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1. Now, Bihar govt to give free land to landless urban SC/ST families
Patna: In yet another important decision to woo Mahadalits, the Jitan Ram Manjhi government has decided to give free land to urban scheduled caste and scheduled tribe families to build homes. The state government has already been giving three decimal land to scheduled caste and scheduled tribe families across the state. The Bihar Cabinet on Wednesday decided to give free land up to 30 square metre land to a landless SC/ST family on lease for 30 years. Cabinet secretariat principal secretary B Pradhan said: "Land plots to be given to urban landless Dalit families will be purchased on circle or government rate. Land categories meant to given to urban Dalit on lease for 30 years will be khas mahal, kaiser-e-hind and gair majarua (land types)." The lease can be renewed after 30 years. The decision assumes political significance with Manjhi trying to further consolidate his position as a Dalit leader. Former CM Nitish Kumar had started the scheme to give three decimal land to Mahadalits but it had several loopholes such as wrong identification of beneficiaries. (Indian Express 19/12/14)
2. Dalit Women Major Victims of Abuse: NGO (2)
MADURAI: Claiming that there has been a rise in the number of women from oppressed communities being subjected to sexual harassment, A Kathir, executive director of Evidence, a Madurai-based NGO working for securing Dalit rights, said 58 per cent of the victims were Dalits. Addressing a meet to discuss the 'Social, Economic and Political Condition of Dalit Women in the State', Kathir called for new policies to empower Dalit women. "A total of 677 rape cases were registered by the police in 2011, where the victims were Dalits. The numbers touched 736 in 2012. This year, till November, as many as 923 cases have been booked," said Kathir. Referring to another disturbing trend, Kathir said, "Many rape cases against Dalit women go unregistered every year. Of the registered cases, over 2,000 were still pending in courts," he said, adding that over 7.5 lakh cases in relation to various atrocities were pending. "Dalits are discriminated not only by upper caste people, but also by the pillars of democracy. Though there are rules to prosecute those tormenting Dalits, implementation leaves a lot to be desired for. Even judiciary has failed to provide justice to the victims and they are forced to run from pillar to post to get themselves heard," he said. Recounting her harrowing tale, Muthulakshmi, a Dalit woman from Tirunelveli, said she had been waging a lone battle to save her land from falling into the hands of the caste Hindu oppressors. "We have approached the police several times seeking help, but our pleas have fallen on deaf ears. They did not act against the caste Hindu group, which beat up my family members. It was only after Evidence took up our issue that we got some respite," she said. Mayakkal, another Dalit woman from Kodaikanal, said that caste Hindus had grabbed a half-acre tract of land from her. "Though I have been fighting the case legally, the police have not come to help us." (New Indian Express 21/12/14)
3. Dalit panchayat president discriminated by non-dalits (2)
SIVAGANGA: A case was registered against five people for allegedly removing the name of a dalit panchayat president from a temple board because they did not want it to appear alongside theirs. M Chinniah, a member of the dalit community, is the panchayat president of Manelmelpatti panchayat, close to the town of Thirupathur. The villagers had decided to construct an annex building for the Anthara Natchiamman temple, to function as a treasury. Donations were collected and a notice board was printed to engrave the names of the donors who contributed more than Rs 5,000. The board, it was said, would be installed on the wall of the temple to honour their contribution. According to M Kandasamy, district secretary of CPM, Chinniah donated Rs 11,101, almost twice the amount specified to get the donor's name engraved on the board. He was an affluent person, and owned earthmovers and a brick kiln, Kandasamy said. Initially, the villagers kept their word and engraved his name on the board, but many non-dalits were reportedly dissatisfied with the move. They approached him on December 4 and told him that they did not want his name displayed along with theirs, and apparently asked him to have it removed. After he refused, they allegedly erased his name from the board using a machine. The space where the name has been scraped off is visible on the granite plate. Chinniah lodged a complaint with the Kannavarayanpatti police, but no FIR was filed. Following this, he approached the Madurai bench of Madras high court and obtained a direction to police to file an FIR. An FIR was filed against five people from the village, identified as Saminathan, Kalaivanan, K Ramasamy, a second Ramasamy and Palanikumar under Sections 157, 427 and 294(b) of IPC and Section 3(1)(c) of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Kandasamy demanded that those responsible for the act be arrested, since the person they were trying to humiliate was the president of the panchayat. A Dalit panchayat president in Sivaganga district has been humiliated by his fellow villagers who have forcefully removed his name from granite sign board, because they did not want their names to appear beside a dalit on a coveted sign board in the temple premises. M Chinniah a dalit is the panchayat president of Manelmelpatti panchayat which is very close to the town of Thirupathur in Sivaganga district. The villagers had decided to construct an annex building for the Anthara Natchiamman temple, which was to function as the treasury of the temple. They had collected donations, and a notice printed for this purpose said that those who donated more than Rs 5000 towards the cause would have their names engraved in the granite slab that was to be installed on the wall of the temple, as an honour for their contribution. According to CPM Sivaganga district secretary M Kandasamy, Chinniah who is a quite affluent in the sense that he own's some JCP machines and also a brick kiln had come forward to donate, Rs 11,101, which was almost twice the amount specified for receiving the honour of having your name engraved on the wall. Initially, the villagers kept their word and engraved his name on the name plate, but many non dalits were dissatisfied with it. Many of them had approached him the on Dec 4, this year and told him that they did not want to have his name displayed along with theirs and told him politely that they were going to have it removed. Chinniah had lodged a complaint with the Kannavarayanpatti police, but no FIR was filed. Following which he approached the Madurai bench of the Madras High Court and obtained a direction to the police to file and FIR. An FIR was filed against five persons from the village including Saminathan, Kalaivanan, K Ramasamy, another Ramasamy and Palanikumar under Sections 147, 427 and 294(b) of IPC and Sect 3(1)(C) of the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act. However, his name has been erased from the name plate using a machine and is conspicuous. Kandasamy says that steps should be taken to arrest those responsible for this act, because the person who they are trying to humiliate is the president of the panchayat. (Times of Inda 24/12/14)
4. On Xmas, 60 Dalit Christians rejoin Hinduism (2)
KOTTAYAM: Over 60 Dalit Christians joined Hinduism at a 'Ghar Vapsi' programme organised by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad on Thursday, Christmas Day. VHP seva pramukh Mr. Prakash said the initiative, taken out with the participation of the Arya Samaj, was held in two places, one at Puthiyakavu Devi Temple at Ponkunnam where 46 people from 21 families rejoined Hinduism. The second one was at Sreekrishna Swamy Temple, Thirunakkara, where 17 persons from 11 families converted to Hinduism. All of them were converted Christians from the Dalit segment, mostly from Cheramar and Sambavar communities, Mr. Prakash said. The ceremony at Kottayam commenced at 9.30 a.m. under the supervision of priests from Arya Samaj and VHP. Another 18 families had expressed interest in rejoining Hinduism and the process would continue, Mr. Prakash said. He said the converts had approached the VHP voluntarily. "Many of them were recently converted to Christianity and were dissatisfied with the new system. So far, people of their original faith had made no move to welcome them back. We opened a door and they felt they were welcome," he added. "Most of those who rejoined Hinduism were common people who were influenced either by social or financial inducements by those who tried to convert them to Christianity. We have to take care of such needs of these people," he said. (The Hindu 27/12/14)
5. Dalit family murder: Court directs bank account of victim's kin to be frozen (2)
Pune: In yet another turn in the triple murder of a Dalit family in Maharashtra's Ahmednagar district, a local court on Monday directed the bank account of the Jadhav family to be sealed. The district and sessions court also directed the police custody of one of the accused, Dilip Jadhav, to be extended till January 1, 2015. The court has directed that the 'goodwill cash' flowing into the Jadhavs' bank account in the form of sympathy as well as legal aid be probed by the police. The amount given by the State, individual politicians and organizations in a spirit of commiseration has accreted in excess of Rs.1 crore.
