Page 405 - Social Issues
Letter 'concocted' to criminalise me, rights activist: Sudha Bharadwaj
Sudha Bharadwaj, one of the five activists arrested in multi-city raids by the Maharashtra Police, has outrightly rejected the claims made by the investigating agency and said a purported letter implicating her was "totally concocted" to criminalise her and human rights organisations. The police had Friday claimed that Bharadwaj had written to one "Com. Prakash". Reacting to this in a handwritten statement, Bharadwaj, who is under house arrest, said Friday the purported letter shown by the Pune Police is a "mixture of innocuous and publicly available facts and baseless fabrication". Various legal and democratic activities such as meetings, seminars, protests have been sought to be de-legitimised by alleging that they are funded by Maoists, she said. Bharadwaj claimed a number of human rights lawyers, activists and organisations were deliberately named to cast a stigma over them, obstruct their work and incite hatred against them. "It is a totally concocted letter fabricated to ...
EC wants maximum voting by differently-abled eligible voters
The Election Commission would conduct intensive mapping aiming at getting the maximum number of differently-abled voters to exercise their franchise including in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and later, an official said here on Saturday.
KTM society sets up task force for flood relief work
Kerala Travel Mart (KTM) Society, the apex body of travel and tourism industry, has set up a task force to carry out the relief and rehabilitation work and support the huge task of rebuilding the lives of the flood-hit people of the state. As many as 28 organisations in the tourism sector have been brought under the ambit of this task force, which besides concentrating on the relief and rehabilitation works, will focus on creating awareness on the need to contribute generously to the Chief Minister's Distress Relief Fund (CMDRF) for, a KTM release said here Saturday. The Task Force has already sent teams for the clean-up operations in various places and successfully roped in around 1500 people to carry out the relief and rehabilitation work in Munnar and nearby tourism spots, which are prime destinations of Kerala, it said. It has been decided that every organisation under the task force and its workers would give away their one day's earnings to the CMDRF, Convener of .
Over 1,540 migrants perished in Mediterranean in 2018: UN
Rome, Sep 1 (IANS/AKI) A total 1,549 people have lost their lives in the Mediterranean since the beginning of 2018, compared to 2,434 during the same time in 2017, the UN migration agency has said.
'Sugam Election Accessibility Observers' to help disabled caste vote
In a bid to help disabled people cast vote, the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Saturday announced appointment of 'Sugam Election Accessibility Observers' who will help the differently-abled inside the polling booths.Ahead of Chhattisgarh polls, Chief Election Commissioner OP Rawat further said that such persons are being identified so that facilities like wheelchair could be provided to them to reach the polling station."For the first time in the country, Sugam Election Accessibility Observers will be appointed by Election Commission following the theme of accessible elections. Persons with disabilities to be enrolled and their contribution in elections will be ensured," Rawat said.The CEC further underscored that arrangements will be made for webcasting of polling in the Maoist affected areas of Chhattisgarh in the coming assembly elections.He said the webcasting facility will be provided at all those places where internet connectivity is available. This would help ...
Former 'ER' actress Vanessa Marquez shot dead by police
Vanessa Marquez, an actress best known for her role as a nurse in "ER", was shot and killed by the South Pasadena police on Thursday, authorities confirmed on Friday.
Motivate child to talk in case of 'silent calls', WCD to Childline
The Women and Child Development Ministry has asked the national emergency helpline for children to motivate and counsel them in case of "muted calls" -- where they are not able to gather courage to report incidents of abuse, a WCD official has said. The Childline Foundation recently reported that one-third of the calls received by it were "silent or muted". "We have asked childline to counsel such children and encourage them to talk. Many a times a child is scared to talk or has last minute doubts about filing a complaint against a close relative," a WCD official said. The Childline Foundation has received 3.4 crore calls since 2015. Of these, one crore were silent, according to official data . A muted call could be a silent call for help where the child is not able to gather courage to talk or having second thoughts over reporting the incident, an official working with Childline had said earlier. According to the official data, there are 450 childline contact centres across the ...
Nagaland govt launches campaign on legal child adoption
The Nagaland government has launched a campaign to create awareness and better understanding of laws related to child adoption. Advisor to the Department of Social Welfare, MLA Noke Wangnao launched video and radio jingles on legal adoption on Friday, as part of the state government's child protection services. The jingles aim to create awareness and knowledge among the multi-stakeholders and the general public about the concept of legal adoption and issues related to it, said Sarah Ritse, Secretary, Social Welfare Department and Chairman, Child Protection Services. "Adoption done as per the juvenile justice system can ensure a secure and safe future for the child as well as for the adoptive parents," Ritse said. Nagaland has reported around 120 adoptions during the last eight years, officials said.
