Page 8 - Social Issues
New scheme to provide social security pension to farmers
The government has evolved a new scheme to provide social security pension of Rs 3,000 per month to farmers above the age of 60 years, the Rajya Sabha was informed Friday. Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said the government has approved a pension scheme for all small and marginal farmers (SMF), subject to certain exclusion clauses, with a view to provide social security net as they have minimal or no savings to provide for old age and to support them in the event of consequent loss of livelihood. "The scheme provides for payment of a minimum fixed pension of Rs 3,000 per month to eligible farmers on attaining the age of 60 years. It is a voluntary and contributory pension scheme, with entry age of 18 to 40 years. The beneficiary can opt to become member of the Scheme by subscribing to a Pension Fund, managed by the Life Insurance Corporation (LIC)," the minister said in a written reply. Citing an example on how the scheme works, he said the beneficiary is ...
Migrant children describe neglect at Texas border facility
A 2-year-old boy locked in detention wants to be held all the time. A few girls, ages 10 to 15, say they've been doing their best to feed and soothe the clingy toddler who was handed to them by a guard days ago. Lawyers warn that kids are taking care of kids, and there's inadequate food, water and sanitation for the 250 infants, children and teens at the Border Patrol station. The bleak portrait emerged Thursday after a legal team interviewed 60 children at the facility near El Paso that has become the latest place where attorneys say young migrants are describing neglect and mistreatment at the hands of the U.S. government. Data obtained by The Associated Press showed that on Wednesday there were three infants in the station, all with their teen mothers, along with a 1-year-old, two 2-year-olds and a 3-year-old. There are dozens more under 12. Fifteen have the flu, and 10 more are quarantined. Three girls told attorneys they were trying to take care of the 2-year-old boy, who had wet
Pak to revoke capital punishment for those extradited from other countries: Qureshi
Pakistan is taking steps to revoke capital punishment for those fugitives who will be extradited from other countries, a day after the UK refused to sign any "politically-motivated" extradition treaty with Islamabad, according to a media report. British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, during a joint news conference with his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi in London on Wednesday, declared that the UK would not sign politically-motivated extradition treaties with any country. Qureshi had assured Hunt that Pakistan would not misuse any such agreement, if signed. We are amending the Pakistan Penal Code to revoke the capital punishment for the accused, who will be brought back to the country under extradition treaties with other countries, Qureshi was quoted as saying by The Express Tribune on Thursday. Islamabad is seeking the extradition of several Pakistani nationals from the UK, including the founder of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and former finance minister Ishaq Dar .
Over 12,000 Maharashtra farmers committed suicide in 3 years: Govt
More than 12,000 farmers have committed suicide in Maharashtra between 2015 and 2018, the Legislative Assembly was informed Friday. Out of the total 12,021 farmer suicides during the three-year period, 6,888 cases were found to be eligible for government aid after scrutiny by district-level committees, Relief and Rehabilitation Minister Subhash Deshmukh told the House in a written reply. So far, family members of 6,845 farmers have been given financial assistance of Rs 1 lakh each, he said. Between January and March 2019, 610 farmers have committed suicide out of which 192 cases were eligible for financial assistance, the minister said. Of the 192 eligible cases, financial compensation has been given to the kin of 182 farmers, Deshmukh said. The remaining cases are being scrutinised to check their eligibility for compensation, he said.
Rs 9,000 cr earmarked to address issue of malnutrition
Over Rs 9,000 crore has been earmarked to address the issue of malnutrition in children, pregnant women and adolescent girls, the Lok Sabha was informed on Friday. Union minister for Women and Child Development Smriti Irani said the government had launched POSHAN Abhiyaan on December 18, 2017 for a three-year time frame commencing 2017 -18 with an overall budget of Rs 9,046 crore. "To ensure a holistic approach, all 36 states and union territories and districts have been covered. The goals of POSHAN Abhiyaan are to achieve improvement in nutritional status of children from 0-6 years, adolescent girls, pregnant women and lactating mothers in a time-bound manner during three years with fixed targets," she said during the Question Hour.