"The court wants details of the usage of this money probed as it may yield important clues towards strengthening the investigation's conclusions," said Inspector General of Police (Nashik Range), Pravin Salunkhe, speaking to The Hindu. The protracted, three-month investigation into the high-profile crime ended with a sensational denouement after the district police nabbed the complainant, Prashant Jadhav, in connection with killings, while stating that the crime was not caste-motivated. The police later apprehended Prashant's brother, Ashok and his father, Dilip Jadhav, in connection with the crime which they believe was a family dispute. The money was specifically given to help Sanjay's traumatized parents, Jagannath (75) and Sakharbai (70), to cope with the crisis. Along with several other activists, the parents refuse to believe the police's version of events and had staged a rally earlier this month in Mumbai to register strong protests. According to them, the police have allegedly fabricated the sequence of events to deflect attention from the crime being a caste-atrocity. Their son, Dilip and their grandchildren, Ashok and Prashant, have been falsely taken into custody, they allege. It was Prashant who had filed the first information report (FIR) on October 22 soon after the murder of his uncle, Sanjay Jadhav (42), his aunt Jayashree (38) and his cousin, the teenaged Sunil (19), came to light. Dilip Jadhav is the deceased Sanjay's older brother. The dismembered bodies of Sanjay and Jayashree were found strewn on their farm plot by their relatives the village of Javkhede-Khalasa in Pathardi Taluk. The discovery of Sunil's decapitated body, which was found scattered along with other body parts, led to an upsurge of popular anger across the State, with Dalit groups and several prominent activists alleging the murders to be a clear example of an 'honour killing.' (The Hindu 30/12/14)
6. Adivasis Celebrate in Front of Secretariat (6)
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM : The Adivasi struggle and perseverance of 163 days seeking land and other rights culminated triumphantly on Thursday after the state conceded to the demands of the tribes of Wayanad. Adivasi youth, social activists and even IFFK delegates danced to the tunes of tribal folk songs on the road in front of the Secretariat. President of Adivasi Gothra Maha Sabha (AGMS) C K Janu confirmed that the Cabinet had approved all the eight demands tribal folk. The demands included implementation of PESA Act, 1996, withdrawal of criminal cases against participants of the Muthanga agitation and their rehabilitation. The jubilant tribes collectively said that it was their non-violent protest and perseverance that had seen results. It was an overwhelming scene as even tourists from abroad and passersby joined the celebrating Adivasis, who brought the state government, which had been ignoring the demands of the tribes brutally repressed by the police in 2003 in Muthanga, to its knees. Adivasi folk paid obeisance to their Gods once they received the copy of Cabinet minutes which agreed to the demands put forward by them. Various religious heads also visited the protest tent of the Adivasis to share their happiness and to congratulate them on the victory of their revolutionary 'standing stir.' (New Indian Express 19/12/14)
7. Rs 5 Crore Package for Tribal Development in Thondernad (6)
KALPETTA: Minister for Welfare of Scheduled Tribes P K Jayalakshmi has announced a special package as part of a coordinated action plan for the sustainable development of tribal colonies in the Thondernad panchayat in the district. The Minister said the special welfare package was being introduced to prevent extremists from cashing in on the backwardness of the tribal belts.The State government has sanctioned a sum of `5 crore for the scheme aimed at the socio-economic development of tribal communities in the region where frequent sighting of suspected cadre of the Communist Party of India (Maoist) was reported in the recent past, she said here on Sunday. The plan was approved at the meeting of the state-level working group chaired by Principal Secretary, Department of Scheduled Tribes Development, Subrata Biswas, she said, adding that the implementation of the project was expected to be completed by March 31, 2015. The proposal, to be implemented under the Additional Tribal Sub-Plan, would directly benefit over 200 tribal families in the panchayat. The forest cover constitutes 56 per cent of the total geographical area of the panchayat with a total tribal population 4,374. The Minister said the special `5-crore package, which was in addition to the various ongoing tribal welfare projects, would be implemented in the 15 wards of the panchayat. The project would cover colonies of Kombara, Churuli, Maradi, Perinjerimala, Pannipadu, Chappayil-Mundayil, Karinkal Ittiladiyil, Kattiyeri, Kattimoola, Karkottil, Mattilayam and Arimala, said the Minister. Basic infrastructure such as roads, bridges, sub-ways, housing and drinking water facilities, electrification, toilets, trenches and electric fencing would be ensured under the special scheme. Special attention would be paid to skill-development and training programmes. In a bid to encourage entrepreneurship, the Tribal Department will promote micro-level enterprises in poultry, dairying, goat rearing and allied agricultural activities apart from distribution of sewing machines to tribal women. Community halls would also be established across the panchayat under the project which would be need-based and area-specific to suit people, the said. The Puthusseri Alakkal colony in the panchayat would be brought under the Scheduled Tribes Department's Hamlet Development Project. The `1-crore project would benefit as many as 60 tribal families in the colony. Moreover, the Kunhome colony would be developed into a model tribal settlement, she added. (New Indian Express 22/12/14)
8. Bodos Kill 65 in Assam, Three Die in Police Firing (6)
GUWAHATI: Three people were killed in Assam Wednesday when police fired at thousands of angry adivasis who took to the streets, a day after Bodo militants massacred 65 unarmed tribals. Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi told the media that 37 tribals were killed in Sonitpur, 25 in Kokrajhar and three in Chirang districts as the Bodos went on a killing spree late Tuesday. Those slaughtered include 21 women and 18 children. Gogoi said curfew had been imposed in the affected areas and he had briefed both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Rajnath Singh about the situation. "The central government has taken the matter seriously, and we are going to deal with the militants firmly," he said. "We are not going to surrender to them. We cannot allow these forces to continue." Modi expressed grief over the killings, and announced Wednesday ex-gratia of Rs.2 lakh each to families of the dead and Rs.50,000 to the seriously injured. The Prime Minister's Office said Rs.86 lakh will be released to the Assam government. Rajnath Singh is set to visit Assam Wednesday evening. He will be accompanied by Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju and they are likely to visit the areas hit by the violence. Rijiju said: "It is very unfortunate this kind of violence has taken place… If we have to develop the northeast, peace must prevail." Both Modi and Rajnath Singh telephoned Gogoi Tuesday night and promised all help to deal with the situation. The killings have been blamed on the anti-talk faction of the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB). The attacks in all three districts began around 6.15 p.m. Tuesday, almost simultaneously. On Wednesday, three people were killed in police firing after thousands of adivasis who took out a procession at Dhekiajuli in Sonitpur district indulged in violence. "The army and paramilitary forces have been assisting the police in handling the situation," Gogoi said. He said the central government had promised to send 55 companies of paramilitary forces. Twenty companies were likely to reach Assam Wednesday evening. The NDFB faction opposed to peace talks had warned it would retaliate after Assam Police launched an operation against them, particularly in the area bordering Bhutan. The police Sunday killed two Bodo militants and seized arms and ammunition from them. Gogoi said: "The NDFB militants have targeted innocent people as they wanted a soft target to retaliate. "It is barbaric and inhuman. They have killed minor children. There cannot be any justification for such killings." He urged the electronic media not to show graphic images of the dead and wounded. Officials said additional forces had been sent to the affected areas. Curfew has been imposed in parts of the three districts. "Our first priority will be to restore peace. We will take all measures to ensure there is no escalation in the violence," the chief minister said. Tension has gripped the three districts, where scores of people have fled their homes and taken shelter in safer places fearing further attacks by the militants. The Assam government has announced ex gratia of Rs.5 lakh to families of the dead and Rs.50,000 to those injured in the violence. (New Indian Express 24/12/14)
9. Adivasis flee to West Bengal (6)
Kolkata: Hundreds of Adivasis from Assam have taken shelter in Alipurduar district of West Bengal to escape the violence in Kokrajhar and other adjoining districts of the neighbouring State. Additional Superintendent of Police Akash Megharia told The Hindu on Thursday that Adivasis, particularly Santhals, had arrived at three-four places in the district, and necessary arrangements had been made for their stay. Most of the people were housed in a community hall under the Changmari gram panchayat. Some had sought refuge in Haldibari and Bithibari. The people, carrying their essentials, had come primarily from Kokrajhar district. Mr. Megharia said that along with the State police, one company of Central Reserve Security Forces had been deployed in the area to ensure security. Expressing her anguish over the killings, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on a social networking site: "Many Adivasi families have started coming to our State for shelter. We have made necessary arrangements to help them and we will continue to do so." Alipurduar district, which borders Assam, witnessed a similar influx in August and September 2012 when violence between two communities was reported in the districts of lower Assam. (The Hindu 26/12/14)