95% Indian millennials stressed against global average of 86%
A survey conducted by Cigna TTK Health Insurance Company has revealed that 95% of Indian millennials, between age group 18-34, are stress, as compared to the global average of 86%. It suggests that work is the main trigger for stress amongst Indians.It is seen that corporate health insurance plans can be of great help to alleviate that stress."The workplace plays an important role in the health and well-being of an employee. 87% of workers agree that workplace wellness programs are critical in choosing between new and existing employers. Managing workplace stress is important for corporations, as they can include health and wellness programs in every employee's benefit package," said Prasun Sikdar, Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer, Cigna TTK Health Insurance."Stress management, dental benefits, and health checkups are the most desired benefits for workers. These health insurance benefits covered under workplace wellness programs can boost employee confidence and make ...
Inmate of Patna shelter home dies, two others missing
A 27-year-old inmate of a shelter home for mentally challenged women died at a hospital here Friday, a day after two other women went missing. Anamika, an inmate of the Aasra shelter home here, was admitted to the hospital in a critical condition Thursday, Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) Superintendent Rajeev Ranjan Prasad told PTI. "She had been complaining of breathlessness and was severely anaemic. She died at 8 pm on Friday," he said. Two other inmates, both in their early 30s, went missing Thursday and an FIR was lodged at the Rajeev Nagar police station in this connection, SHO Rohan Kumar said. The Aasra shelter home had hit the headlines earlier this month when two of its inmates had fallen ill and were declared brought dead at the PMCH. Following the deaths, which took place in the intervening night of August 10-11 and evoked an outcry, Manisha Dayal and Chirantan Kumar, who ran the NGO entrusted with running the shelter home, were arrested and remanded to jail .
UN regrets US decision to stop funding to UN agency for Palestinian refugees
UN chief Antonio Guterres has expressed regret over the US' decision to provide no further funding to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, urging other countries to help fill the financial gap. His remarks came after the US decided to stop funding to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). The Trump Administration said that beyond the budget gap itself and failure to mobilise adequate and appropriate burden sharing, the fundamental business model and fiscal practices that have marked UNRWA for years, tied to UNRWA's endlessly and exponentially expanding community of entitled beneficiaries, is simply unsustainable and has been in crisis mode for many years. The US has traditionally been the largest single contributor to UNRWA. We appreciate its support over the years, a statement issued by the Secretary-General's spokesman Stephane Dujarric said on Friday. The UN Secretary-General called on other countries to help fill the remaining financial .
Bihar: One more Aasra Shelter Home inmate dies in hospital
One more girl from the Aasra Shelter Home passed away during treatment at Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) on Friday.The 27-year-old girl reportedly died following a complaint of weakness.This comes after the Patna police on Thursday confirmed that two women from the shelter home in Bihar's Rajeev Nagar managed to run away despite tight security. The two women, named Mira Kumari (30) and Anita Kumar (35) reportedly ran away from the shelter home on Wednesday night.The shelter home came into news earlier last month, when two girls staying there were brought dead to PMCH. The Bihar police had detained the shelter home's secretary and treasurer in connection with the two deaths and sent them to three-day police custody.
US decides to end funding to UN for Palestinian refugees
The United States (US) has decided to end all the funding for the United Nations (UN) for the Palestinian refugees and called for a reduction in the number of Palestinians considered to be refugees.According to CNN, Trump administration will criticise the operational tactics of United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in a formal announcement about the funding which is expected to happen in a few weeks.The decision was made at a meeting between Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump's son-in-law and a White House senior adviser, and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said a senior administration official. US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley had also been pushing for the move.The US had donated more than 350 million dollars to the agency in 2017.UNRWA offers educational, health and social services across the West Bank, Gaza, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon to registered Palestinian refugees. It also educates about 500,000 children in nearly 700 ...
PVVNL contactual workers' protest enters third day
A sit-in demonstration here by scores of contractual workers of the Uttar Pradesh electricity distribution department, protesting against an alleged move to sack them, entered the third day today. The workers have been holding the sit-in protests in front of the Pashchimanchal Vidhyut Vitran Nigam Limited's chief engineer office at Ghaziabad since August 29 under the banner of Nivida/Samvida Karamchari Samiti. The protesting workers include linesmen and sub station operators of the state PSU PVVNL. District president of the workers association Mahesh Samania said around 700 contractual workers, who have been posted in far away areas from their homes as a move to force them out of the department, are on the protest. He said there are over 6,400 linesmen 7,900, who work tirelessly on meagre wages to ensure round-the-clock power supply in the city, yet the government is out to sack them on the pretext of transferring them. He said if the department wishes to sack the old staffers, it ...