HC stays execution of 2 death row convicts till further orders
The Bombay High Court Friday stayed the execution of two death row convicts in the 2007 Pune BPO employee gang-rape and murder case till further orders. The two convicts -- Purushottam Borate and Pradeep Kokade -- were to be hanged to death at Pune's Yerwada prison on June 24. They were awarded the death penalty by a court in Pune for the rape and murder of a female BPO employee in 2007. The duo had last month moved the high court, seeking a stay on the execution of their death warrants on the ground there has been an "inordinate delay" in deciding on their mercy petitions by the Maharashtra governor and the president. They had also cited a delay in issuance of the warrants for execution of the death penalty, which they want to be commuted to life imprisonment. A division bench Friday was informed by the convicts' counsel, Yug Chaudhry, that the Centre has declined to hand over to them four documents pertaining to recommendations made by officers in the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) .
Govt asks banks, PSUs to review staff's service records to weed out corrupt, non-performing ones
The Centre has asked banks, PSUs and all its departments to review service records of employees working under them to weed out corrupt and non-performing ones. The Personnel Ministry has written to secretaries of all central government departments asking them to carry out the review of all categories of employees in "letter and spirit" and to ensure that decision to retire a public servant is not "arbitrary". "All ministries/departments are requested to undertake the periodic reviews in letter and spirit, including in public sector undertakings (PSUs)/banks and autonomous institutions, under their administrative control," it said. The ministries or departments should ensure that the prescribed procedure like forming of opinion to retire a government employee prematurely in public interest is strictly adhered to, and that the decision is not an arbitrary one, and is not based on collateral grounds, the Personnel Ministry said. All government organisations have been asked to furnish
Fresh triple talaq bill introduced in LS, opp members protest
The government on Friday introduced the fresh triple talaq bill in the Lok Sabha amid vehement protests by opposition members who claimed that it was violative of the Constitution. The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill 2019 became the first legislation to be tabled in Parliament by the Narendra Modi dispensation in its second term, with Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad asserting the legislation was a must for gender equality and justice. The bill was introduced following a division of votes, with 186 members supporting and 74 opposing it. "This is not a question of religion but about justice to women," Prasad said. Seeking to justify the need to bring in the legislation, Prasad said there were 543 cases of triple talaq reported in the country. After the Supreme Court judgement banning triple talaq practise, Prasad said more than 200 cases were reported. "This is a question of dignity of women and we are committed to (safeguard) it," he said. He said the
Triple Talaq bill tabled by the government in Lok Sabha amidst opposition from some quarters
The controversial Triple Talaq Bill was introduced on Friday in the Lok Sabha in the midst of stiff opposition from Opposition parties which are against criminalising the offence.The Opposition raised strong objections at the introduction itself. After a brief discussion, the motion for tabling the bill was put to vote. 156 members voted for introduction and 74 against.Speaker Om Birla then allowed Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad to introduce the bill. Earlier he put up a stiff defence of the government move saying the issue was not of religion but of women."The rights of Muslim women will be protected. It is about justice & empowerment of women," said Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad."People have chosen us to make laws. It is our work to make laws. Law is to give justice to the victims of Triple Talaq," he added.There was commotion in the House when the minister sought to introduce the bill. The Speaker had to intervene to let the Minister speak on the bill amidst the ...
My party supports what Quran says: SP's Azam Khan on Triple Talaq Bill
On being asked about his party's stand on the Triple Talaq Bill, Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan on Friday said that they support what is written in the Quran.On the day when the government tabled the Bill in Lok Sabha to ban the practice of instant triple talaq, the Samajwadi Party MP said, "Our stand is similar to what is written in the Quran.""No religion has given more rights to women than Islam. 1500 years ago, Islam was the first religion to have given the right of equality to women. Today, we witness the lowest divorce rate and the lowest cases of violence on women in Islam. Women are not burnt or killed", said Azam Khan, MP from Uttar Pradesh's Rampur Constituency."Triple Talaq is a religious issue, not a political issue and nothing is more supreme for a Muslim than Quran. On marriage, on divorce, for everything, the Quran has clear instructions and we follow it", he further added.The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2019 was included in the list of ...
