Page 407 - Social Issues
Work on Census 2021 on, will collect OBC data
Work has started on India's 2021 Census and for the first time data will be collected on Other Backward Class (OBC), the government announced on Friday.
China dismisses UN panel's calls to free Uyghur Muslims from camps
China today dismissed the UN human rights panel's allegations of confinement of large number of Uyghur Muslims in indoctrination camps in the volatile Xinjiang province, saying they are based on unverified information. The UN's Geneva-based Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination said yesterday it was alarmed by "numerous reports of ethnic Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities" being detained in Xinjiang region and called for their immediate release. Estimates about them "range from tens of thousands to upwards of a million," it had said. Asked for her reaction, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said China has informed the committee of China's practices and policies to eliminate discrimination and racial discrimination. The review by this committee acknowledged and recognised China's progress and also spoke positively of China's relevant policies, she said. "You mentioned that during the review there were some negative comments on the situation in ...
Youth Insight: informing policy on health, gender and well-being by The YP Foundation
The YP Foundation has organised a two day conclave for 170 young people from 17 states to engage with policymakers and other relevant stakeholders on issues of adolescent health, gender and well-being.The event was culminated in the instituting and inauguration of a national youth-led policy working group on adolescent health.The panelists include Dr. Ajay Khera, Public Health Specialist and Deputy Commissioner at Ministry of Health & Family Welfare Government of India, Dr. Gautam Kr Singh (State Program Officer, Adolescent Health, Dept of Health and Family Welfare, Govt. of Delhi), Dr. Saroj Bala Yadav, Head of Education in Social Sciences and Humanities, NCERT, Dr. Jaya J (Program Specialist, Adolescent and Youth, UNFPA India), Dr. Aparajita Gogoi, Executive Director, Centre for Catalyzing Change, Shailendra Sharma, Principal Advisor, Directorate of Education, and Govt. of Delhi.The conclave brought together youth, government, technical agencies and civil society stakeholders on
Maneka asks Adityanath for central facility in Lucknow to house women, children
Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi today urged Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to collaborate to build a large central facility in Lucknow for women and children in a bid to prevent Muzaffarpur-like incidents. Noting that it was "impossible" to monitor every shelter home, Gandhi said ensuring safety of children and women at such centres would be better. She was speaking at the inauguration of Krishna Kurtis, a 1000-bed facility for widows in Vrindavan. Gandhi asked Adityanath who was also present there to allocate land to the ministry so they can build a similar central facility for women and children together in Lucknow. "We don't want incidences like Muzaffarpur to reoccur and for that I urge Adityanath to kindly allocate the ministry land in Lucknow to build a similar central large facility for women and children," she said. The Uttar Pradesh chief minister, in his response, assured Gandhi that the state will allocate land to the ministry in Lucknow as .
Census 2021 will collect data on OBCs
Census 2021 will for the first time collect data on Other Backwards Castes, the Home Ministry said today. Census 2021 will be finalisedin three years after conducting the census instead of seven to eight years now, a home ministry spokesperson said. "It is also envisaged to collect data on OBCs for the first time," he added. The disclosure came after Home Minister Rajnath Singh reviewed the preparation for the Census 2021. The minister discussed the road map for undertaking the census in 2021. It was emphasised that improvements in design and technological interventions be made to ensure that the data is finalised within three years of the census being conducted. At present, it takes seven to eight years to release the complete data. Nearly 25 lakh enumerators are trained and engaged for the gigantic exercise. Accurate collection of data will be ensured in Census 2021, an official said. The use of maps and geo-referencing at the time of house listing is also under consideration. The ..
HC bats for scientific study to end Maha malnutrition deaths
The Bombay High Court today asked the Maharashtra government if any expert agency has conducted a scientific study in Melghat region of Vidarbha and other tribal areas of the state to tackle the issue of malnutrition deaths and illnesses. A division bench headed by Justice A S Oka was hearing a bunch of Public Interest Litigations (PILs) highlighting the rise in malnutrition deaths and illnesses among those living in the tribal belt of the state especially Melghat region. The bench today sought to know from additional government pleader Neha Bhide if any overall study was carried out in the concerned areas to understand the problem and come out with suggestions. "We need an independent scientific study to be carried out by an expert agency. Institutions like the IIT or TISS could be appointed and their expert team could visit the places and understand the issue - health and nutrition wise - and suggest what could be done," Justice Oka said. One of the petitioners, Purnima Upadhyay, ...