10. Raghuvar Das assumes office as CM (6)
Patna: The Bharatiya Janata Party leader Raghuvar Das was sworn in as Chief Minister of Jharkhand in Ranchi on Sunday. Three BJP MLAs and one of the All-Jharkhand Students' Union were sworn in as Ministers. Governor Syed Ahmed administered the oath of office to them. Mr. Das is the first Chief Minister of the State from outside a tribal community. Neelkanth Munda, C.P. Singh and Louis Marandi from the BJP and Chandraprakash Chaudhury from the AJSU are the new Ministers. More Ministers are likely to be appointed as, by law, the 81-member Jharkhand Assembly allows a 12-strong Cabinet. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah could not attend the swearing-in as dense fog in Delhi upset their travel plans. Union Ministers Venkaiah Naidu and Radha Mohan Singh; Union Ministers of State Sudarshan Bhagat and Jayant Sinha; and Raman Singh and Devendra Fadnavis, Chief Ministers of Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra, attended the function. The former Chief Minister of Jharkhand, Hemant Soren, was present. The 14-year-old State of Jharkhand has a coalition government with an absolute majority for the first time, with the BJP securing 37 seats and the AJSU bagging five in the Assembly election. Nine governments have ruled the State, and President's Rule was imposed thrice. After the swearing-in, Mr. Das went to the Karmatoli locality of Ranchi and wielded a broom to initiate the Swachh Bharat campaign in the State. He later attended a meeting with top officials in the Secretariat. The appointment of Mr. Chaudhury, 45, as Minister has raised eyebrows as he faced corruption charges while he was a member of the Madhu Koda Cabinet from September 2006 to August 2008. In August 2010, the Jharkhand High Court ordered a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the assets of Mr. Koda, Mr. Chaudhury and other Ministers. Again, the CBI raided his house and office in May 2012 for his alleged involvement in a cash-for-vote scam during the Rajya Sabha elections. In 2009, Income Tax officials raided the house of Manoj Kumar Singh, former personal assistant to Mr. Chaudhury, and reportedly unearthed details of fixed deposits of Rs. 14 crore in banks. (The Hindu 28/12/14)
11. All 200 of them said no to dowry (8)
HYDERABAD: It was a matrimonial meet of a different kind. The young men came with a vow not to succumb to the social evil that is dowry, and the women had happiness written all over their faces. The ninth consecutive 'Swayamwara', a matrimonial meet organised by Idon'tWant Dowry.com, at Bhaskara Auditorium at the B.M. Birla Science Centre on Sunday saw nearly 200 men and women participate. Starting off on a dull note, the meet eventually saw participants turn up in big groups. Participants who registered voiced their partner preferences, while organisers made efforts to find a suitable match among those who turned up. Among the participants, 120 were men and the rest were women. The objective of the meet was to help registered candidates find suitable matches and tie the knot without involving dowry, which, the organisers said, should be weeded out. The initiative's founder Satya Naresh said though there was no way one could be certain if any of the men registered with them would ask for dowry, or if the women would succumb to such demands. "We cannot be sure if the participants agree on dowry after we facilitate their meet. If any of the parties comes back to us, we would suggest they lodge a complaint. However, before registering candidates for a meet, we enquire with them about dowry. Only if they assure us that they would not accept or ask for dowry, do we register them," he said, adding that three couples among those who participated on Sunday, could possibly get hitched. (The Hindu 22/12/14)
12. More women should be at all levels of governance: LS Speaker (8)
New Delhi: Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan today said increasing women's participation in local, state and national levels of governance was the need of the hour as equal participation of women in decision-making was an important aspect of their empowerment. Inaugurating the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CPA) India Region Seminar here, she said women empowerment is not only about their political, social and cultural development but bodily, spiritual and ethical freedom too. "Empowerment of women opens up avenues of social development. Increasing women's participation in local, state and national levels of governance was the need of the hour," she said at the programme attended by Union Ministers Maneka Gandhi and Harsimrat Kaur Badal. Chairperson of the Steering Committee of the CPA India Region Meenakshi Lekhi, two representatives from each of the state legislatures and other delegates participated in the seminar. The theme of the seminar was 'Women are Central to India's Development'. The Speaker said "when we talk of empowerment of women, it implies giving them their due place in the decision-making process and giving them the right to lead a dignified and meaningful life".She said the government was making serious efforts to universalise education and taking steps to curb incidents of violence against women through GPS technology-enabled transport. Interlinking police stations through ICT and centralisation of criminal records were indeed important, she added. (Business Standard 22/12/14)
13. 2014 Saw Rise in Offences Against Women in Courts (8)
NEW DELHI: An alarming rise in cases of sexual offences against women and children by Delhi's trial courts in 2014 remained a major concern notwithstanding few successful prosecutions, including Dhaula Kuan gangrape case involving a woman from north-east. Exactly 45 days after the five rapists in the Dhaula Kuan case were sentenced to life term, the national capital was shamed again when a woman executive was raped by the driver of a US-based cab service provider putting a question mark on prosecution as the accused turned out to be a repeat offender committing the fresh crime while out on bail in a 2013 case. The year gone by also witnessed some contentious decisions of acquittals and remarks that courted controversies with one judge terming "pre-marital sex" as "immoral" and against "tenets of every religion" and another judge holding that "sexual relations between legally wedded husband and wife, even if forcible, is not rape".However, away from the above two cases, a Tis Hazari court came out with an important verdict in which it said "because a woman is a sex worker, it does not confer a right upon anyone to violate her dignity," and awarded 10 years jail to four youths for abducting and gang raping a Rwandan refugee. While acquittals in sexual assault cases were climbing, there were cases, particularly against minors which resulted in convictions and most prominent was of a couple who was punished for jail terms of 10 and 7 years for kidnapping a 13-year-old girl and "subjecting her to horrific and sadistic sexual assault repeatedly".The minors, who were victims of sexual assault, in most cases were the sufferers at the hands of their relatives but the accused succeeded in getting away without the maximum punishment of life imprisonment. In one case the accused who was 26-year-old uncle of the nine-year-old victim was jailed for 10 years while in another, a relative got away with seven years imprisonment for assaulting an 11-year-old child. Safety of minors in public places also became a concern and a 60-year-old man was held guilty of sexually assaulting a four-year-old girl in a temple even as other such cases like the April 2013 case of rape of six-year-old in east Delhi which is yet to be decided despite being prosecuted in fast-track court especially set up after the December 16, 2012 gang rape and murder case. The six fast track courts grappled with over 1500 cases of sexual offence and disposed around 460 cases till December 20 and out of the total disposed of cases, including 36 matters of gang rape, there were 80 cases of conviction with 377 cases resulting in acquittals. Over 1200 cases are still pending in various fast track courts, including 310 cases at Rohini court, 250 cases at Karkardooma court and 306 cases at Saket court, which hoggedthe lime light in 2014 for the case registered against Aam Admi Party leader and Delhi's former Law Minister Somnath Bharti for allegedly molesting 12 African women at his controversial midnight raid. Former BSP MP Dhananjay Singh also faced tough time at the Karkardooma court before he was acquitted in a rape case lodged by an east-Delhi woman, who herself turned hostile. The relief also came to former Haryana MLA and businessman Gopal Kanda who was granted bail in the air hostess suicide case. While there was rise in acquittals, a trial judge referred to Asian Centre for Women Rights' report and said incidents of child rape have multiplied in the last decade and they have created a furore in the society. However, some successful prosecutions noteworthy were the refusal of the court to spare a music teacher, who cheated a woman and raped her on the false promise of marriage and a married man was held guilty of rape as he had deceitfully entered into a wedlock by posting his fake profile on a matrimonial website. Fake cases to "settle personal scores" also engaged the six trial courts in the year gone by and a model was prosecuted for the offence of perjury for lodging a false rape case against her brother-in-law with the court observing that it will be "failing in its duty if she is let off without punishment for giving false evidence".So was the case of a 64-year-old man, who was acquitted of the charge of raping his house maid with court observing that he was a senior citizen suffering from several ailments and it was "an onerous task to decide who was the real victim" holding that the maid falsely implicated him to extort money. In another case, three women accused of forcing nine girls, including a minor, into prostitution and abetting their rape, were acquitted by a court which said the Delhi Police failed to trace most of the victims while the others turned hostile. In a sensational case of gang rape and sodomy with three school-going kids in 2010, a court brought the curtain down by acquitting a cab driver with a direction for lodging of a case against two cops for falsely implicating him. A court acquitted a man of the charge of sexually harassing a 17-year-old girl, saying it was a motivated case but expressed inability to punish the minor due to protection granted to her under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. (New Indian Express 24/12/14)
