Page 413 - Social Issues
Left parties protest in Bihar against Muzaffarpur shelter home rapes
Leaders and workers of Left parties on Tuesday formed a human chain across the district headquarters in Bihar to protest against the Muzaffarpur shelter home rapes and the failure of the state government to maintain law and order.
Over 22,000 old age pension applications pending in HP
Over 22,000 old age pension applications were pending with the Himachal Pradesh government, minister Sarveen Chaudhary told the assembly today. Replying to a question asked by Ramesh Chand Dhawala, BJP MLA from Jawala Mukhi segment, during question-hour, Chaudhary said 40,359 old age pension applications were received following the Jai Ram Thakur government lowering the old age pension limit from 80 years to 70 years. In the absence of social justice minister Rajiv Saizal, Chaudhary informed the house that 17,981 new applicants had already started to get Rs 1,300 old age pension every month, while 22,378 applications were still pending. Congress MLA Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu enquired about the criterion which enabled 17,000-odd new applicants to get pension, while the rest of the applications were still pending. At this, Chaudhary stated that applications were received online and they were approved on a first-come, first-serve basis. Dissatisfied with Chaudhary's reply, Opposition Leader
Four migrants held on suspicion of people trafficking
Rome, Aug 28 (IANS/AKI) Italian Police in Sicily said they detained four people-trafficking suspects who were among 134 rescued migrants allowed off a Coast Guard ship at the port of Catania after being stranded aboard the vessel for 10 days amid a diplomatic standoff.
Happiness help elderly live longer: Study
Happy older people live longer, according to a study by researchers, including one of Indian-origin.
Malaysia Islamic court postpones caning of women for lesbian sex
A Malaysian Islamic court postponed the caning today of two women convicted of lesbian sex as activists hoped it would give them time to stop the punishment being carried out. The women, aged 22 and 32, were arrested in April by Islamic enforcement officers after they were found in a car in a public square in northern Terengganu state, one of the most conservative areas of the Muslim-majority country. They were brought before an Islamic court and admitted to breaking a sharia law that forbids sexual relations between women and sentenced to six strokes of the cane each and fined 3,300 ringgit ($800). The sentence was to be carried out Tuesday but Terengganu Sharia Court chief registrar Wan Abdul Malik Wan Sidek told AFP it had been moved to September 3 for "technical reasons". He did not give details but The Star newspaper quoted another court official as saying that since a few agencies would be involved in carrying out the sentence, technical issues needed to be resolved first. Both .
Farmer commits suicide in UP's Shamli district
A 32-year-old farmer allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself in Uttar Pradesh's Shamli district, police said today. The reason behind him taking the extreme step is not yet known. The deceased was identified as Amit Kumar, they said. He was found hanging from a ceiling hook of a room near his field last evening, police said. The matter is being probed.
Be who you wish Weinstein could've been: McGowan to Argento
Actress-activist Rose McGowan, in a statement following sexual assault allegations waged against Asia Argento, said her friendship with Argento will not prevent her from advocating for victims.
Canada's Freeland to travel to Washington tomorrow for NAFTA talks: spokesman
Canada's Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland will travel to Washington tomorrow to continue efforts to rewrite the North American Free Trade Agreement, a spokesman said today. Freeland's announcement comes an hour after the US and Mexico announced an agreement to modernize the 25-year-old agreement free trade pact after a year of fraught negotiations. "As we have said all along, progress between Mexico and the United States is a necessary requirement for any renewed NAFTA agreement," Freeland's spokesman Adam Austen said. But he said Ottawa would "only sign a new NAFTA that is good for Canada and good for the middle class. Canada's signature is required.
85 per cent rural families to benefit from Ayushman Bharat: Minister
Around 85 per cent rural families and 60 per cent urban families have been identified by the government that will benefit from the Ayushman Bharat -- National Health Protection Scheme -- said Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare J.P. Nadda on Monday.
