Page 375 - Social Issues
Need to maintain demographic balance; Ram Temple should be built at earliest: Bhagwat
RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat Wedneday pitched for a policy to maintain demographic balance in the country, saying it should cover all sections of the society, beginning with those having more children but "limited" means for their upbringing. Bhagwat presented Sangh's views on a number of contentious issue while answering wide-ranging written questions on the last day of the RSS' three-day conclave, including on matters like Ram temple, inter-caste marriages, education policy, crimes against women, cow vigilantism. The RSS chief also demanded that the Ram temple in Ayodhya should be "built at the earliest". Supporting a dialogue on the issue, he said a final decision rests with the Ram Mandir Samiti, which is spearheading the campaign for the construction of a Ram temple. A Supreme Court verdict is expected to come soon before the current Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra demits office on October 2. Bhagwat also strongly backed the existing quota system for different communities, but said
Hungary slams UN, insists will 'never be a country of migrants'
Hungary's foreign minister accused UN officials Wednesday of "spreading lies" with their criticism of Budapest's anti-migration policies, insisting his country would "never be a country of migrants". "It is obvious that the UN officials spreading these lies about Hungary are biased pro-migration officials," Peter Szijjarto told the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. Hungary, he said, will "never be a country of migrants... We will never allow one single illegal migrant to enter the territory of our country." "Hungary will remain a country of the Hungarians, which is happy and which is proud of its more than 1,000-year-long history and Christian culture and traditions," he said. Szijjarto, whose appearance at the UN's top rights body was announced less than 24 hours before his speech, did not cite any UN officials by name. But his address came after the new UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet and a group of UN rights experts last week harshly criticised Hungary's policies. He slammed UN .
IT dept officials conducting survey operation at Jet Airways' offices
Officials from the Income Tax department are conducting survey operations at Jet Airways' offices in Mumbai and Delhi, sources said on Wednesday.Four premises have been covered in this survey, which started on Wednesday. The tax department is probing the airline for Verification of Expenses.The survey operation, being conducted by tax officials, is taking place under Section 133A of the IT Act at the airline's Andheri and Nariman Point offices in Mumbai to collect evidence related to financial irregularities, if any, the sources stated.
Need to maintain demographic balance: Bhagwat
RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat Wedneday pitched for a policy to maintain demographic balance in the country, saying it should cover all sections of the society, beginning with those having more children but "limited" means for their upbringing. Bhagwat presented Sangh's views on a number of contentious issue while answering wide-ranging written questions on the last day of the RSS' three-day conclave, including on matters like inter-caste marriages, education policy, crimes against women, cow vigilantism. Bhagwat also strongly backed existing quota for different communities, but said there should not be any politics on the issue. He claimed there is an increasing acceptance of Hindutva, his organisation's founding ideology, in the world but anger existed against it in India due to various wrong practices which have crept in over the years. The Sangh is working to remove them, he added. To a question about changing demographic balance in parts of India and the 'declining' Hindu population, ...
Triple Talaq ordinance: Oppn asks why no similar penal provisions for Hindu men deserting women
With the government taking ordinance route to make 'instant triple talaq' a penal offence, opposition parties and women activists Wednesday asked why no similar provisions are made for Hindu men deserting their wives and alleged a "human issue" has been made into a "political football". Some said the ordinance ignores problems it could pose to Muslim women and there is need for a comprehensive law, while the Congress said what needed to be done after the Supreme Court quashed this practice was to provide justice to an abandoned Muslim woman and jailing the husband might not serve the purpose. Ishrat Jahan, a petitioner in the triple talaq case, welcomed the decision as a big step towards "empowering Muslim women" and said Muslim men and religious leaders should now mend "their ways or be ready to face the music". She was one of the five petitioners in the case against instant triple talaq. This practice was struck down by the Supreme Court on August 22, 2017. Jahan, who has a ...
57 lakh families in J'khand to be brought under Ayushman
Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das Wednesday said that altogether 57 lakh families of the state, which is 85 per cent of state's population, will get absolutely free digitized health insurance under the Ayushman Bharat Yojana. The central scheme would be launched in the state by Prime Minister Narendra Modi from here on September 23 and the insurance cover would be Rs five lakh each person, Das said. The chief minister said that the state has already enrolled 200 hospitals where beneficiary families would get treatment free of cost. He promised that the 15 per cent population who would be left out of the Ayushman Bharat Yojana in the first phase would be provided health insurance in the second phase of the scheme. Das said that Jharkhand is at the top among states in terms of decrease of infant mortality rate, which was announced by Union Health Minister J P Nadda on Tuesday and the state needed to work to reduce maternal mortality rate. Referring to Swachh Bharat ...