14. Khap panchayat orders chopping off woman's nose (8)
JAIPUR: In a shocking decision, a self-styled social panchayat in Barmer district has ordered chopping off the nose of a woman for complaining of rape against her father-in-law which led to his arrest. The pronouncement was made by a khap panchayat of Luharwa village under Dhorimanna village in Barmer which also ordered that the maternal family members should be socially boycotted. In a petition made to the police, the woman alleged that she was being sexually harassed by her father-in-law for a long time and had even raped her following which she had lodged a complaint with the police. The police consequently arrested her father-in-law. However, the accused came out on bail this week and convened a khap panchayat where it was decided that the nose of the young woman should be chopped off for complaining to the police and her family should be socially boycotted for supporting her. The victim and her father have sought police protection. (The Hindu 25/12/14)
15. No bigger sin than female foeticide, says Modi (8)
Varanasi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday denounced the practice of female foeticide prevailing in the country, saying "there is no bigger sin" than this and sought the help of people in the field of art and culture in "shaking" the society to stop the menace. "In a country where Rani Laxmi Bai is hailed, there is the practice of female foeticide. There is no bigger sin," he said at a function in Banaras Hindu University here as part of 'Good Governance Day' celebrations. Modi, who was talking in the context of his 'Beti—bachao' programme, asked whether a message could be spread for stopping this practice. In this direction, he suggested that people in the field of art and culture could play a role by "shaking the society as they did during the freedom struggle".He also suggested holding of 'kavi sammelans' on the social evil along with spreading the message about cleanliness. "Please work for the nation…Dreams can be fulfilled," he said. The Prime Minister also expressed concern over the problem of malnutrition of women and children in a country where there is a tradition of feeding even "ants and cows". (The Hindu 26/12/14)
16. Government plans to improve sex ratio in next 2 years (8)
KOLHAPUR: The Kolhapur district is one among 10 in Maharashtra to be selected for the Bharat Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Abhiyan, an initiative of the Union ministry of women and child development to combat the gender imbalance in India. Altogether 100 districts were selected for the project across the country, of which 10 are from Maharashtra. Other districts include Aurangabad, Jalgaon, Sangli, Buldhana, Beed, Washim, Osmanabad, Ahmednagar and Jalna. The Union ministry issued guidelines to the district collectors on how to achieve the target set for years 2014-15 and 2015-16. The initiative aims to improve the sex ratio at birth in the selected 100 districts, where the gap between per thousand males against per thousand females is either 100 or greater than 100. The ministry adopted three criteria on the basis of sex ratio for the selection of these districts. These were districts below the national average (87 districts from 23 states), districts above national average but showing a declining trend (8 districts from 8 states) and districts above the national average and showing a rising trend (5 districts from 5 states). Collectors and commissioners of the selected districts have been asked to prepare an implementation programme and monitoring the progress at district, taluka and gram panchayat levels. The ministry has also asked administrations to implement the district action plans as soon as the state transfers the funds to the district. Among the other suggestions, the ministry is keen on implementing Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostics Techniques (PCPNDT) Act in the selected districts. Districts have asked to measure baseline data of child sex ratio and sex ratio at birth by December31. "Strengthen district PCPNDT cells by recruiting at least five human resources, cell administrator, legal consultant, inspector (Rtd.) for monitoring, and data entry operators. Office equipment and space within the district collector's office should also be provided," the ministry's guideline reads. According to the guidelines, district administrations will have to map all available ultra-sonography machines, including individual machines and not just clinics, in the districts and update this data every three months. Varsha Deshpande, an anti-female foeticide campaigner said that state should strictly implement the Act and monitor progress of cases, which are before the judiciary. Deshpande said that there are 417 cases pending in various courts across the state. "If we are serious in curbing female foeticide, the legal system should work to appoint appropriate lawyers for every case," she said. (Times of India 28/12/14)
17. With proposals on paper, women empowerment still a far cry (8)
NEW DELHI: Despite claims by the Modi government, 2014 has turned a cropper for women empowerment and child rights. Three significant proposals, including a bill to enhance the powers of the National Commission for Women, continue to remain on paper. The women and child development ministry had also proposed setting up of one-stop crisis centres for women in distress and sought the appointment of chairperson and members of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights. However none of the decisions have moved forward. Sources said all three proposals are pending before the Prime Minister's Office (PMO). The draft NCW bill was expected to provide powers of a civil court to the women's commission. The bill also mandates that a judicial member be appointed as head of the Commission and powers be given along the lines of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). The bill is expected to allow the Commission to order a police probe and summon reports besides powers to penalize. In fact, the bill was cleared by the law ministry in November and listed for introduction by the WCD ministry in the just concluded winter session. Sources said the proposed legislation had hit a roadblock with the highest echelons of government expressing reservations that if such powers were given to the NCW, National Commission for Scheduled Castes and National Commission for Scheduled Tribes would also have to be brought on par. WCD minister Maneka Gandhi was not available for comment. Sources also said the appointment of the NCPCR chairperson and members had been proposed by the WCD ministry some months ago but there had been no word on the matter. For the last two months, the child rights agency exists only on paper. Term of its six members got over earlier this year while its chairperson Kushal Singh finished hers in October. The ministry has also been pushing for the one-stop crisis centres for women in distress but clearances have not been forthcoming in the flagship scheme either. (Times of India 30/12/14)
18. Unicef & firms team up to protect tea kids (14)
Guwahati, Dec. 18: Unicef today launched a joint project with seven prominent tea companies and retail chains in order for protection and welfare of children and adolescent girls in Assam's tea gardens. The project, to be initially implemented in three major tea growing districts – Dibrugarh, Tinsukia and Sivasagar – aims to strengthen child protection mechanism and integrating child rights issues, promoting responsible business practices and building tea supply chain in the next three years. Tushar Rane, chief of Unicef, Assam field office, said it would cover 104 tea gardens and 350 villages in their peripheries with a focus to empower and safeguard children and adolescent girls. "Besides, 63 additional tea estates in these three districts will be gradually involved with various capacity building and advocacy initiatives. We will work in partnership with the tea community, garden owners, tea companies, government departments, police and all related agencies to make sure that the children in the tea gardens enjoy their rights guaranteed under different acts and child labour, child marriage and other issues are tackled jointly," Rane said. Sixteen of the 27 districts in Assam have major tea cultivation and the state contributes more than 51 per cent of country's total tea production. Tea workers, who were mostly brought by the British to Assam from eastern Indian and southeastern states before Independence, currently constitute about 20 per cent of the state's population. But welfare issues of the garden workers and their children have remained neglected and child labour, child marriage, trafficking, school dropouts and malnourishment still rampant. Child Protection Chief of Unicef India, Joachim Theis said the project would also focus on affecting behavioural changes among tea communities. Chairperson of Assam State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, Runumi Gogoi, said child trafficking, child labour and child marriage were serious problems in the tea gardens. The project aims to provide life-skill training and education to nearly 25,000 girls and 10,000 community members to protect themselves against abuse and exploitation. Assam Branch of Indian Tea Association, Bharatiya Cha Parishad, ASCPCR, Ethical Tea Partnership, among others today resolved to join Unicef as partners in the tea project. The project is being funded by tea companies – Tata Global Beverages, Taylors of Harrogate, OTG, Typhoo, UK retailer Tesco and IDH and Sustainable Trade Initiative. Anurag Priyadarshi, global sustainability head of Tata Global Beverages Ltd, said the company decided to join the project to ensure end of child labour and child abuse in tea gardens. (The Telegraph 19/12/14)
19. 18 child labourers rescued in Odisha (14)
BERHAMPUR: Eighteen child labourers were rescued from restaurants and eateries in Bhanjanagar of Ganjam district in Odisha. They were rescued during a raid by district level task force against child labour, which included members of Child Welfare Committee (CWC), Childline, police and District Child Protection Officer (DCPO). All the rescued children were boys between 12 and 14 years of age. They were from economically backward families of Bhanjanagar and adjoining areas. The rescued children have been sheltered in Childline of Berhampur and their parents have been contacted by the authorities. Counselling of rescued children and some of their parents by Childline authorities has revealed that poverty was not the only reason behind children becoming child labourers. "We found that in most cases, lack of parental care and guidance rather than economic condition was the reason behind the child labour status of these children," said Prabhuprasad Patra of Berhampur Childline.It was found that most of these children had failed to cope up with education in schools. The father of one such child is a migrant labourer in Surat. There was another child from Kulada, who had run away from home three times in the past to escape from studies. In the past, this child had been brought back from Baliguda in Kandhamal district, where he was working as a child labour. But the child had again preferred to be a child labour in Bhanjanagar rather than opting to pursue education. Convenor of Campaign Against Child Labour (CACL) Sudhir Sabat said it has revealed the drawback of the Sarvashikshya Abhiyan in rural areas. Mr Sabat demanded rehabilitation of these rescued children through proper counselling of children and their parents. (The Hindu 24/12/14)
20. Plea in HC to eradicate begging by children (14)
New Delhi: Highlighting the plight of child beggars in the city, a PIL has sought Delhi High Court direction to ensure their rehabilitation and eliminate child beggary. After brief arguments, a bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice P S Teji posted the matter for further consideration on January 7. "The issue of child begging is already seized by the Supreme Court and it was already monitoring the same. We will keep the matter pending," the bench said. The PIL, filed by Ajay Gautam, sought directions to identifying exact number of destitute children who are involved in begging and to review the steps taken to solve this problem. "The Delhi government exhausted every possible tool to eradicate beggary during the run-up to the Games. However, immediately after the games, the situation became the same," the plea claimed. It contends that though Delhi State Commission for Protection of Child Rights was formed on July 7, 2008, to eradicate child beggary in the city, it has failed in its task. "While the Centre has enacted variety of legislation for children, it has failed to ensure that children do not beg," the plea said. (Indian Express 26/12/14)
21. Child rights panel visits relief camps (14)
GUWAHATI, Dec 27 – Members of the Assam State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, headed by its Chairperson Runumi Gogoi, today visited the violence-affected children in three relief camps in Kokrajhar district. Child rights activist Miguel Das Queah also accompanied the Commission and took account of the situation there. The Commission will visit the relief camps in Sonitpur on January 7, after which a joint report will be compiled and handed over to the State government for necessary action. Members of the Commission observed that relief materials were inadequate and that there was a need to provide the children with psycho-social support. "There is also a need to engage more medical teams in the relief camps besides improving the provision of water supply and sanitation," Miguel said. (The Assam Tribune 27/12/14)
22. 13 children run away from boys' home (14)
Bengaluru: A meticulously planned operation by 13 boys to flee from the State Home for Boys on Hosur Road was executed on Monday morning. However, two of the children were found within an hour and taken back to the home. A search is on for the others. The children are all in their teens. The boys are from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Assam and Maharashtra.They were either rescued child labourers or those who had fled from their homes and found on the streets. After a month of planning, they fled the home for boys on Monday around 3 a.m. after cutting a rod of a window using a blade. It is believed that they got the blade by bribing one of the security guards. "The children cut the rod while other children were washing vessels so that the noise would not draw the attention of the staff," a source said. Of the 13, the Wilson Garden police found one at Dairy Circle. Police sources said that the boys repeatedly requested not to be taken back to the "jail" they had fled from. Meanwhile, child rights activists have said that this incident should serve as a wake-up call to the Department of Women and Child Development to bring "systemic changes" and improve conditions at the boys' home. Executive Director of BOSCO George P.S. said that the home is short-staffed and there is a delay in repatriation of the children to their families. "Age and language appropriate programs have to be designed to keep them occupied all through the day. A compact and well-designed program under the supervision of child sensitive staff is the need of the hour," he said. (The Hindu 30/12/14)
23. 'Minorities being treated as mere vote bank' (7)
BAREILLY: On the occasion of World Minorities Rights Day, several Muslim organizations across different sects came together on Thursday and rued how the community was being treated by the political leadership as "mere vote bank". Muslims from Bareilly, Moradabad and adjoining areas also regretted the fact that several welfare schemes announced for them in the past never took off. The participants also shot off a letter to PM Narendra Modi. All India Muslim Personal Law Board president Maulana Mohammed Mufti Raees Ashraf told TOI: "Muslims, including Ulemas and intellectuals, gathered for a meeting in Bareilly on Thursday. It was discussed that minorities in the country do not feel safe. We have decided to boycott celebrating the day until both central and state governments fulfil their promises made at the time of elections." All India Imam Masjid Association vice-president Maulana Nasir Husain Ashrafi, too, condemned tokenism in the form of observing a day to espouse the minority rights and then forget everything about them. Saleem Baig, an RTI activist who has filed several RTIs to know the current status of minority schemes announced by various political parties, said, "We have become mere vote banks. Schemes for the upliftment of minorities are announced just for show and their budget is later allotted to some other schemes." Baig said that though the formation of a Waqf Nigam and Saman Avsar Ayog were recommended by the 2006 Sachar Committee and even the central government had promised to set them up in the same year, it still remains a pipe dream. "Through an RTI filed last year, I came to know that no time frame has been fixed for setting up a Waqf Nigam," he said. Hazrat Maulana Abdul Quayyum, general secretary, All India Tanzeem-e-Ahle-Sunnat, said, "Most of the schemes for protection and development of minorities in the country are announced during the election time to woo voters. But majority of these scheme remain only on paper." During the meeting, the fate of the much-touted 2012 central government scheme, Padho Pradesh, which promised interest-free loans to minority students aspiring to study abroad, was also discussed. "It was revealed in an RTI reply dated June 2014 that the government had sanctioned a sum of Rs 10 crore in 2013-14. In the financial year 2014-15, only Rs 4 crore were left of that. However, when I enquired about the number and details of beneficiaries under the scheme, it was revealed that till now, not a single person had been benefitted," Baig said. The RTI activist also took on the ruling Samajwadi Party, which had announced schemes like Rin (loan) Mafi Yojna and medical quota for minority students in their election manifesto. "However, it was revealed through an RTI query in September 2014 that both of these schemes have not been implemented in the state yet," he said. (Times of India 19/12/14)
24. Assam violence: NDFB(S) is unpredictable, say officials (7)
