Page 9 - Social Issues
Balance rights of convicts, victim family: Maharashtra to HC
The Maharashtra government Thursday opposed in the Bombay High Court petitions of two death row prisoners seeking a stay on their execution and said the HC has to keep a balance between the rights of convicts, the victim's family and collective conscience of the society. It sought dismissal of the petitions filed by the two convicts - Purushottam Borate and Pradeep Kokade - awarded the death penalty for the rape and murder of a BPO employee in Pune in 2007. They had approached the HC last month, seeking a stay on execution of their death penalty scheduled for June 24. The petitions have claimed the "inordinate delay" in executing them violated their fundamental rights and urged the HC to commute their death sentence to life imprisonment. "Excessive and unexplained delay of over four years (1,509 days) in execution of the sentence of death causes unnecessary and unavoidable pain, suffering and mental torment that constitutes cruel and unusual punishment violative of Article 21 (right ..
Dabholkar murder case: Court sends Punalekar to CBI custody till June 23
A local court Thursday granted custody of lawyer Sanjeev Punalekar to the CBI till June 23 after the agency said there was a possibility of Goa headquarters of right-wing outfit Sanatan Sanstha having a connection with the murder of anti-superstition activist Narendra Dabholkar. The central agency also said it was trying to ascertain the identity of one 'Sadguru' mentioned in a letter written by Punalekar. Special CBI judge R M Pande granted Punalekar's custody to the investigation agency. Punalekar, who had represented some of the other accused in the case, was in CBI custody after his arrest, but was later sent to judicial custody. Special public prosecutor Prakash Suryawanshi said Punalekar needed to be questioned about documents and information recovered from his laptop. "It includes an incriminating letter from Punalekar mentioning the court proceedings of Nalasopara explosives (seizure) case, passing some observations about the judge," he said. "The same letter also mentions ...
NHRC notice to Centre, all states over 'deplorable' public health infra in country
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 ...
Max Life Insurance launches customizable 'Max Life Smart Term Plan'
Max Life Insurance Co Ltd ('Max Life'/'Company'), one of country's leading life insurance companies, today announced the launch of its customizable 'Max Life Smart Term Plan', that will offer customers the flexibility to customize their own protection solution by selecting from a wide range of benefits and features.Under the Max Life Smart Term Plan, comprehensive benefits like options of choosing from multiple premium payment term (Single payment, payment for limited term of 5,10,12,15 years.Pay till 60 and the standard regular mode of premium payment) to suit every budget, 'Life Stage Add-on Sum Assured Benefit' for major life's milestones like marriage, child birth or home loan, seven distinct death benefit options, accelerated critical illness benefit, and 'Premium Back' option, and most importantly the longer life cover till 85 years will enable greater personalization at price suiting the their budgets. The plan also provides additional protection via add-on riders."Term ...
NRC will be implemented on prioroty basis in areas affected by infiltration : President
Maintaining that illegal infiltrators pose a major threat to internal security, President Ram Nath Kovind on Thursday said the Centre has decided to implement the process of 'National Register of Citizens' (NRC) on a priority basis in areas affected by infiltration."Illegal infiltrators pose a major threat to our internal security. This is leading to a social imbalance in many parts of the country, as well as putting huge pressure on limited livelihood opportunities."My Government has decided to implement the process of 'National Register of Citizens' on priority basis in areas affected by infiltration. Security along the border will be further strengthened to prevent infiltration," he said in his address to the joint sitting of Parliament.Kovind asserted that the government is committed to protecting the victims of religious persecution for which necessary efforts will be made to amend the Citizenship Act."While on the one hand, the Government is working to identify the infiltrators,
Madras HC directive to Centre on citizenship plea of Lankan refugees
The Madras High Court Thursday directed the Centre to pass appropriate orders within 16 weeks on a petition filed by 65 Sri Lankan Tamils, residing in a refugee camp in Tiruchirapalli district for the past 35 years, seeking grant of citizenship. Disposing of the petition by the refugees of Kottapattu camp, who had arrived in the state in 1983 from the island nation after the ethnic strife intensified, Justice G R Swaminathan said they have amply demonstrated that they had the intention to make India their permanent home. He also likened their situation to the Hindu mythological concept of "Thirsangu Sorgam" (stuck and unable to make progress either way). Describing the living condition in such camps as "hellish", the judge said even the posting of an IPS officer in Mandapam refugee camp is considered a punishment. Asking them to stay in the refugee camp for a long time was also a violation of human rights, he noted. "Keeping them under surveillance and severely restricted condition ...