Triple Talaq ordinance unconstitutional: Owaisi
Soon after the Union Cabinet approved an ordinance on the Triple Talaq Bill, making it a criminal act, All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) president Asaduddin Owaisi said the ordinance is "unconstitutional and against Muslim women.""This ordinance is against the Muslim women. This ordinance will not provide justice to the Muslim women. In Islam, marriage is a civil contract and bringing penal provisions in it is wrong. This ordinance is unconstitutional. It is against the Constitution's right to equality as it is being made only for Muslims. All India Muslim Personal Law Board and women organisations should challenge this ordinance in the Supreme Court," he added.Imam Sajid Rashidi also criticised the Centre and said that the ordinance can be misused."Earlier, the Supreme Court in its decision said that giving Triple Talaq at one time will not be considered as valid. This will be declared as null and void. If it won't be considered valid, then how can it be considered a ...
Strap on the Fitbit: John Hancock to sell only interactive life insurance
(Reuters) - John Hancock, one of the oldest and largest North American life insurers, will stop underwriting traditional life insurance and instead sell only interactive policies that track fitness and health data through wearable devices and smartphones, the company said on Wednesday.
CBSE mulling introducing sign language, braille as subjects for students with special needs
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is mulling introducing sign language as a subject, computer-based tests, attendance waivers and flexible subject selection options for students with special needs. The board which is in the process of formulating comprehensive guidelines for students with special needs has proposed that such children may also be given exemptions from the already existing criteria of two or one compulsory languages in board examinations. "It has been proposed that Indian sign language or braille should be treated as a language to satisfy the formula prescribed by the board," a senior official said. "For students with mobility issues, the CBSE has recommended creation of online class content for children. Attendance requirements in cases of children with severe disabilities can be waived," the official added. The board has written to states and stakeholders inviting their feedback on the policy draft which has been prepared after widespread consultations .
Triple talaq ordinance is anti-Muslim women': Owaisi
MIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Wednesday described the proposed ordinance to make instant triple talaq a penal offence as "anti-Muslim women", claiming it would lead to more injustice to them. He demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi bring out a legislation to protect Hindu women deserted by their husbands. Reacting to the Union cabinet clearing the ordinance against triple talaq, he told reporters here that in Islam, marriage was a civil contract and bringing penal provisions was "wrong and unnecessary". Under the proposed ordinance, giving instant triple talaq will be illegal and void and will attract a jail term of three years for the husband. The Hyderabad MP also claimed that such an ordinance will violate fundamental rights and right to equality and expressed the hope that the Muslim Personal Law Board will challenge it in court. This ordinance is anti-Muslim women. This will lead to more injustice to Muslim women, he claimed. Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad announced the ..
Cabinet nod to extension of special package for J&K
The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the extension for one year, during FY 2018-19, of special financial package for implementation of the National Rural Livelihoods Mission for Jammu and Kashmir.
194 Haryana hospitals empanelled for Ayushman scheme
As many as 194 government and private hospitals in Haryana have been empanelled for the Centre's Ayushman Bharat Scheme, Health Minister Anil Vij said on Wednesday.
Play highlighting plight of manual scavengers to be staged during NHRC street theatre fest
Seven thematic plays, including one on the ills of manual scavenging and the need to end discrimination on the basis of caste and vocation, will be staged in Connaught Place in October as part of a street theatre festival hosted by the National Human Rights Commission. 'Maila Kuchaila' from 'Anubhuti' -- the street play society of the JDM College in Delhi -- is among the seven plays selected by the NHRC for its silver jubilee event, the rights panel said Wednesday. "The theme of the play is the ills of manual scavenging and the need to end discrimination on the basis of caste and vocation. Other plays include 'Jee Bhi Lay' from 'Navrang', the dramatics society of the Lakshmibai College. The theme of the play is the need to protect the rights of the children of prostitutes and challenges thereof," the NHRC said. More than 600 people have died while cleaning septic tanks and sewers across the country in the past 25 years, according to data collated by the National Commission for Safai ..
ASHA benefit package approved by Cabinet
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, gave its approval to the Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) Benefit Package, which will come into effect from October this year.The benefit package will cost the central government Rs.1224.97 crore for two years (2018-2020) and will be implemented through the existing institutional mechanisms of the National Mission for Health, according to an official release.Comprised of two components, the package aims at enrolling eligible ASHAs and ASHA facilitators in social security schemes, namely the Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana and Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana, while increasing recurring incentives from Rs. 1000 per month to Rs.2000 per month for the ASHAs under the National Health Mission.The annual premiums for the social schemes will be paid by the central government, while the ASHA's shall reap the benefits which are entailed by the schemes. Along with this, the increase in .