Guwahati: According to Assam police chief Khagen Sarma, Tuesday's attacks on mostly Christian adivasis could have been in retaliation to an offensive against the outfit that 'neutralised' several top guns. "It is difficult to say why adivasis have been targeted. You never know when and where these people will unleash violence," said CM Tarun Gogoi. The adivasis, along with migrant Bengali-speaking Muslims, are among the largest of over 30 non-Bodo communities across four districts under the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC). Together, they comprise more than 75% of the BTC population, making the Bodos a minority. Sonitpur is not under BTC, but Bodo militants want swathes of this district under self-rule territory. The British brought Bengali Muslims and adivasis to the area over 100 years ago to grow rice and work in tea plantations respectively. Non-Bodo groups claim policy-makers ignored their rights when BTC was created in 2003, and a clause that required 50% Bodo population for a village to be included in the council, was a cause for concern. The Sanmilita Janagosthiya Aikya Mancha launched a series of agitation that petered out until the Lok Sabha election last year. They also helped a former United Liberation Front of Asom rebel wrest the Kokrajhar seat that had a Bodo representative for years. Forty-six Muslims, the largest non-Bodo voting bloc, were killed before the results, presumably as a punishment for their political choice. The NDFB(S) was blamed, but involvement of other Bodo groups was not ruled out. "Control over land is at the core of violence in BTC areas, though many consciously try to bring about polarisation along religious lines," said academic Udayon Misra. Army officials said it was easier to attack in remote areas bordering Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh without running into security forces. But the militants could also have driven home a message — not to repeat the 'mistake' of the Lok Sabha polls in the polls for BTC scheduled next year. (Hindustan Times 25/12/14)
25. Minority cell seeks Modi vow (7)
New Delhi, Dec. 25: The National Commission of Minorities has passed a resolution on "Good Governance Day" to urge the Narendra Modi government to reassure all minorities that their constitutional rights would not be compromised. In the resolution, the apex government body in charge of the welfare of minority communities also highlighted the "pain and anguish" of Christians over the government's decision to observe Good Governance Day on Christmas Day. Expressing concern over the ongoing "re-conversion" programmes undertaken by some Sangh parivar outfits, the panel said the government needed to send across a message that it was committed to the security of all citizens, including minorities. "We have passed a resolution in the wake of religious conversion programmes of Christians and Muslims across the country. This is creating fear among the minds of the community members and the government needs to take action on the ground to ensure the rights of minorities guaranteed in the Constitution are protected," Mabel Rebello, the NCM member who represents the Christian community, told The Telegraph. The resolution will be sent to minority affairs minister Najma Heptulla and home minister Rajnath Singh tomorrow. "We have received complaints from several Christian groups in Tamil Nadu and Kerala, who expressed shock over the government's decision to replace Christmas with Good Governance Day. In their complaints, the organisations highlighted their deep pain and anguish," she said. According to the complaints, over the past six months, Christians have been regularly attacked across the country, particularly in Chhattisgarh. Earlier this month, prominent Christian leaders had requested the Prime Minister to act against hate speeches following an alleged arson attack on St Sebastian's Church, one of east Delhi's biggest churches, on December 2. A senior NCM member, however, rued that it was a quasi-judicial body and had its limitations. "In fact, the commission does not have any real powers and it is not binding on the government to implement our recommendations." The panel has the power to take cognisance of cases related to six minority communities and send its team to carry out a probe independently. "But we can only make recommendations," he said. He recalled how no action was taken on the NCM's recommendation over the hate speeches by BJP MP Sakshi Maharaj and Yogi Adityanath before the September bypolls in Uttar Pradesh. The NCM had passed a resolution then, condemning "the communally charged statements attributed to prominent people in public life which are creating this atmosphere of mistrust and heightened tension". The member said: "But the government did not take any action against those people. Even the Prime Minister is silent." He also pointed to the silence of Heptulla over the continuing hate speeches and "re-conversion" programmes. (The Telegraph 26/12/14)
26. National Commission for Minorities condemns statements 'making minorities insecure' (7)
New Delhi: In a resolution passed on Friday, the National Commission for Minorities has condemned statements implying that religions like Christianity and Islam are not native to India. The commission said that such statements are creating a sense of insecurity among minority communities in the country and urged the government to ensure that all persons in public life refrain from making statements that can cause polarisation. "The Indian Constitution guarantees every citizen the right to freedom of religion (Article 25) and any attempt to curtail this right goes against the Constitution of India. Ours is a secular nation where all religions are given an equal status and all persons are equally entitled to freedom of conscience and the right to freely profess, practise and propagate their religion. Claiming religious monopoly for any one religion in a multi-religious, secular state and forcible conversions through inducement, allurement and coercion violate the Constitution, and must be strongly condemned," the resolution said. It described the statements as "irresponsible and uncalled for." The NCM did not name any persons or organisations. However, in the wake of a Parliament session where Rajya Sabha saw no business over the conversion debate, the resolution seems to suggest that NCM, which maintained low profile since NDA government came to power, has woken up to the "ghar wapsi" debate. (The Indian Express 28/12/14)
27. 99 per cent of Muslims in India were Hindus: M G Vaidya (7)
Nagpur: Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's senior ideologue M.G. Vaidya claimed that 99 per cent of Muslims in India were Hindus. Defending the 'ghar vapsi' initiative of the Sangh Parivar, Mr Vaidya said those who were converted were now returning to their old "home". In an exclusive chat with The Asian Age, Mr Vaidya strongly advocated that the secular structure of the country could be preserved only if Hindus remained a majority. Keeping this view in mind, the idea of re-conversion or 'ghar vapsi' was initiated in the Hindu religion in the 60s, he claimed. "In 1964-65, all Shankaracharyas, Mahants and saints of the religion met in Udipi in Karnataka and decided to allow re-conversion. This was the first public declaration made by the leaders of the Hindu society. Before that there was almost a social ban on conversion in the Hindu community," Mr Vaidya said. According to Mr Vaidya, people were originally converted from Hinduism and therefore 'ghar vapsi' is not conversion, but re-conversion. "Who were the Muslims in India? 99 per cent of them were Hindus. How they were converted, history knows. We are only doing their 'ghar vapsi'," he argued, defending mass conversions of Muslims in Agra that has kicked up a hornet's nest across the country. He however expressed his unhappiness over the publicity of the 'ghar vapsi' campaign saying that it was not necessary to advertise it, and make a show. He also opined that making a show of the campaign could not be seen as an offence. Mr Vaidya further said that only Indian Muslims could save Islam because they believe in plurality. "Hindus believe in the plurality of religions, while Muslims do not. You can see how Shias and Ahmediyas are being targeted in Pakistan and elsewhere. Muslims have to change according to the times. However, only Indian Muslims can save Islam because they believe in plurality," he said. Being a former MLC and ex-editor of Tarun Bharat newspaper, Mr Vaidya was felicitated by chief minister Devendra Fadnavis in an event organised by 'VS Page Sansdiya Prashikshan Kendra' of the Maharashtra Legislature on the first day of the Winter Session. The 92-year-old former spokesperson of RSS, who was in news for asking Muslims to willingly relinquish claim in favour of Hindus over the disputed land of Babri Masjid, also said that Muslims should themselves appoint a commission to find out which temples were destroyed and mosques were built on it. (Asian Age 22/12/14)
28. VHP to hold 'ghar wapsi' for 4,000 Muslims in Ayodhya in January (7)
AYODHYA: The VHP will hold a 'ghar wapsi' programme for 4,000 Muslims in Ayodhya next month, saffron outfit functionary Ram Vilas Vedanti said on Tuesday. Vedanti, a former BJP MP, refused to disclose the identity of the families, saying then the administration would not allow them to embrace Hinduism. He said most of the families were from Faizabad, Ambedkarnagar, Gonda, Bahraich and Sultanpur. He said the Muslims had willingly come forth for conversion. In his reaction, Faizabad DIG Sanjay Kakkar said those issuing such statements were trying to create communal tension in the area and action would be taken against them. (Times of India 24/12/14)
29. Another Muslim family of 12 becomes Hindu in Agra (7)