Mumbai: 35-yr-old arrested for sexually assaulting a 4-yr-old
A 35-year-old constable was arrested on Thursday under The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POSCO) for allegedly sexually assaulting a four-year-old girl.The accused is identified as Sanjay Waghmare, who is a constable at Tardeo's local arms unit in Mumbai. The incident took place at Sanjay's residence on Monday.Police arrested Sanjay from Tardeo yesterday, later he was produced in Sewri court and sent to police remand till Monday.According to the information received from Gangadhar Sonawane, Senior Officer of Wadala Police Station, the incident took place on Monday afternoon when the child was all alone at her place and Sanjay invited her to his place by offering chocolate. Soon after that, the minor was sexually assaulted by the accused.Later in the evening, minor told her parents about the incident and her mother filed a complaint against Sanjay in Wadala Police station.Further investigation in the matter is underway.
Mexican airline offers one-dollar flights to returning migrants
A Mexican airline is offering one-dollar flights to undocumented migrants wishing to return to Costa Rica, El Salvador and Guatemala as the country struggles to curb arrivals from Central America. The Reuniting Families program, announced by Volaris on Thursday, aims to "to assist in the repatriation of migrants," the airline said on its Twitter account. The offer will run until June 30 and is open to Central Americans in an "irregular migration situation" who wish to depart from airports in Tijuana and Ciudad Juarez -- both close to the US border -- or Guadalajara and Mexico City. Passengers must be willing to board "the next available seat" in order to take advantage of the ultra-cheap fare, which does not include taxes. Mexico City's airport charges an airport use fee of $45 for international flights. Adult migrants must identify themselves with their unique identity document and minors must show a passport or birth certificate. A wave of Central American migrants has arrived in ..
Papua New Guinea migrant camp on fire as self-harm incidents rise
A camp in Papua New Guinea housing refugees and asylum seekers, sent there under Australia's harsh immigration policy, was on fire Friday after a man set himself alight amid growing despair among residents, advocates said. Hundreds of refugees and asylum seekers are held in processing camps on the remote islands of Nauru and Papua New Guinea after attempting to reach Australia by sea, with rights groups criticising the facilities' conditions. Refugee advocates said there has been a spike in self-harm and suicide attempts on Papua New Guinea's Manus Island, after the centre-left Labor opposition -- which they hoped would treat them more leniently -- failed to win power in May elections. Ian Rintoul from the Refugee Action Coalition said Friday the latest such incident involved a 31-year-old Indian man who set himself on fire, burning his face and hands. Photos released by Rintoul showed a shipping container at the camp on fire, with people attempting to put out the flames. Multiple ...
Trump courts the Hispanic vote: 'I love immigrants'
US President Donald Trump, who officially launched his campaign for re-election this week, pitched himself to Hispanic voters Thursday during an interview with the US Spanish-language network Telemundo. "I love immigrants," Trump said, when presenter Jose Diaz-Balart asked the president about his administration's policies on child separation, on the DACA program protecting people brought to the US illegally as children -- which the president ended -- and on his "zero-tolerance" border plans. "You mean illegal immigrants," Trump said. "Because I've been very good to immigrants." "This country is based on immigrants," he said, insisting he'd welcome even more to help fill the industrial jobs he says he's brought back to the US during his tenure. During the interview -- his first with a Spanish-language TV network -- Trump boasted of his popularity among Hispanics, claiming a 17-percent polling improvement among the group, and said his presidency has seen the lowest-ever rate of ...
NHRC issues notices to Centre, states over 'deplorable health infrastructure'
Taking suo moto cognizance of media reports on "deplorable public health infrastructure" in the country, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Thursday issued notices to central and state governments to submit a report on the deaths due to lack of medical facilities in the last three years."The commission has observed that a large number of deaths of the innocent people including women, children and elderly persons are taking place due to lack of proper medical care, infrastructure, manpower and due to administrative failure, across the country," a press release said.It said, "The commission has reminded the Central/state governments of their constitutional duty under Article 21 of the Constitution under which Right to Life is guaranteed. Quoting the Supreme Court of India, the commission has observed that right to live with human dignity is part of Right to Life. It is the primary duty of the state under Article 47 to raise the level of nutrition and standard of living of ...