Babul Supriyo shown black flags in Asansol
Union minister Babul Supriyo was shown black flags on Wednesday by TMC supporters who were protesting against the construction of a railway overbridge at Assansol in West Bengal, alleging loss of their livelihood. Supriyo was on his way to Kumarpur level crossing in Asansol area to participate in the foundation stone-laying ceremony for the railway overbridge when he was shown black flags. "Why are you showing black flags? Black flags and development cannot go hand in hand. This bridge is a long-time demand of the people of Asansol," Supriyo told protesters The Union minister of state for heavy industries and public enterprises has convened a meeting of hawkers organisations and the railways, where he will be present to discuss the issue raised by the hawkers. The Asansol MP alleged that the Trinamool Congress government in the state had not extended any support except providing a no-objection certificate for the bridge. "But still the TMC activists have misled the hawkers and are ...
131 tribals return home to Mizoram after 21 years
A total of 131 of the 32,876 Mizo tribals on Wednesday returned to their homes in Mizoram brightening the prospect of the remaining, who have been sheltering in Tripura camps for the past 21 years.
Cabinet extends special package to J-K for implementation of DAY-NRLM
The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday approved the extension of timeline for implementation of the Special Package under Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana - National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) for Jammu & Kashmir for another period of one year during 2018-19.The decision has come after the Jammu and Kashmir government urged the Centre to consider an extension of the special package approved in May 2013 as the state could not implement it on time due to some unavoidable reasons and disturbed conditions in the state.The extension of the timeline for implementation of the Special Package is aimed to support two-thirds of the vulnerable families in the rural area in the state. There will be no additional financial implication. Financial outlay of Rs. 755.32 crore was originally approved by the government for the scheme.Additionally, allocation of funds to the state under DAY-NRLM on a need basis for the implementation of the Special Package ...
Car crashes into crowd near UK mosque in hate crime; 3 injured
A car crashed into a crowd near a mosque in the UK in a suspected hate crime incident which left three persons injured, prompting Scotland Yard to launch a probe. The Metropolitan Police were called to the Al-majlis Al-Hussaini Muslim prayer centre in Cricklewood to reports of the collision with a "number of pedestrians" on Oxgate Lane. Two people in their twenties suffered minor injuries and a man in his fifties remains in hospital as he is treated for a serious leg injury. "This incident is not being treated as terror related but the hate crime aspect of the collision is being looked at by detectives as an aggravating factor," a Met Police statement said. A spokesperson for the Hussaini Association, which had been holding a series of lectures at the mosque, said: "We are in deep shock at such an attack taking place on our community. "We remain proud to live in a diverse and tolerant society and as such we remain unintimidated". The car failed to stop at the scene and enquiries are ..
18,081 HIV positive people in Mizoram
At least 18,081 people in Mizoram are HIV positive since October 1990 till August this year, a Mizoram State AIDS Control Society (MSACS) official said Wednesday. Mizoram has a total population of 11 lakh. The official said that according to the India HIV Estimations 2017 Technical Report, Mizoram ranked first in the country at 2.04 per cent HIV positives detected from the number of people whose blood samples were tested. Unsafe sex was the main cause of infection at 66 per cent, followed by sharing of needles and syringes by intravenous drug users while almost one per cent were infected due to homosexual sex, the official said. Over 42 per cent of the HIV positives are in the age group group of 25-34 years followed by 26 per cent in the 35-49 years age group, the official added.
Activists condemn govt's decision to make triple talaq penal offence, call it 'politicised move'
Some women activists have condemned the government's decision to make instant triple talaq a penal offence, calling it a "politicised move" without taking into consideration the complications it could pose to Muslim women. The Union cabinet has cleared an ordinance to make the practice of instant triple talaq a penal offence, Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said Wednesday, citing compelling necessity for the move as the practice annulled by the Supreme Court continues unabated. Kavita Krishnan, activist and Secretary of the All India Progressive Women's Association (AIPWA), questioned, "Why only Muslim men are getting punished for abandoning their wives, why not Hindu men?" "Triple talaq is not an official divorce, it is a form of abandonment. Does an Hindu man gets imprisoned for abandoning his wife? We do not agree with the government's decision to make it a criminal offence," Krishnan told PTI over phone. Annie Raja, National Federation of Indian Women's general secretary, said ...