Man ends life after killing wife & two minor daughters
A 32-year-old man has allegedly committed suicide after strangulating his wife and two minor daughters to death in Aurangabad district of Maharashtra, police said today. The incident took lace late last night in Phulambri town, police said. "The man, Krishna Deore, killed his wife Sukanya and two daughters- Suvarna (6 years) and Hindavi (4 years)- over some domestic issue," Superintendent of Police (Aurangabad Rural), Aarti Singh, said. After killing them, Deore hanged himself from the ceiling fan at his residence, she said. "The exact motive behind the murders and his suicide is not yet known. An offence has been registered at Wadod Bajar police station and a probe is on," she said.
China ignores UN concerns over detention camps in Xinjinag
China on Friday ignored the UN's grave concerns over the mass detention of Uighur Muslims in its restive Xinjiang province and said these reports were yet to be verified.
Governments must not forget human drama of migration: Italy
Vienna, Aug 31 (IANS/AKI) Nations should never fail to recall the personal drama affecting migrants who leave their homelands, Italy's Foreign Minister Enzo Moavero Milanesi has said.
Law panel brings out consultation paper on common code; avoids comprehensive report
On the day its term comes to an end, the Law Commission issued a consultation paper today on personal laws, which discusses introduction of new grounds for 'no fault' divorce, changes to provisions on alimony and maintenance, and uncertainty and inequality in age of consent for marriage. Instead of a full-fledged report on a uniform civil code, the law panel preferred a consultation paper as it had little time at hand to bring out a comprehensive report. Panel chairman Justice B S Chauhan (retd) had earlier said instead of recommending a uniform code, the commission might suggest "piecemeal" changes in personal laws. Now, it will be up to the 22nd Law Commission to bring out a final report on the controversial issue which has generated a heated debate in the recent past. The Law Ministry had on June 17, 2016 asked the panel to "examine matters in relation to uniform civil code". "The issue of uniform civil code is vast, and its potential repercussions, untested in India. Therefore, ...
DMs to probe cases of child deaths in child-care institutions within 4 weeks: NCPCR
District magistrates would need to complete probe in cases of child deaths inside a child-care institution (CCI) within four weeks, according to new guidelines issued by the NCPCR. Stuti Kacker, the Chairperson of National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), said the guidelines have been formed in collaboration with the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). "There was no procedure of what should be done in case of runaway children or death of a children or their sexual assault and something needs to be there for the children who are living in these child-care institutions," Kacker said. "The law is quiet on the role of CCIs to address issues such as escape, runaway or sexual abuse of children living in the institutions. These guidelines would fix this too," she said. There is a provision under the Juvenile Justice Act to conduct a probe into instances of death of children but the guidelines aim to establish a timeframe, the NCPCR chairperson said. The post-mortem of .
Mamata remembers martyrs of 'Khadya Andolan'
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today remembered the martyrs of the 1959 'Khadya Andolan' and said her government was providing food security to almost 90 per cent of the states population through the 'Khadya Sathi' scheme. "Remembering the martyrs of 1959 Khadya Andolan. In Bangla, we provide food security to 90% (8.59 crore) of the state's people through the Khadya Sathi scheme under which food grains at Rs 2 per kilogramme or half the market rate are provided to the beneficiaries," Banerjee wrote on her Twitter handle. West Bengal witnessed a mass movement in the late 1958 by the then undivided CPI and other left groups protesting against the food crisis. The movement for food (Khadya Andolon) reached its peak in August 1959. On this day the same year, several demonstrators, including farmers and women, were killed in police firing during a protest rally on the issue. Banerjee said that special assistance was also being given to the people of once ...
El Salvador: 3 kids separated in US were abused at shelters
Three minors from El Salvador separated from their parents after crossing the US border were sexually abused in shelters in Arizona, Salvadoran officials have said. Liduvina Magarin, deputy foreign relations minister for Salvadorans overseas, said authorities had received reports of the abuse of the children ages 12 to 17 by workers at unnamed shelters. "They are sexual violations, sexual abuses, that is what this is about," Magarin told journalists yesterday. She added that the Salvadoran government is making lawyers available to the families, and it will be up to them to decide how to proceed. The revelations come as the Trump administration has been facing heavy criticism over its slow pace in reuniting separated families. Most have been reunited, but hundreds remain apart. Magarin said her government is pressuring the United States to begin reunification of the children with their families. "May they leave the shelters as soon as possible, because it is there that they are the ...
Bihar: Two women from Aasra Shelter Home absconding
Patna police on Thursday confirmed that two women from the Aasra 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 this month, when two girls staying there were brought dead to the Patna Medical College and Hospital (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.The shelter home added fuel to the growing cases of atrocities at shelter homes across the country, with cases of alleged sexual abuse and ill-treatment coming out of Muzzafarpur in Bihar, Deoria in Uttar Pradesh and Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh.
