migration crisis promising not to accept any Muslim migrants, describing them as a risk to the nation's security .
Badals hail death penalty, lifer to anti-Sikh riots accused
Former Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Tuesday welcomed the judgment of a Delhi court sentencing one of the killers of innocent Sikhs in November 1984 to death and sentencing another to lifeimprisonment."This is the first blow in favour of justice and the judgment is proof of what a change in government at the Centre can achieve in securing justice for thousands of innocent Sikhs as thesecases had been closed by the previous Congress government at the Centre and had been reopened only when the present Prime Minister Narendra Modi ordered these to be reopened at the behest of the SAD," said former Chief Minister Badal in a statement here.Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh also on Tuesday welcomed the Delhi court's decision in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case. The court pronounced death penalty to one accused Yashpal Singh and awarded life imprisonment to another accused Naresh Sehrawat. Speaking to ANI, Singh said, "I welcome this ...
Cong releases "charge sheet" against BJP govt in MP
The Congress Tuesday accused the BJP government in Madhya Pradesh of failing to address the grievances of the farmers and released what it called a "charge sheet" listing the alleged irregularities under the rule of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. BJP national vice president Prabhat Jha dismissed the Congress' allegations, claiming it was an attempt to grab headlines and mislead the people. Speaking to reporters here, AICC media and communication chief Randeep Singh Surjewala alleged farmers from 24 villages of the chief minister's home district, Sehore, have petitioned the president seeking permission for euthanasia. He claimed four farmers committed suicide in the state everyday due to farm distress. Surjewala released a "charge sheet" against the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government. He said all the major wrongs of the 15-year-long BJP rule in the state were listed in the "charge sheet", which included poor health services, incidents of rape, firing at farmers, Vyapam scam, ...
Telangana CM promises hike in pension if voted to power
TRS president and Telangana caretaker Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao Tuesday said the pension of Rs 1,000 given to various sections of people would be increased to Rs 2,016 if the party was voted to power in the December 7 assembly elections. "I am appealing to all who get pensions, our government will come to power definitely. After that, Rs 2,016 will be given as pension to all, be they women, beedi workers, elderly people, widows," he said while addressing an election rally here. The pension given to people with disabilities would be increased to Rs 3,016 from Rs 1,500, he said. Unemployed persons, based on eligibility, would get a monthly assistance of Rs 3,000, he added. Other welfare measures such as investment support scheme for farmers and insurance scheme for them were promised by the Chief Minister.
Odisha CM pitches for 33% reservation for women in assemblies, Parliament
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday moved a resolution in the Assembly for providing 33 per cent reservation for women in Legislative Assemblies and the Parliament.
Skill training will be provided to specially-abled persons: HP minister
Around 2,000 specially-abled people in Himachal Pradesh will be imparted skill training to make them self-dependent, a state minister said on Tuesday. Technical Education and Employment Minister Bikram Singh said the Himachal Pradesh Skill Development Project was being implemented through Asian Development Bank in collaboration with the Centre. Under the project, around 2,000 specially-abled people will be trained to provide them employment opportunities, he said while addressing a workshop organised here by Himachal Pradesh Kaushal Vikas Nigam for the specially-abled. There are 1.55 lakh specially-abled people in the state and 90,000 of them have already been issued disability certificates, the minister said.
Advisory to companies to set up sexual harassment committee
The Chennai district administration Tuesday issued an advisory directing public and private institutions to set up a committee to receive complaints from woman on sexual harassment at workplace. According to an official release from Collector A Shanmuga Sundaram, the internal complaints committee should consist of members with a majority of them being women with legal background or those having experince in social work. Those public, private institutions, IT companies, factories, textile shops which have more than 10 employees should constitute the committee, the release said. Chennai is home to several IT companies and also has manufacturing units of various auto companies, including commercial vehicle maker Ashok Leyland. "If a woman faces a harassment in the respective place, she can lodge a complaint with the Committee and the jury would investigate to take any disciplinary action" it said. The advisory also directed the respective companies, establishments to send a .