Angelina Jolie speaks about pain of refugees
Today on World Refugee Day, Hollywood actor Angelina Jolie has shared her thoughts on ways to help refugees around the world and improve their lives.According to People, the 44-year-old actor wrote an essay titled 'What We Owe Refugees' for TIME magazine in which she highlighted the difference between a refugee and a migrant."Why then has the word refugee acquired such negative connotations in our times?" Jolie wrote. "Why are politicians being elected on promises to shut borders and turn back refugees?""Today the distinction between refugees and migrants has been blurred and politicized," she wrote. "Refugees have been forced to flee their country because of persecution, war or violence. Migrants have chosen to move, mainly to improve their lives."She said, "Some leaders deliberately use the terms refugee and migrant interchangeably, using hostile rhetoric that whips up fear against all outsiders.""Everyone deserves dignity and fair treatment, but we need to be clear about the ...
Four traffickers in Hungary migrant truck deaths jailed for life
Four human traffickers involved in the gruesome deaths of 71 migrants in a truck abandoned on an Austrian highway in 2015 were jailed for life Thursday, in a case that sparked international revulsion. Prosecutors at an appeal court in Szeged, 160 kilometres south of the Hungarian capital Budapest, successfully argued that the initial 25-year jail terms delivered last June were too lenient. The victims -- from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan -- were among hundreds of thousands of desperate people fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East and elsewhere in 2015, triggering Europe's worst migrant crisis since World War II. Hungary took over the proceedings from Vienna after it emerged that the migrants had suffocated on Hungarian soil. The sentences of gang ringleader Afghan national Samsoor Lahoo and two Bulgarian accomplices, including the truck's driver, were increased to life without parole. A fourth man, also Bulgarian, was also given a life sentence and must serve a minimum term of 30 .
Govt to push campaign against black money at faster pace: President
The government has taken steps to curb generation of black money in the real estate sector to benefit the middle class, and will further speed up its campaign against ill-gotten wealth as part of its commitment to a 'zero tolerance policy' against corruption, President Ram Nath Kovind. The initiatives of the government to check black money include cancellation of registration of 3.50 lakh suspicious companies and signing of automatic financial information exchange agreements with various countries, Kovind said in his customary address to the joint sitting of the two houses of Parliament. "My government will make the zero tolerance policy against corruption more comprehensive and effective. The mission to eliminate corruption from public life and government services will be implemented with greater zeal.... "The campaign against black money will be taken forward at a faster pace. During the last two years, 4 lakh 25 thousand company directors have been disqualified and the registration
Eradication of 'Triple Talaq' and 'Nikah-Halala' imperative for ensuring women equality: Kovind
President Ram Nath Kovind Thursday said eradication of social evils like 'Triple Talaq' and 'Nikah-Halala' is imperative for ensuring equal rights for women in the country. In his address to both the houses of the Parliament in the Central Hall, Kovind urged all the members to cooperate in these efforts to make the lives of women "better and dignified". "To secure equal rights for every sister and daughter in the country, eradication of social evils like 'Triple Talaq' and 'Nikah-Halala' is imperative," Kovind said in his customary address after formation of the 17th Lok Sabha. Under instant 'triple talaq', a Muslim man can divorce his wife by uttering 'talaq' three times in one go. 'Nikah halala' requires a divorced woman to marry and consummate the marriage with another man before she can return to her first husband. The Supreme Court has ruled instant 'triple talaq' as unconstitutional following which the previous government introduced a bill to make it a criminal offence. But the .