US priest abuse victims demand transparency from Vatican
US groups representing survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic priests have called on the Vatican to publish a list of clerics accused of sexual assault. The calls came after Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, a former Vatican envoy to Washington, dropped an 11-page bombshell letter on Saturday accusing Pope Francis of ignoring sexual abuse allegations against prominent US cardinal Theodore McCarrick. The 88-year-old former archbishop of Washington -- one of the most senior Catholic leaders to face abuse allegations -- resigned as cardinal in late July even as he denied the charges. The Vatican dossier on McCarrick contains "underlying facts concerning Pope Francis and two other popes, Benedict and John Paul" that shows they covered up clerical sexual abuse, said Peter Isley with the group Ending Clergy Abuse (ECA). The information "is in the pope's file, let's see it," he said at a press conference outside the Vatican's embassy in Washington. Vigano's accusation brought to light a bitter ..
Microsoft wants US suppliers to offer paid parental leave
Microsoft on Thursday said that it will begin requiring US suppliers to offer employees at least 12 weeks of parental leave when they have or adopt children. The new policy applies to suppliers with 50 or more employees and workers who do substantial work for the US technology giant, according to Microsoft general counsel Dev Stahlkopf. "We recognize today's announcement comes during an ongoing national dialogue about the importance of paid parental leave," Stahlkopf said in an online post. "The case for paid parental leave is clear." Three years ago, Microsoft began requiring major suppliers to provide paid time off for workers, and parental leave was described as a reasonable next step. "Paid time off is good both for employers and employees," Stahlkopf said. Only 13 per cent of US workers in the private sector have access to paid parental leave, according data cited by Microsoft.
No citizen to be subjected to injustice: Ram Madhav on NRC
BJP General Secretary Ram Madhav said today that not even a single citizen will be subjected to injustice in the matter of NRC in Assam and that the persons concerned have ample opportunities to prove their citizenship. This effort is not being done with any vindictiveness against anybody, to trouble any communal group, he claimed. "We are ready to take tough decisions for security of Assam and national security But, not a single citizen will be subjected to any injustice," he said. The aggrieved persons have the option of going to tribunal and high court, he said, delivering the Janamanchi Gourishankar Memorial Lecture on 'Divisive Politics or Decisive Politics: NRC in the context of National Security' organised by the ABVP here tonight. Noting that the effort is not against anybody, he said the infiltrators are being identified in a most scientific way. The necessary steps would be taken on what to do about illegal migrants once the list is finalised, he said. Bangladesh does not ...
Bengal minority forum demands immediate withdrawal of Assam NRC
A West Bengal-based minority organisation on Thursday took out a rally in the city protesting against the publication of National Register of Citizens in Assam, accusing the BJP government in that state of deliberately excluding the name of Muslims from the draft.
Govt should cease politically motivated arrests and harassment of activists: HRW and Amnesty
The government should cease politically motivated arrests and harassment of human rights activists and other actions aimed at stalling peaceful dissent, the Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International India said in a joint statement today. The Maharashtra police had on Tuesday arrested Left-wing activists Varavara Rao, Vernon Gonsalves, Arun Ferreira, Sudha Bharadwaj and Gautam Navlakha, and raided the homes of several others as part of their probe into the 'Elgar Parishad' conclave in Koregaon-Bhima village near Pune on December 31 last year. The conclave had triggered violence between Dalits and upper caste Peshwas. Others whose premises were reportedly searched this week were Father Stan Swamy, Susan Abraham, Kranthi Tekula and Anand Teltumbde. "The latest arrests of human rights activists show the government's widening assault on free speech to create an atmosphere of fear across India," Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia director at Human Rights Watch, was quoted as saying in the ...
Raids on activists highlight lack of police accountability: CHRI
Calling the raids on Left-wing activists by police "disturbing", NGO Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative today said the incident highlights a lack of accountability in the police force. The Maharashtra police arrested Left-wing activists Varavara Rao, Vernon Gonsalves, Arun Ferreira, Sudha Bharadwaj and Gautam Navlakha, and raided the homes of several others as part of their probe into the 'Elgar Parishad' conclave in Koregaon-Bhima village near Pune on December 31 last year. The conclave had triggered violence between Dalits and upper caste Peshwas. Others whose premises were reportedly searched this week were Father Stan Swamy, Susan Abraham, Kranthi Tekula and Anand Teltumbde. The Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative has issued a statement, calling the raids "disturbing". The statement has been signed by CHRI members and former Chief Information Commissioner of India Wajahat Habibullah, former Delhi High Court Chief Justice AP Shah and former Secretary Vineeta Rai among ...