NHRC notice to Centre, all states over 'deplorable' public health infra in country; to send teams
Expressing serious concern over the "deplorable public health infrastructure" in the country, the NHRC Thursday issued notices to the Centre and all states and Union Territories, underlining loss of lives in various parts of the country in recent times, including of over 100 children in Muzaffarpur. The National Human Rights Commission has also directed that teams comprising doctors on the panel of the NHRC, along with its officers, will visit hospitals, primary health centres and other health facilities in "vulnerable" states one by one, starting with Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab to conduct on-the-spot fact-finding investigation, officials said. "Expressing serious concern over deplorable public health infrastructure in the country, the National Human Rights Commission has today taken suo motu cognisance of a series of media reports about the loss of precious human lives in various parts of the country in recent times, due to deficiencies and inadequacies in the ...
Farmer suicides: widows to get land rights transferred
Aiming to empower the widows of farmers who have committed suicide, the Maharashtra government has decided to transfer land titles in their names. The Revenue and Forest department issued a government resolution (GR) in this regard Tuesday. The Maharashtra State Commission for Women (MSCW) had submitted a report to the government recommending measures to empower farmers' widows. The GR said that now onwards, the land title (including '7/12' extract or document) would be transferred in the woman's name if her husband, being a farmer, commits suicide. Such widows would also get priority in the distribution of other assets and monetary assistance will be given for the marriage of their daughters and for schooling of children. In December last year, MSCW chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar had written a letter to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and recommended about a dozen measures to empower farmers' widows. Before that, the commission had conducted camp-cum- seminars in Nagpur .
Force corrupt employees to take VRS: UP CM directs officials
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath Thursday directed officials to crack the whip on corrupt employees and give them voluntary retirement. Reviewing the work of the Secretariat Administration Department at Lok Bhavan here as part of his government's renewed effort to weed out corruption from the bureaucracy and ensure speedy development and effective implementation of welfare measures, Adityanath said there is no place for such officials and staff in the government, an official release said. Adityanath directed officers to prepare a list of corrupt employees and suggested they should be forced to take voluntary retirement, it said. He asked the officials to take firm action against the corrupt employees, stop their promotion process and give them voluntary retirement. He underlined the need to speed up the work of e-office system and directed officials to take appropriate actions on issues related to promotion, filing up the vacancies and retirement of the employees. Soon, a .
Youths of minority community beaten up in Assam's Barpeta, forced to shout 'Jai Shri Ram'
Complaints were filed against a little-known right-wing organisation on Thursday for allegedly assaulting a group of people from the minority community in Assam and forcing them to utter slogans 'Jai Shree Ram' and 'Pakistan Murdabad'. Two FIRs were filed against the right wing organisation and its founder by the All Assam Minority Students' Union (AAMSU) and the North-East Minorities Students' Union (NEMSU). According to the police, the Tuesday night incident came to light after a video of the purported attack and the forcible utterance of slogans went viral on social media. The complaints stated that a group of men claiming to be members of the right-wing group stopped an autorickshaw in Barpeta town and beat up the youth travelling in it. The victims, who were from a minority community, were then forced to utter slogans like 'Jai Shri Ram', 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' and 'Pakistan Murdabad'. Hurling abuses, the attackers themselves shot the video and uploaded it on social media. Congress
Call centre set up for grievance redressal of central government pensioners
A call centre has been set up for redressal of grievances of central government pensioners, a statement issued on Thursday by the Personnel Ministry said. After inaugurating the call centre, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said, "In addition to resolving grievances of the pensioners, it will help in value addition to the whole process, as the pensioners will gradually provide inputs and suggestions in the form of feedback that will help the government in the long run." He said the call centre will also act as pressure on the departments to resolve the problems of the pensioners. The integrated grievance cell and call centre for pensioners has been set up by the Department of Pension and Pensioners Welfare. "This is the department's one of the big announcements in the first 100 days of the government with an objective to make life easy for our pensioners," the Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions said. He said under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra ...