Page 377 - Social Issues
Police 'cane-charge' protesters in MP
Police allegedly cane-charged a group of protesters near the venue of a BJP-organised event, scheduled to be attended by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan here Tuesday. However, police claimed that they did not cane-charge the protesters, but only drove away those who tried to cross the barricades. The protesters belonging to SAPAKS Samaj (Samanya Pichhda Alpsankhayak Kalyan Samaj), a fledgling political party constituted to fight against reservation, were staging the protest on Rewa Road, near BTI Ground here, where the BJP's convention was organised. Holding black flags, SAPAKS Samaj activists staged protests against the recent amendments in the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The protesters also released black balloons in the air. Samaj's district president Alok Tripathi said activists staged protest against the amendments in SC/ST Act in a "democratic manner". "Our protest was peaceful. We were demonstrating against the recent amendments in the SC/ST Act ...
Under-five mortality in India below one million for first time in 5 years: UNIGME
Under-five mortality in India was recorded below one million in 2017 for the first time in five years, according to a report by the United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UNIGME). The number came down to 9,89,000 from 1.08 million in 2016. Lauding the drop in under-five mortality for the first time in five years, Yasmin Ali Haque, Representative at the UNICEF India, said the efforts for improving institutional delivery, along with countrywide scale up of special newborn care units and strengthening of routine immunisation, have been instrumental in achieving this. "India continues to show impressive gains in reduction of child deaths with under-five deaths in India falling below the one million mark for the first time as per the latest UN estimates," she said. "Even more heartening is the fourfold decline in the gender gap in survival of the girl child over last five years. The investment on ensuring holistic nutrition under POSHAN and national commitment to
UK should end free movement of EU citizens post-Brexit: Report
The United Kingdom's Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) on Tuesday released a report in which it advocated a post-Brexit immigration system that would eliminate privileged ties with EU citizens.
End 'preferential' access to UK for EU workers post-Brexit: Report
All migration to the UK should be managed uniformly with no preferential access to European Union (EU) workers after Brexit, a new UK government commissioned report said on Tuesday. The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) report comes a day after British Prime Minister Theresa May indicated the UK was keen to move away from a dual immigration system post-Brexit that discriminates between workers from the EU and those from countries like India. The MAC had been charged with collating recommendations for a new immigration policy for once Britain has left the 28-member economic bloc next year. "If and this is not a MAC recommendation immigration is not to be part of the negotiations with the EU and the UK is deciding its future migration system in isolation, we recommend moving to a system in which all migration is managed with no preferential access to EU citizens, concludes its report titled 'EEA (European Economic Area) Migration in the UK'. Acknowledging the political constraints of
Cong women's wing activists show black flags to BJP MP over feet washing incident
The Congress women's wing activists Tuesday showed black flags to BJP MP Nishikant Dubey in protest against the incident when a Bharatiya Janata Party worker washed his feet and drank the water at a function. The incident came to light when Dubey went to lay the foundation stone of a bridge at Kanbhara village in Godda block -- around 330 km from Ranchi -- on Sunday, with Pawan Kumar Sah washing the feat of the BJP MP on a metal plate and then gulping it. The incident in full public view went viral on social media and sparked controversy. The black flags were shown to the MP near the Circuit House here when Dubey was leaving to the office of the Dumka deputy commissioner. "Nishikant Dubey had his feet washed by a person in Godda districts Kanbhara village. He tried to announce himself as God through such programmes. That is why we showed the black flags," Mahila Congress state vice president Arbi Khatun told the media. Asked about his reaction on the protest, Dubey told reporters ...
CAT relief for Delhi police official involved in CP shoot-out
The Central Administrative Tribunal Monday directed the police department to grant compassionate allowance benefits, pension and gratuity to Police Inspector Anil Kumar who was dismissed from service for his involvement in a shoot-out at Connaught Place in New Delhi. "The applicant had an unblemished service record during his service with Delhi Police, I am convinced that the applicant's claim for compassionate allowance deserves consideration," said administrative member Praveen Mahajan. The tribunal took note that all other persons convicted along with Kumar have been extended the benefit of compassionate allowance as per Rule-41 of Central Civil Services (Pension) Rules, 1972, and therefore he too deserves the same. "The respondents are directed to grant compassionate allowance benefits (to Kumar) and allow (grant of) two-third of his compensation pension and two-third of gratuity that may have been due to him at the time of dismissal, within a period of three months," said the ...
Nepal holds national-level meeting on gender-based violence
A three-day meeting at the national level on "Multi-Sectoral Services to Respond to Gender-Based Violence in Nepal" kicked off here on Tuesday.
Hong Kong eases visa rules for same-sex couples
Hong Kong announced Tuesday that overseas same-sex partners would qualify for the right to live and work in the city after a landmark court victory by a British lesbian earlier this year. It is a step forward for LGBTQ rights in Hong Kong, which has been criticised by campaigners for lagging behind on equality issues. Under the revised immigration policy which will come into force Wednesday, anyone who has entered into a same-sex civil partnership, same-sex civil union or same-sex marriage abroad could be eligible to apply for a dependant visa. But it added that a valid marriage under Hong Kong law would still require a couple to be heterosexual, saying there should not be "any expectation" that the government would fully legalise same-sex partnerships, which are currently unrecognised. Opposite-sex couples who had entered into civil unions and civil partnerships abroad would also qualify for dependant visas under the new rules, the government said in a statement. The Briton known as .
To 'save Hindus', RSS campaigns for NRC in Bengal
It is imperative to implement a citizen list, similar to Assam's National Register of Citizen (NRC) in West Bengal, to save Bengali Hindus from being annihilated, claimed Jishnu Basu, the Rashtriya Swamsevak Sangh (RSS) West Bengal Secretary.In an exclusive interview with ANI, Basu claimed that due to rampant infiltration of Bangladeshi Muslims in West Bengal, Hindus in several districts of state are becoming minorities."The NRC is the only option to save the Bengali Hindus from annihilation from the state of West Bengal. Because of the infiltration, the demography of the several districts has changed in the last few decades. And if try to save the Bengali Hindus then NRC is the only option, otherwise the Bengali Hindus will become refugees and will be forced to migrate from West Bengal," Basu told ANI.Basu also asserted that the NRC will also prove beneficial for Hindus who were tortured and forced out of Bangladesh."Bengali Hindus who have migrated to India from Bangladesh after ...
Gates Foundation's report calls for focus on health, education in poorest countries
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation today launched its second annual Goalkeepers Data Report, pointing to demographic trends that could stall unprecedented progress in reducing global poverty.While 1 billion people have lifted themselves out of poverty over the past 20 years, rapid population growth in the poorest countries, particularly in Africa, puts future progress at risk. If current trends continue, the number of extremely poor people in the world could stop to its two-decade decline - and could even rise.Despite the sobering projections, Bill and Melinda Gates express optimism that today's growing youth populations could help drive progress. Investing in the health and education of young people in Africa could unlock productivity and innovation, leading to a "third wave" of poverty reduction, which follows the first wave in China and the second in India."The conclusion is clear: To continue improving the human condition, our task now is to help create opportunities in ...
SC stays Patna HC order to set up fresh CBI probe team in Muzaffarpur shelter home case
The Supreme Court Tuesday stayed a Patna High Court order asking the CBI special director to set up a fresh team to probe Muzaffarpur shelter home sexual abuse case. The Patna High Court had on August 29 ordered that a fresh team of investigators be constituted by the Special Director of CBI in the case in which incidents of alleged rape and sexual assault of women inmates over a period of time had come to light in an NGO-run shelter home at Muzaffarpur. A bench of Justices Madan B Lokur and Deepak Gupta said changing the CBI team at this stage will be detrimental to the ongoing investigation. It asked the Patna High Court to adjourn the matter pending before it until further orders. Attorney General K K Venugopal told the court that the existing probe team carrying out the investigation was set up by the CBI director on July 30. "We don't see any reason why the existing CBI team, probing the Muzaffarpur shelter home case, should be changed at this stage," the apex court said. Over 30
SC stays Patna HC order asking to set up a fresh probe team in Muzaffarpur shelter home case
The Supreme Court Tuesday stayed a Patna High Court order asking the CBI special director to set up a fresh team to probe Muzaffarpur shelter home sexual abuse case. Patna High Court had on August 29 ordered that a fresh team of investigators be constituted by the Special Director of CBI in the case in which incidents of alleged rape and sexual assault of women inmates over a period of time had come to light in an NGO-run shelter home at Muzaffarpur. A bench of Justices Madan B Lokur and Deepak Gupta said changing the CBI team at this stage will be detrimental to the ongoing investigation. Attorney General K K Venugopal told the court that the existing probe team carrying out investigation was set up by the CBI director on July 30. "We don't see any reason why the existing CBI team, probing the Muzaffarpur shelter home case, should be changed at this stage," the apex court said. Over 30 girls were allegedly raped at the shelter home run by Brajesh Thakur, the chief of a state-funded ..
World should invest in Africa to fight poverty, says Gates foundation citing example of India, China
Two waves of poverty reduction in China and India have contributed to the emergence of millions of people from extreme poverty over the last two decades, according to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation which said the world should now target Africa for a third wave. The foundation, founded by billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates and his wife Melinda, in its second annual Goalkeepers Data Report released Tuesday argues that gains in lifting millions out of persistent poverty in China and India could be eclipsed by burgeoning birth rates in the poorest countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. "Investing in the health and education of young people in Africa could unlock productivity and innovation, leading to a 'third wave' of poverty reduction, which follows the first wave in China and the second in India,"the foundation said in its second annual Goalkeepers Data Report released Tuesday. The report, running into about 50 pages says that the demographic trends could stall ...
US slashes refugee admissions to 30,000 for 2019
The Donald Trump administration on Monday announced that it would allow only 30,000 refugees to enter the United States from next year.Announcing the decision, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that the administration would admit only 30,000 refugees and 2,80,000 asylum seekers in the fiscal year 2019, starting from October 1, The Hill reported.The latest figure comes after US President Donald Trump had limited the number of refugees entering the country to 45,000 in September last year.Pompeo underscored that the new refugee ceiling "must be considered in the context of the many other forms of protection and assistance offered by the United States.""Moreover, the refugee numbers should not be viewed in isolation from other expansive humanitarian programs. Some will characterise the refugee ceiling as the sole barometer of America's commitment to vulnerable people around the world. This would be wrong," he added.Citing national security as a major factor for changing the figure ..
Uttarakhand: Nirmala Sitharaman inaugurates medical camp
Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday inaugurated a medical camp at Dharchula in Uttarakhand along the Indo-Nepal border.Dharchula is an ancient trading town known for the trans-Himalayan trade located on the banks of Kali river. The medical camp was organised at the Dharchula Military Station to provide medical succour to the locals.Sitharaman was accompanied by Lieutenant General Harish Thukral, General Officer Commanding Uttar Bharat Area, who briefed the Defence Minister of the operational preparedness of the formation and various welfare measures that have been undertaken by the Army for the veterans.During her visit, Sitharaman felicitated the veterans of the Army, disabled persons, war widows, and also distributed cheques of Rs 10,000 each to selected persons below the poverty line as part of the Ayushman Bharat Scheme followed by an interaction with the public.Sitharaman also praised the soldiers for their efforts in maintaining the sanctity of the Line of Actual ...
DCW urges Home Ministry to investigate flesh trade
The Delhi Commission for Women wrote to the Ministry of Home Affairs seeking a proper investigation into the ongoing human trafficking racket after it received a complaint regarding an Indian girl who was allegedly forced into flesh trade in Malaysia.The girl, who travelled to Malaysia in May this year to work as a domestic help, managed to contact the Malaysian Police and was rescued. She has been kept under the protection of Malaysian Police, from where she contacted her brother in India.The DCW also received a complaint from her brother expressing his sister's desire to meet her family and her six-year-old son.Taking cognisance of this, the Commission urged the Ministry of External Affairs to ensure that the victim's brother and six-year-old son are allowed to meet her.In the wake of the incident, DCW Chief Swati Maliwal claimed that the national capital has become a source and destination for human trafficking."Such international rackets are running through a deep nexus which ...
Girl sets self afire after lover hangs himself
:A 19-year-old girl allegedly committed suicide by setting herself ablaze after learning that her 22-year-old lover had hanged himself near here, police said Monday. The couple were neighbours, and the reason for taking the extreme step was not known, the police said. On Sunday, the lovers were arguing with each other over the phone while the boy was having drinks with his friend, they said. Later, the boy went to home, told his family he would return on Monday, but phoned up his brother and his friend and said he was going to commit suicide, police said. Later, he was found hanging from a tree, they said. On hearing this, the girl doused kerosene on her person and set herself afire, the police said. Both the families were not aware that the two were in love, they added.
Belgian police officer wounded in knife attack
A police officer was wounded on Monday after suffering a knife attack near Maximilien Park in central Brussels, officials said.
Maha: Nirupam demands quota for migrants from backward classes
Mumbai Congress chief Sanjay Nirupam Monday met Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to demand reservations for north Indian migrants in the city belonging to backward classes. Nirupam also handed over a letter to Fadnavis in this connection. "People belonging to more that 30 castes such as Vishwakarma, Kurmi, Koiri, Pal, Kanojia, Gupta, Chaurasiya, Maurya and Rajbhar etc have migrated from northern parts of India to Mumbai for the sake of livelihood," Nirupam stated in the letter. "But unfortunately these people haven't yet been accorded the status of backward castes in Maharashtra, which is equal to denying them their fundamental rights," Nirupam's letter added. Nirupam wrote that the country required a uniform rule in place in which the domicile certificate would be the only mandatory document needed to obtain a caste certificate. The letter was signed by 25 people hailing from various OBC groups. "Appropriate action from the CM is awaited in order to empower
Police constable commits suicide in UP
A 32-year-old police constable committed suicide by hanging himself from the ceiling of a room at his rented house in Sikatiha locality here on Monday. "Ravi Tomar, who had joined (Lakhimpur) Kheri police in 2016, committed suicide by hanging himself from the ceiling of a room," Superintendent of Police (SP) Ramlal Verma said. He visited the spot with Additional SP Ghanshyam Chaurasiya and Deputy SP R K Verma. "A probe has been ordered to ascertain the reason behind the extreme step," Verma said. According to a statement by the house owner, the SP said, Tomar and his wife had an argument on Sunday night and it is also being probed. The constable's body has been sent for a post-mortem examination.
