Page 415 - Social Issues
Khalistan supporters protest against Rahul in London
A group of Khalistan supporters on Saturday staged a protest against Congress president Rahul Gandhi here.Rahul was to address his last public meeting in the UK in Ruislip in West London when the protestors bypassed the security and attempted to disrupt the event.Donning all black ensembles, the group raised slogans 'Khalistan zindabad' at the venue. After a scuffle, the local police soon escorted them out of the venue.They reportedly protested against Rahul's remark that Congress was not involved in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
Pope hears the wounds of Ireland's abused, and vows to speak
Pope Francis visited a famous shrine today in Ireland and was to celebrate a Mass dedicated to families after an emotional meeting with Irish victims of clerical sex abuse and those wrenched away from their mothers in forced adoptions demanded by Catholic authorities. Francis arrived Sunday in Knock, the Marian shrine in northwestern Ireland, where he prayed and blessed thousands of jubilant Irish faithful, who gathered in raincoats under clouds. Yesterday, the first day of his visit, Francis spent 90 minutes meeting with victims of clerical and institutional abuse, including two people who were forcibly given up for adoption as newborns because their mothers weren't married. They are some of the thousands of Irish children taken from their mothers who were then forced to go live and work in laundries and other workhouses for "fallen women." One of them, Clodagh Malone, said Francis was "shocked" at what they told him and "he listened to each and every one of us with respect and ...
Eight detained for unlawful activities in Rajouri
Eight persons allegedly involved in unlawful activities, including drug trafficking, were today taken into preventive custody in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir, a senior police officer said. While five persons were detained from Budhal, three others were taken into preventive custody from Kandi belt on the orders issued by executive magistrates after police stations concerned submitted dossiers against them, Senior Superintendent of Police, Rajouri, Yougal Manhas said.
Raksha Bandhan: Children tie Rakhi to PM Modi, Pres Kovind
On the occasion of Raksha Bandhan, women and children on Sunday across various walks of life tied Rakhis to the wrist of President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.Earlier, both the President and Prime Minister took to their respective Twitter handles to greet the nation on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan.President Ram Nath Kovind sent his warm greetings, saying, "I wish all the countrymen on the occasion Raksha Bandhan. I hope the festival would strengthen the feeling of brotherhood amongst us and would inspire us to become a society where women, especially girls are safe and their dignity is respected- President Kovind.""Wish every citizen of India on the holy occasion of Raksha Bandhan. Greetings on Raksha Bandhan," the Prime Minister conveyed his Raksha Bandhan greetings.
Chitrangada to make a biopic on disabled swimmer?
Chitrangada Singh, who turned producer with "Soorma", is all set to back yet another inspiring story of a sports personality. Through "Soorma", she brought the heartwarming story of hockey player and former captain of the Indian national team, Sandeep Singh, who was accidentally hit by a gun shot in a train in 2006, on the big screen. According to sources, Chitrangada, 41, is exploring a film based on the life of a disabled swimmer. "She is intrigued by the a story of disabled sports lady who has done so much for the country. She is a swimmer who hails from the South. We are in talks. Biopics do take time as you have to take permission and all" a source close to the development told PTI. Talking about the trend of biopics, Chitrangada had earlier told PTI, "I am totally in favour of biopics. True stories must be told to the people. If you tell it well, it does work." She was last seen in Sanjay Dutt starrer "Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster 3". Her next release is "Bazaar" that features Saif ..
Builders wary of title insurance fearing cost escalation
Even as the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act makes it mandatory for developers to take title insurance, builders are hesitant to adopt it, saying it may further add to financial burden, say experts. A title insurance is a form of indemnity insurance that protects investment in real estate and provides coverage against financial loss arising from title defects and other irregularities pertaining to property acquisition. Section 16 of the Rera Act necessitates developers to adopt title insurance, however, it will be mandatory after the regulator of each state notifies it. Currently not a single state regulator has mandated it, while MahaRera has indicated it would soon issue a notification in this regard. "The Indian real estate market has been grappling with lack of transparency for decades, which has resulted in unclear titles, leading to disputes. Title insurance will help improve transparency, bring mutual value for developers and buyers connected through .