Agra: ReconversionThe local police is investigating the matter to ascertain if any form of coercion was involved in the conversion. (Picture is for representation purpose only)The national furor raised by the Ved Nagar 'reconversion' issue of over 300 Muslims in Agra is yet to settle down, when another Muslim family of 12 has voluntarily converted to Hinduism in Achhnera tehsil of Agra, changing their names to reflect their new religious identity on Christmas. At a time when the Government of India is under pressure to explain the 'reconversion' movement operated by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and other Hindu organizations, this new reconversion in Agra could drag it down deeper into muddy waters. Gatheli Ram, who was known as Rehmat Ali just a few days earlier, said that his family was the original resident of Ole town in Mathura district and about 25 years back, they came to Dawli village of Malpura in Achhnera Tehsil of Agra. He said that they had no identity documents or documentary residence proof like Ration Cards of either Ole or Dawli, but they could prove their nationality through numerous family relations they had in the region. He said that he hoped he will get identity documents like Aadhar card soon, however he refused to link this to his recent conversion to Hinduism and said that his decision to become Hindu was completely voluntary. Luv Pandit, a local RSS operative who claims he is inspired by the Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat said that he organised this reconversion event after the mega reconversion in Aligarh on Christmas was postponed due to political pressure. He said that he was merely a facilitator in this reconversion and it was completely the choice of Rehmat Ali to become Gatheli Ram. He said that this family of laborers has expressed their full faith in Hinduism and are openly expressing their joy in becoming Hindu. Although the local police is investigating the matter to ascertain if any form of coercion was involved in the conversion, the Muslims of Agra are not willing to take this issue lying down, claiming that the entire matter reeked of the duplicity of Hindu organizations, who were openly forcing Muslims into accepting the Hindu faith, in full support of the local administration. National All Party Muslim Action Committee chief Haji Jamiluddin said that the Dawli reconversion was fake and the communal Hindus were trying to damage the secular fabric of the country. He demanded that the government should take strict action in this matter. Hindustani Biradari secretary and social activist Ziauddin said that some people are deliberately stoking up the fire of religious conversions in order to create unrest in the country and such elements should be stopped at all costs. He said that this appears to be a political strategy to capture the maximum votes in the 2017 UP assembly elections and such people are not bothered about the country or the people. (India Today 27/12/14)
30. Vishwa Hindu Parishad re-converts 30 Christians in Kerala (7)
The Vishwa Hindu Parishad on Sunday claimed it converted several Christian families "into the Hindu fold" in the state as part of the Ghar Wapsi programme. VHP Alappuzha district president Prathap G. Padickal said that 30 Christians converted at a function at Thayyannur Lakshmi Narayana Temple in Cheppad panchayat. Temple administrator S. Sasikumar, however, said nine persons converted in the function. Mr Padickal said VHP was planning to hold similar public conversions. "Nobody can call it conversion because the people are coming back to their home 'dharma'. All we did was to facilitate it. We will continue to do it for those who are interested." VHP leadership claimed it organised conversions in Kottayam, Kollam, Ernakulam and Kasargod districts but declined provide the number of people converted. The State government took the reports on conversion seriously, Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala said. "The police will look into the event from the constitutional point of view," he said. The VHP is yet to reveal the identity of the converted persons in Alappuzha. Mr Sasikumar said they belonged to ST community but were denied benefits of government schemes as they were Christians. "Their forefathers converted into Christianity but the new generation was not interested to follow the faith," Mr Kumar, an active BJP worker, said. "In 2012, a ritual was held at Chettikulangara temple and they had got a certificate from the Travancore Dewaswom Board. But it hardly helped them get benefits of government schemes. Hence their decision." Local residents told DC that there was an hour-long puja including ganpathihomam at the temple as part of the ceremony, which started at 10am. The narrow roads that lead to the temple and surrounding areas were decorated with VHP flags. As many as 100 VHP activists attended the programme. K Soman, a senior BJP leader in the district told DC that the entire programme was conducted by VHP. "The district BJP unit was unaware of it," he said. Kerala Catholic Bishop Council declined to comment on the development. KCBC secretary-general and spokesperson Fr. Varghese Vallikatu said it would not be proper to comment on such a matter without the details of the incidents. SNDP Yogam General Secretary Vellappally Natesan said that banning religious conversion by law is the only way to protect secularism and religious harmony. "The State and Central governments should come forward to make such a law," he said. Veallappaly however, declined to oppose the campaign launched by the VHP and other Hindu outfits in the state to reconvert people to Hinduism. Reconversion is possible only when people are ready to come back, he said. On the question of the caste status of the people getting reconverted into Hinduism, he said, "the matter needed a serious study." (Asian Age 22/12/14)
31. 'We converted for quota benefits' (7)
ALAPPUZHA: Forty-four-year-old Joy, who led his family at the 'Ghar Vapsi' ceremony at Cheppad in Alappuzha district on Sunday, says he converted to Hinduism three years ago. He has done it once again to ensure that he and his family are officially accepted as Hindu Pulayas, which will make them eligible for reservation benefits. A daily wage labourer, Joy lives with his wife and two daughters in a decrepit hut in Kanichanallor at Cheppad, near Haripad. His parents, George and Janamma of the Palatharayil house, converted from Hinduism to become Pentecostal Christians several years ago. According to official records, they are Christian Cheramar. However, since the community did not come under the Scheduled Castes, they were unable to avail themselves of any benefits that their relatives enjoyed. "We had converted back to Hinduism three years ago through a ritual held at the temple at Chettikulangara. However, we were told by the Cheppad village authorities that the certificate provided by the Travancore Devaswom Board was not sufficient to be formally registered as Hindus." His family then approached the Chengannur unit of the VHP seeking its assistance. "We were not offered any financial assistance to convert… They have offered to take up our issue," he said. (The Hindu 23/12/14)
32. Goa Archbishop expresses concern over condition of minorities (7)
PANAJI: Goa Archbishop Filipe Neri Ferrao on Tuesday endorsed a statement by the Conference of the Catholic Bishops of India, a member of the National United Christian Forum (NUCF) which comprises all the other Christian groups in the country, expressing concern over the current situation of the minorities, particularly Christians in the country. "The recent reports from Bastar, where a Catholic school was forced to put the statue of Sarsawati on the compound and children were forbidden from addressing the principal with the honorific "Father", the burning of a church in Delhi; the declaration of 'Good Governance Day' on December 25 to undermine the importance of Christmas; the provocative call by some fundamentalists to convert 4,000 Christians to Hinduism in Agra on Christmas Day; and the regular targeting of the Christian community, calling them even anti-national, are a cause for concern," the statement said. On the recent controversy over Christmas holiday, it said: "Christmas is the only holiday that Christians have in the whole year when we join the rest of the world in celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. A circular by the Navodaya School Commissioner to keep certain government-run schools open on that day is perceived by the Christian community as an insult to the importance of Christmas Day." The NUCF has appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to remind the people that development cannot take place in the country if there are attempts to disrupt communal harmony prevailing in the country for centuries. (The Hindu 24/12/14)
33. 59 Christians 'convert' to Hinduism in Kerala (7)
Kottayam (Kerala): Fifty-nine people 'converted' to Hinduism on Thursday in Kerala chief minister Oommen Chandy's home district Kottayam, a day after he said there was no forced conversion in the state. As many as 42 people from 21 families — all of them Christians — took part in temple rituals, and amidst chanting of slogans became Hindus in Ponkunam in Kottayam district. Another 17 people from near Kottayam town also became Hindus at a temple function. State Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) general secretary V Mohanan said what happened on Thursday and last week – when 35 people became Hindus – "was not conversion, but re-conversion"."Right from the time the VHP became active in Kerala, re-conversion has been taking place but there has been no forced conversion at all."What we do is all those who have gone out of Hinduism, when they express their wish to return, we help them," Mohanan said in a press statement issued here on Thursday. Chandy had on Wednesday said Kerala has always stayed clear of forced conversion and if any individual decides to 'convert', no one can stop them. Hindu Ayikya Vedi leader Bhargava Ram told the media to come out with proof that there was pressure on people to 'convert' to Hinduism "We have been doing this ceremony of making people Hindus in temples in full public glare. Today, when the function took place, the media was there and we told the media to please ask those who converted if they were under pressure. "I challenge the authorities to register a case against us, as forced conversion is against the law of the land," he said. Many people appeared before the media and said they decided to 'convert' on their own and there was no external pressure. CPM state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan, however, said there was a secret understanding between the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Chandy. (Time of India 25/12/14)
34. Anthology on Jesuit Fathers' contribution (7)