In Lebanon, Syrian refugees face new pressure to go home
Lebanese authorities are making their most aggressive campaign yet for Syrian refugees to return home and are taking action to ensure they can't put down roots. Mirroring the rise of anti-migrant sentiment in Europe and around the world, some in Lebanon say that after eight years of war in neighboring Syria they have had enough of the burden of the highest concentration of refugees per capital in the world 1 million amid a Lebanese population of nearly 5 million especially at a time when they are facing austerity measures and a weakened economy. Anti-refugee sentiment in Lebanon has waxed and waned in the past. It's been persistent but limited among a public torn by conflicting feelings resentment over past domination by Syria and worry over the refugees' impact on their country's delicate sectarian balance, but also sympathy for the refugees amid memories of their own displacement during Lebanon's long civil war. But this time a rising star in the country's politics has latched ...
MPs should work in a way that people are inspired: Prez
President Ram Nath Kovind Thursday advised parliamentarians to accord priority to their duties as public representatives so that people are inspired to discharge their duties as citizens. In his address to the joint sitting of both houses of Parliament in the historic Central Hall, Kovind also urged all MPs to dedicate themselves to the task of building a 'New India' and to discharge duties with utmost sincerity over the next five years. "My advice to all MPs is that you should always remember the fundamental mantra of Gandhiji. He had said that every decision of ours should be guided by its impact on the poorest and the weakest person in the society," he said in his customary address after the formation of the 17th Lok Sabha. The president said all parliamentarians will have to accord priority to their duties as public representatives and as citizens of the country. "Only then will we be able to inspire countrymen to discharge their duties as citizens," he said. Kovind .
'People gave mandate to continue India's development journey'
The people of India have given a mandate to continue with the country's development journey that started in 2014, President Ram Nath Kovind said Thursday. In his address to the joint sitting of both houses of Parliament in the historic Central Hall, he said government is moving ahead to create a strong, secure and inclusive India. In his customary address after formation of the 17th Lok Sabha, the President also said that government has started a pension scheme to help farmers and small traders live a life of dignity. Congratulating the Election Commission and crores of officials and security personnel involved in holding the general elections, he pointed out that over 61 crore people voted in the Lok Sabha polls, creating a record. He said women came out in large numbers to exercise their franchise. He said a record 78 women have been elected as members of the Lok Sabha -- the highest ever and almost half of the elected members are first timers. "In this election, the ...
'Dear White People' season 3 premiere date announced
The third season of satirical series "Dear White People" is set to start streaming from August 2, Netflix has announced. The streaming service timed the news in celebration of Juneteenth, which commemorates the June 19, 1865 abolition of slavery in Texas, reported Deadline. Based on Justin Simien's acclaimed debut indie feature, the show is set against the backdrop of a predominantly white Ivy League university where racial tensions simmer below the surface. It revolves around a group of Winchester University's students of colour as they deal with a diverse landscape of social injustice, cultural bias, political correctness and activism in the millennial age. The cast includes Antoinette Robertson, DeRon Horton, John Patrick Amedori, Ashley Blaine Featherson, Marque Richardson, Logan Browning and Brandon P Bell.
Mexico ratifies new trade deal with US, Canada
Mexico ratified the new North American trade agreement Wednesday, making the country the first to give it final approval despite recent tension with the US. The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) passed in the Mexican Senate with 114 votes in favor and just four against, sending what the economy ministry called "a clear message in favor of an open economy and deepening economic integration in the region." There was little doubt the new deal would pass easily in Mexico: the one it aims to replace, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), has helped turn the country into an exporting powerhouse over the past 25 years. Opening debate in the upper house, Senator Veronica Martinez, secretary of the economic committee, called the deal "an important agreement for all Mexicans." "Our economy has been transformed" by regional free trade, she said. The three countries signed the agreement on November 30 after a year of thorny negotiations triggered by US President Donald ...