No rehab, only jail term for drug addicts in Punjab, reveals study
Courts in Punjab are sending drug addicts to prisons and not de-addiction centres, though the law provides for such rehabilitation of persons indulging in substance abuse, according to a study by a think tank. The study was unveiled here in the presence of former union law minister Salman Khurshid, former Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court Justice Mukul Mudgal and former Additional Solicitor General K V Vishwanathan, who were of the view that sending drug addicts to prison instead of rehabilitation would result in turning them into traffickers. They stressed that drug peddlers ought to be targeted rather than the addicts. The report prepared by the think tank -- Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy -- stated that despite provisions in the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act allowing people caught with drugs to be sent to de-addiction centres for rehabilitation, the courts in Punjab were sending them to jail. Sections 39 and 64A of the NDPS Act state that people .
Maha moots 2-tier model to implement schemes to check
Facing flak from the opposition over deaths of several tribal children in Maharashtra due to malnutrition, the state government has mooted a two-tier model for the implementation of its schemes for them. The government is adopting best practices to reduce the malnutrition cases and this has shown tremendous results, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis told PTI. Under the two-tier model, there will be a steering committee headed by the chief minister. Besides, another programme implementation committee led by the chief secretary will monitor the implementation of schemes of various departments, an official in the tribal development department said. He said the Maharashtra government has taken cue from a similar model of tribal development in Gujarat, where a steering committee headed by the chief minister takes review of the implementation of various schemes every six months. To overcome the problem of lack of coordination between various departments and ego clashes among ...
PM to launch FAME India II on Sept 7
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch here on September 7 the second phase of the FAME India scheme offering incentives for mass adoption of electric vehicles with an outlay of Rs 5,500 crore, officials said. The modalities of the scheme have been finalised by an inter-ministerial panel and it will soon be placed before the union Cabinet for approval, sources said, adding that the prime minister would unveil the scheme at the inaugural session of the 'MOVE' -- a global mobility summit to be organised here on September 7-8 -- in the presence of several global CEOs from the automotive sector. In April, the government had extended the phase 1 of the FAME India scheme by six months till September-end or till its second phase is approved. The first phase of the scheme was initially proposed for two years till March 31, 2017 but was extended twice for six months up to March 31, 2018. The second phase of the scheme spanning five years will offer subsidy to all categories of electric ...
Children battle hunger, isolation and verbal abuse at Bihar's adoption institutions: TISS
Trapped in a world of silence, some children living in Bihar's Specialised Adoption Agencies don't speak at all because they have no one to talk to, reveals a TISS report that details instances of hunger, isolation and verbal abuse at the state-run institutions. Specialised Adoption Agencies (SAAs) are homes established by the government to house abandoned, surrendered and missing children in the 0-6 age group. In its audit of 21 SAAs in 20 Bihar districts, the Tata Institute of Social Sciences found some children as old as three years were not speaking at all because there was no trained staff and also because they had no one to speak to. These institutions have 70 per cent girls. The TISS report, which led to an expose of rampant sexual abuse at shelter homes in Bihar, also lists the various forms of punishment for the young children, some who are orphans, some who are runaways and others who may have been abandoned by their families. "Acts such as locking the child in the bathroom,
Worried over prolonged illness youth commits suicide in UP
A 27-year-old man allegedly committed suicide in Shamli district as he was worried over his prolonged illness, police said today The youth's body was found hanging from a tree last evening, they said, adding his family members claimed that he was worried as he was suffering from an illness for a long period of time. In another incident of suspected suicide, a class 11 student was found hanging from the ceiling of his room in Muzaffarnagar district, police said. The body has been sent for post-mortem and police are trying to ascertain why he took the extreme step.
Italy migrant row: Interior minister under investigation
Sicilian prosecutors are investigating Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini over his refusal to allow migrants off a coastguard vessel.
