Page 8 - Social Issues
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 ...
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 ...