Nicaragua expels UN human rights mission
The government of Nicaragua President Daniel Ortega today expelled the United Nations human rights mission to the Central American country, a local NGO group said. The move comes two days after the UN demanded urgent action and criticized the government over its heavy-handed response to anti-regime protests during months of turmoil in the country that have left more than 300 people dead, according to rights groups. "This inexplicable decision is untimely," said Vilma Nunez, president of Nicaraguan Center for Human Rights (CENIDH) in a press conference. "It reflects the spirit of someone who feels completely lost and can no longer hide his responsibilities and hide from the truth," she added in a clear reference to Ortega. The UN had denounced a wide range of serious violations, including disproportionate use of force by police, which in some cases resulted in extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, arbitrary detention and torture. "The violence and impunity of these past four
Minority sentiments hurt by ad carried by Pakistan daily
Advertisements for jobs usually bring excitement. But an advertisement for recruitment by the Pakistan Rangers has created furor in Pakistan. An advertisement carried by a leading daily recently drew flak for marginalising the minority communities in the country and reserving the lowest strata of jobs for them, which reflected the country's approach towards these communities.The Pakistan Rangers (Sindh) on August 26, 2018, issued advertisement in daily Dawn for several posts. However, it was the specifications mentioned against the vacancies of sweepers and sanitary workers that caught attention of the people more than others. The advertisement clearly specified that these jobs were for 'Non-Muslims' only.The advertisement has hurt the sentiments of the minorities in Pakistan who criticised the newspaper for carrying a racist and inhuman material. "The paper founded by Jinnah carries a racist and inhuman advert which says that the criteria for job of a sweeper/sanitary workers in ...
Two inmates of Bihar's Aasra shelter home go missing
A city-based shelter home for mentally challenged women which was in news recently for the death of two of its inmates has reported the missing of two more women from the facility, police said today. Aasra shelter home, situated in Rajeev Nagar police station area, had hit the headlines earlier this month when two of its inmates had fallen ill and were declared brought dead at the Patna Medical College and Hospital. "Two women, both in their early 30s, went missing yesterday. The shelter home authorities made a frantic search for a few hours before reporting the matter to the police," Rohan Kumar, SHO, Rajeev Nagar police station, said. "We are perusing the CCTV footage of the shelter home to get clues about the exact time when the two women had stepped out and other relevant details," he said. Manisha Dayal and Chirantan Kumar, who ran the NGO entrusted with running the shelter home, were arrested following an outcry against the death of the two inmates. The state Social Welfare .
'Crackdown' on human rights defenders 'grave challenge' to freedom to dissent: Amnesty
The "crackdown" on rights defenders in India in the last few months is a "grave challenge" to the freedom to dissent and "violates" constitutionally guaranteed human rights, the Amnesty International today alleged. "What is unfolding before our eyes is a pattern of crushing dissent by demonising and criminalising activists, lawyers and journalists working for some of the poorest and most marginalised communities in India," said Kumi Naidoo, Secretary General, of the global human rights body. "This raises huge questions over the government's commitment to protect basic liberties," he claimed. On August 28, the Maharashtra police arrested five activists -- human rights lawyer Sudha Bharadwaj, social activist Vernon Gonsalves, activists Gautam Navlakha and Arun Ferreira, and poet-journalist Varavara Rao -- from different locations across the country. Premises of other activists, including Anand Teltumbde and father Stan Swamy, were also "raided simultaneously". On August 29, a group of ..
SBI opens e-facilitation facility for army veterans in Bengal
Major General A.K. Sanyal, General Officer Commanding, Bengal Sub-area, on Friday inaugurated State Bank of India (SBI)'s e-facilitation and e-corner facility for Indian army veterans at the Army Complex near Fort William here.
China disputes UN report on Uighur discrimination
China on Friday took issue with a UN report that called on Beijing to release ethnic Uighurs detained "under the pretext" of counterterrorism, saying its findings had "no factual basis". Up to one million Uighurs and other Muslim minorities have been detained in internment camps in China's far western Xinjiang region, according to estimates cited by the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, which said it was "alarmed" by the reports of discrimination. "There is no official data on how many people are in long-term detention or who have been forced to spend varying periods in political 're-education camps' for even non-threatening expressions" of their Muslim faith, the committee's report said. But Beijing has hit back at the findings. "These comments... were based on so-called information that is yet to be verified and has no factual basis," Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said at a regular press briefing. Hua added that China was acting as ...