Ayushman Bharat to cover Rs 5 lakh per family per year: JP Nadda
Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare Jagat Prakash Nadda on Monday said that Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) scheme will cover Rs. 5 lakh per family per year and that there will be no cap on the size of the family.Nadda gave a presentation on the salient features of the scheme and outlined how it would bring health services closer to the vulnerable and poor at affordable prices.He also asserted that the Ministry of Health And Family Welfare along with National Health Agency is working hard for last few months to ensure that this program is realized in best possible manner.While giving details about this noteworthy health scheme of central government, Nadda said, "AB-PMJAY is going to cover 5 lakh per family/per year and approximately 10.74 crore poor and vulnerable families are there which are entitled in the Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC) data. There is no cap on the size of the family. States will be given the flexibility to decide on the mode .
BJP-TMC clash over rumour leaves 6 injured
At least six persons were injured in a clash between activists of the TMC and the opposition BJP today over a rumour that an MLA of the ruling party was injured when a rally was attacked with stones, police said. Eleven persons were detained in connection with the clash that occurred in Belari gram panchayat (GP) area of the district. Trinamool Congress (TMC) workers brought out a procession after forming the board at Dhandali GP and the party's Howrah Rural district president Pulak Roy, an MLA, took part in it, police said. BJP workers allegedly pelted stones at the rally and a rumour quickly spread that Roy was injured in stone throwing. Roy himself, however, confirmed that he was not attacked. Meanwhile, the rumour spread to the neighbouring Belari GP where the BJP had won majority of the seats. In protest against the 'attack' on the MLA, TMC workers put up a road blockade at Belari and local BJP activists also organised a rally denying the allegation. The two sides ..
China may scrap two-child limit: Report
China appears poised to scrap its two-child policy, with a state-run newspaper today citing a draft civil code that would overhaul decades of controversial family-planning rules. The wide-ranging code would end a policy that has been enforced through fines but was also notorious for cases of forced abortions and sterilisation in the world's most populous country. The Procuratorate Daily said the draft code omits any reference to "family planning" -- the current policy which limits couples to having no more than two children. The report did not indicate whether the new policy would raise the limit or allow an unlimited number of children. The draft civil code, which is being discussed by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress this week, is set to be completed by 2020. The Communist Party began enforcing a one-child policy in 1979 to slow population growth. The limit was raised to two children in 2016 as the nation scrambled to rejuvenate its greying population of ...
Vatican rolls back on pope's remarks on psychiatric help for gay children
The Vatican today rolled back on Pope Francis' recommendation that parents seek psychiatric help for children who show homosexual tendencies. The pope made the comments to journalists as he was flying back to Rome from Ireland, but the Vatican later removed his phrase from its official account, saying he had not meant to suggest that homosexuality was a mental illness. Francis was asked by a journalist what he would say to parents who observe homosexual traits in their children. "When it shows itself from childhood, there is a lot that can be done through psychiatry, to see how things are. It is something else if it shows itself after 20 years," he said. The pope added that ignoring a child who showed homosexual tendencies was an "error of fatherhood or motherhood". However, when the Vatican later published the pope's answer, the reference to psychiatry had been removed. When asked why, a Vatican spokeswoman told AFP it had been done in order to not "change the thoughts of the Holy ..
SC opens doors for students with disability of low vision to pursue MBBS course
In a significant order, the Supreme Court has allowed a person suffering from 'low vision', a disability in which the eyesight cannot be corrected or improved, to pursue the MBBS course and treat patients. The top court allowed a student to pursue MBBS on the ground that he has cleared the 2018 National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET-UG) in the category of Persons with Disability. A bench of Justices Arun Mishra and Indira Banerjee held that the petitioner "cannot be denied admission to the MBBS course if he qualifies as per his merit in the category of Persons with Disability. In the event, the petitioner is found to be entitled to admission, he shall be given admission in the current academic year 2018-19". In a related development on September 24 last year, the top court, in a landmark move, had opened the doors for colour-blind students to pursue MBBS course by ordering admission of two such candidates, who had scored high marks in the entrance examination. Last week, in the .
Second marriage not void during pendency of appeal against divorce: SC
The Supreme Court has held that the second marriage of a person during the pendency of an appeal against a divorce decree would not be void in cases where the parties have decided not to pursue the appeal. A bench of Justices S A Bobde and L N Rao, while interpreting section 15 of the Hindu Marriage Act dealing with the issue of marriage by divorced persons, said the restriction placed on second marriage till the dismissal of an appeal would not apply in cases were the parties have arrived at a settlement and decided not to go ahead with the appeal. "Following the principles of purposive construction, we are of the opinion that the restriction placed on a second marriage in Section 15 of the Act till the dismissal of an appeal would not apply to a case where parties have settled and decided not to pursue the appeal," the bench said. Section 15 of the Act states that it shall be lawful for either party to marry again after dissolution of a marriage if there was no right of appeal ...