NSUI to pay fees of kids of slain soldiers, farmers seeking admission in DU
The National Students' Union of India (NSUI) Wednesday announced it will pay the fees of Delhi University aspirants who are children of slain security personnel and farmers who committed suicide. The Congress-backed students' body made the announcement on the occasion of party president Rahul Gandhi's birthday. The NSUI wants to help the children from families of slain Army and security personnel. For this, it wants to pay one year's fees for the children from these families who are going to take admission in the Delhi University this year, it said. The NSUI will also be paying the fees of those who come from the families of farmers who committed suicide due to non-payment of loans to banks, it added. Students will have to register themselves on 'nnsuifordu@gmail.com', following which the national committee will verify their claims and serve the children from the aforementioned families,the NSUI said.
Bihar encephalitis deaths: Protesters in Delhi demand resignation of CM, health min
Protesters gathered outside the Bihar Bhawan here Wednesday demanded the resignation of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and the state's health minister Mangal Pandey over the death of more than 100 children due to acute encephalitis syndrome (AES) in the state. Fresh deaths due to AES were reported in the state's Muzaffarpur district, taking the total number of casualties to 113. The deaths took place at the Shri Krishna Medical College and Hospital (SKMCH), where 20 fresh cases were brought since Tuesday night. Torab Niazi, National Youth General Secretary of Jan Adhikar Party that organised the protest demanded that Rs 25 lakh pe given to the families of the deceased children. "Nitish Kumar and Bihar health minister Mangal Pandey should step down. We are holding protest here because in Bihar, they have imposed section 144," he said. The Opposition in Bihar is quite and not asking any questions about the death of innocent children, he added. Earlier this week, Kumar had visited ...
Two die of fever in Coimbatore, Mettupalayam
A 21-year-old woman has died of suspected brain fever here, while a migrant worker succumbed to a mystery fever near here, sources said Wednesday. Ramya, an IT professional, had been suffering from the fever for the last few days and admitted to a private hospital. As there was no improvement in her condition, she was admitted to the government hospital on June 15 and doctors suspected the brain fever as the reason for the illness. They provided treatment, but she died Tuesday night, the sources said. When contacted, a senior health department official said this could be an isolated case. Meanwhile, a 40-year-old migrant worker from Bihar died of a mysterious fever in the nearby government hospital, Mettupalayam, early Wednesday. Umesh had been suffering from fever for the last three days and undergoing treatment. However, the fever continued and he died without responding to treatment, sources from the hospital said.
Validation of cyclone hit Bhubaneswar city vendors begins
A month-and-a-half after the cyclone Fani battered Odisha, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) Wednesday started validating a list of the city's street vendors affected by the calamity in order to provide each of them an assistance of Rs 10,000, officials said. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had announced last month that about 30,000 street vendors in 11 urban local bodies of the state will get a cash assistance of Rs 10,000 each. The process for verifying the list of street vendors has started in BMC areas and it may take five-six days, the officials said adding that it will be held in other 10 urban local bodies later. The capital city has an estimated 21,483 street vendors - 2,440 mobile vendors, 1,276 peripatetic vendors and 17,767 stationary vendors - and this list is being verified, officials said. They said the assistance of Rs 10,000 will be given to Fani-affected vendors through direct benefit transfer (DBT) mode. The validation is being carried out in ..
Nippon Paint launches employment opportunity program for people with special needs
Keeping in line with its tradition of transforming the lives of underprivileged and special-needs children, Nippon Paint - Asia's No. 1 paint brand in terms of revenues, has launched SAHYOG - a program that aims at creating employment opportunities for people with special needs.Over the next few days, students with Autism Spectrum Disorder from PORDAC NGO (Protection of the Rights of Differently Abled Children) will join as Trainee Interns in the coveted Paint division of Nippon Paint. They will be given specific training on painting Nippon Paint's special-edition products.Delhi-based Thamjit Mayengbam, a differently-abled child with Down Syndrome, today started interning in the Delhi facility (Okhla) of Nippon Paint India.Nippon Paint has always made strides towards becoming a true community brand that engages with society and creates significant opportunities for the whole eco system and larger community. In order to provide dignified employment opportunities to the specially-abled .