Pope meets eight abuse victims in Ireland
Pope Francis has met eight Irish victims of abuse committed by the clergy, on the first day of his historic trip to Dublin, where he is to participate in the IX World Meeting of Families.
Prosecutors open inquiry into Italy's interior minister over migrants
Prosecutors in Sicily have opened an inquiry into Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini for "illegal confinement, illegal arrest and abuse of power" in connection with Rome's refusal to allow a group of migrants to disembark from a coastguard ship, media reports have said. Rome has blocked more than 100 migrants from stepping off the Diciotti vessel, which docked at the port of Catania in Sicily on Monday night, leaving them stranded as Italy pushes for other EU nations to take them in.
Prosecutors open inquiry into Italy's interior minister over migrants
Prosecutors in Sicily have opened an inquiry into Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini for "illegal confinement, illegal arrest and abuse of power" in connection with Rome's refusal to allow a group of migrants to disembark from a coastguard ship, media reports have said. Rome has blocked more than 100 migrants from stepping off the Diciotti vessel, which docked at the port of Catania in Sicily on Monday night, leaving them stranded as Italy pushes for other EU nations to take them in.
Prosecutors open inquiry into Italy's interior minister over migrants
Prosecutors in Sicily have opened an inquiry into Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini for "illegal confinement, illegal arrest and abuse of power" in connection with Rome's refusal to allow a group of migrants to disembark from a coastguard ship, media reports have said. Rome has blocked more than 100 migrants from stepping off the Diciotti vessel, which docked at the port of Catania in Sicily on Monday night, leaving them stranded as Italy pushes for other EU nations to take them in.
Pope Francis meets Irish abuse victims, expresses 'shame'
Pope Francis today met with eight Irish abuse victims after expressing "pain and shame" over the "failure" of Catholic Church authorities to deal with the abuses, the Vatican said. "Pope Francis met today evening for an hour and a half with eight survivors of clerical, religious and institutional abuse," Vatican spokesman Greg Burke said in a statement. The eight included a victim of Catholic priest Tony Walsh, who abused hundreds of children over a period of nearly two decades before he was finally cast out of the priesthood and imprisoned. Burke said the victim "preferred to remain anonymous". Marie Collins, who was abused by a priest when she was being treated in hospital at the age of 13, was also among the eight. Collins last year resigned from a Vatican commission on child protection set up by the pope over its failure to take action. Others present at the meeting with the pontiff included Fr Patrick McCafferty, who suffered abuse while training for the priesthood in the 1980s, .
Minorities must not be in awe of majority in terms of number: Amartya Sen
Nobel laureate economist Amartya Sen on Saturday said the minorities and the liberal forces in India, who oppose the divisive politics of the present day, need to be more vocal and assertive.
Bru refugees repatriation fails to take off on day one
Not a single Bru refugee returned to Mizoram on the first day today of the final repatriation exercise from the six relief camps in North Tripura, officials said. A senior home department official of Mizoram government said that the state government machinery was waiting to conduct the repatriation, but none of the 32,000-odd refugees from the transit camps in Kanchanpur sub-division of North Tripura turned up to return home. He said that the state government would go ahead with the repatriation schedule between August 25 and September 25 even if no one was ready to be repatriated. The schedule has been drawn up by the Centre and the governments of Tripura and Mizoram. Sub-Divisional Police Officer (Kanchanpur) Kiran Kumar said the repatriation could not take off today because no one turned up. "Officials from local administration of Tripura and Mizoram government waited for refugees with arrangement for repatriation, but they did not come," Kumar told PTI. Mizoram Bru Displaced ...
Shelter-home case: Court rejects anticipatory bail of ex-minister, husband
A Bihar court on Saturday rejected the anticipatory bail of former Bihar Social Welfare Minister Manju Verma and her husband relating to an FIR registered by the CBI against them under Arms Act. Both are likely to be arrested soon, police said.