Odisha minister asks shelter homes to install CCTVs
In the wake of two recent cases of sexual abuse in the shelter homes of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, the Odisha government has asked all organisations running such facilities to install CCTVs on the premises to ensure safety and security of girls. The government plans to conduct meetings with the heads of all child care institutions in the state to discuss the security measures adopted by them, Odisha Women and Child Development Minister Prafulla Samal said today on the sidelines of a three-day sensitization workshop here. "All women and child care institutes have been asked to ensure complete security of their inmates by installing CCTVs at the entrance and disallowing entry of unknown people. Emergency numbers like 181 and 1098 should be pasted or painted on the walls of shelter homes," Samal told reporters. The owners and heads of almost all child care institutes across 30 districts of the state took part in the three-day workshop here to discuss standards of care, ...
China plans law against sexual harassment
China is planning new legislation which would ban sexual harassment and make employers responsible for preventing it, state media reported today. A wide-ranging draft civil code is set to be completed by 2020. It would then go to a vote at the rubber-stamp legislature, the National People's Congress (NPC). The proposed regulations would ban sexual harassment and include a definition of what constitutes an offence, the official Xinhua news agency said. There is currently no legal definition of sexual harassment in China and no national regulations on how to handle such cases in schools and workplaces. Employers would have to "take reasonable measures" to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace and handle complaints appropriately, Xinhua reported. China has seen a growing #MeToo movement in recent months as various high-profile individuals face allegations of sexual misconduct. They include the former head of the government-run Buddhist association, who is under investigation for ..
J'Khand HC quashes ban on PFI
The Jharkhand High Court on Monday quashed the ban imposed on Popular Front of India (PFI) by the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government in the state.The court observed that the Jharkhand government did not follow the procedures to ban the organisation. Hence, the ban and the case filed against it has been quashed.Advocate A Allam told ANI, " No incriminating material was found that calls for a ban. No anti-social or anti-national activities were found. The PFI has registration in Society Registration Act. The organisation works for social issues."In February, the Jharkhand Government banned the PFI for spreading anarchy in the state. The action was taken after the Law department gave its consent on the proposal of the Home Department.The PFI was banned under Section 16 of the Criminal Law Amendment Act, 1908.
Divorces on rise among educated couples in Bangladesh: Official data
There has been a growth of divorce rate among couples having higher educational background in Bangladesh in the past seven years, according to an official data. The divorce rate is highest in the southwestern coastal Barisal region, while it is lowest in the northeastern and northwestern Sylhet and Chittagong, considered as conservative parts in the country, Bangladesh's Bureau of Statistics (BBS) figures suggested. The divorce rate shot up to 34 per cent nationwide in the last seven years, it said, adding that the incidents of such estrangements were more prominent among couples having higher educational backgrounds. Officials of Dhaka City Corporation, which register divorces, also said well educated, professional and wealthy women are comparatively filing more divorce suits. "Increased awareness and maladjustments are prompting couples to severe their relationships," reported Prothom Alo newspaper, which analysed the BBS statistics. According to rights activist Rasheda K Chowhdury,
Domestic cricketers will be paid directly: Vinod Rai
Committee of Administrators (CoA) chairman Vinod Rai on Monday announced that the domestic cricketers will now be paid directly without any role of the state associations in the matter.Addressing a press conference here, Rai further claimed that all the pension-related issues of the former cricketers have been taken care of and that they are now more or less settled."We are paying the domestic players directly to make sure that they get paid in a due course of time. There is no question of going through the state association or anything like that. Issues regarding pensions of former cricketers have all been taken care of and they are more or less settled," he said.Speaking on the Ranji status of the state teams, the CoA member confirmed that the domestic teams of Uttarakhand and Pondicherry would be participating in the upcoming season of the Ranji Trophy."In the interest of cricketers of Uttarakhand, a consensus committee has been constituted. We have ensured that Uttarakhand will ...