The Goethals Indian Library and Research Centre of St. Xavier's College has published a book on the lives of the Jesuits who lived and worked in India, especially in Bengal, since the early 19th century. The anthology was released by Father P. Franck Janin, Jesuit Provincial, South Belgian Province and Luxembourg, at Dhyan Ashram in Joka on Sunday. Edited by Father Albert Huart and Father J. Felix Raj, Discovery of Bengal: The Jesuit Design marks the 200th year of the Restoration of the Society of Jesus. The book records the academic, social, cultural and spiritual contributions of the Jesuit fathers in shaping the moral growth of the race and the country. Among the Jesuits who feature in the book are Fathers Henry Depelchin, Achille Verstraeten, Paul Joris, Cardinal Lawrence Picachy, Camille Bouche and Andre Bruylants. "They attracted heartsby the qualities they displayed and posterity retains them as lessons of life learnt forever. Even after 200 years, their words and works reach those for whom they were intended – the inhabitants of The Kingdom of God. These men of moral might were armed with supreme sense of sacrifice and were gifted with grace and the zeal to establish 'Good News of God' and the promise of justice for humanity," said Felix Raj, the principal of St. Xavier's College. "Humility, fortitude, power of prayer and passion for performing God's will on earth endowed these Samaritans with the benediction that brought the light of the Lord to the masses of Bengal. This collection scripts the eternal immortal lives of the Jesuits who are today and forever in fellowship with us and with God." Copies of the anthology are available from the Goethals library at the college. (The Telegraph 29/12/14)
35. NHRC notice to five states over atrocities on Christians (1)
New Delhi: The NHRC has issued notice to Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu over alleged acts of violence and atrocities against Christians. Taking suo motu cognizance of a media report, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has sought a report from the chief secretaries of the states within three weeks. In Madhya Pradesh, churches have reportedly been vandalised in addition to incidents of arson, stone pelting, attack on pastors and forcible conversions. Similarly in other states, diktats on missionary schools have been given, Sunday services have been disrupted and the entry of Christians in some villages has been barred as well. In parts of Chhattisgarh, refusal to supply ration to Christians has been reported. "The commission has observed that the contents of the press report, if true, amount to violation of the fundamental right to freedom of religion," the NHRC said. (Business Standard 30/12/14)
36. Tibetans to Vote for The First Time in Delhi (13)
NEW DELHI: Marking a first in the national capital, children of Tibetan refugees born in India between the cut-off date of 1950 and 1987, would be eligible for enrollment in the voters' list for the Delhi Assembly elections, officials said. "According to the order issued to Delhi's Chief Electoral Office (CEO) by the Election Commission of India (ECI), dated December 8, children of Tibetan refugees born in India between the cut-off date of 1950 and 1987, are eligible for enrollment in Delhi," Deputy Chief Electoral Officer A K Srivastava said. The Ministry of Home Affairs though, is in principle, against giving voting rights to all refugees living in India…But, the Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) concerned should not deny enrollment to children of such Tibetan refugees, the order said. According to the ECI guidelines, those Tibetans born in India on or after January 26, 1950, but before July 1, 1987, have the right to exercise their franchise. The guidelines came into force following an August 2013 Karnataka High Court order which paved the way for granting Indian citizenship to Tibetan refugees. A majority of Tibetans living in Delhi, reside in Majnu Ka Tilla, which is one of the largest Tibetan settlements colony falling under Chandni Chowk constituency. Officials said, "There is no census on the number of such Tibetans in the capital. And, their exact number can only be ascertained once we begin the enrollment process." (New Indian Express 21/12/14)
37. Citizenship to Bangla Hindu migrants unlikely (13)
NEW DELHI, Dec 23 – The Centre is not inclined to offer citizenship to the Hindu Bengalis who had fled from Bangladesh to India after 1971 and instead may offer them Long Term Visa (LTV), highly placed sources said. A meeting convened by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), with representative associations especially of minority communities from neighbouring countries to address their grievances related to grant of LTV and Indian citizenship, proved to be an unsavoury experience for Hindu Bengali organisations of Assam. The meeting, chaired by Additional Secretary (Foreigners) in the MHA BK Prasad with about 75 representatives from 15 associations discussed problems being faced by minority communities from neighbouring countries in acquiring LTV and citizenship. The representatives were also told about the procedure for grant of LTV and Indian citizenship and the various initiatives undertaken by the MHA towards addressing their grievances and difficulties, official sources said. The Bharatiya Loka Manch (BLM), a joint body 10 Hindu Bengali organisations, however, alleged that they were insulted and they felt 'betrayed' by the attitude of the Home Ministry officials. "We were not allowed to put across our point of view at the meeting as officials focused on those to who came from Pakistan," alleged president of BLM Sudendu Mohan Talukdar, who said that they protested the behaviour of the MHA officials. He charged that the government was interested in talking about LTV only and not granting citizenship. The joint body wanted all Bengali Hindus, who fled Bangladesh after facing atrocities, to be granted Indian citizenship. Talukdar also blasted the BJP and its seven MPs for not cooperating with them and leaving them in the lurch. Meanwhile, sources said that the Centre is only keen on talking about LTV and not granting citizenship to those who came after 1971. However, the Bengali organisations said they are not sure about the Centre's stand even on those who came during 1947- 1971. Meanwhile, it was decided that teams of MHA officials would fan out to 24 identified districts for citizenship in eight States and 14 districts for LTV cases of these applicants. The visiting officials will hold camps during the next two months and assist the applicants in the settlement of citizenship and LTV cases. However, Assam is not among the destination states. (The Assam Tribune 24/12/14)
38. 3 relief camps set up in Alipurduar (13)
Alipurduar: Three relief camps were set up in neighbouring Alipurduar district of West Bengal for refugees leaving their homes in Assam. Additional SP Akash Megharia said while an estimated 300 refugees were still residing in the camps, 200 others have left in the past two days. The refugees crossed over to the Bengal side in the wake of the firing. The administration has deployed one company of CRPF for security purpose at the camps in Kumargram block and made provisions for drinking water and food for those having left their homes in the wake of the massacre in Kokrajhar, Sonitpur and Chirang districts. Atlast 78 persons were killed in the NDFB (S) violence in lower Assam since Decemmber 23. (Business Standard 25/12/14)
39. Relief pours in for refugees (13)
Alipurduar, Dec. 28: A number of organisations here today started collecting relief materials to help the Assam refugees staying in four camps in Kumargram after West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee's visit yesterday. John Barla, an Adivasi leader from the Dooars, today visited the camps and enquired about the refugees. "We distributed blankets and clothes among the refugees. We will request the Centre to restore peace in Assam so that the refugees can return to their homes. We also demand a compensation of Rs 5 lakh each for the next of kin of the deceased and Rs 2 lakh for the injured," said Barla. All the organisations have been instructed by the state government not to collect cash and baby food. They have been asked to collect dry food, clothes, candles, and matchboxes. The collected materials will be deposited with the Kumargram block development officer for distribution. Militants belonging to the National Democratic Front of Boroland's Songbijit faction had killed 64 Adivasis in the Kokrajhar and Sonitpur districts of Assam on Tuesday. In Kumargram, near the Bengal-Assam border, relief camps have been set up by the West Bengal government in a community hall and three schools. Over 2,000 people have taken shelter in the camps since Wednesday. Ratul Biswas, the secretary of Manobik Mukh said: "Today, we collected clothes, rice and food grains. Tomorrow, we will again collect goods in another part of the town and will deposit the same with the BDO of Kumargram. We have already talked to doctors in the Alipurduar hospital and we will have a medical camp in Gayenpara soon." Refugees in the camps of Kumargram are getting packaged drinking water, meals, blankets and clothes among other things. During her visit yesterday, Mamata had enquired about the refugees and camps from Kavita Das, the upa-pradhan of Gayenpara area. Kavita Das said: "Mamata didi has strictly instructed us to provide all necessary items to refugees in all camps. She asked whether children were getting food and clothes. The chief minister also told us to take anybody to the health centre if necessary. Today, we took a pregnant woman, Mani Hembram, to Kumargram block health centre for a check-up. Around 280 more people came today from Assam." Leaders of different political parties from Assam today visited the relief camps to find out about the refugees' condition. However, the leaders were surrounded by a group of women in the camps who asked them why they had not come earlier to enquire about them when they were in distress.Meghalaya chief minister Mukul Sangma has said there should be a unified war against the perpetrators of terror in the country in the wake of the killings by NDFB (S) militants. "Why wage a war against terrorists only from outside the country? We must wage a war and wipe out the domestic variety first," Mukul said. Stating that home-bred terrorists are more harmful in causing disharmony in society, he said, "We have to contain this. It is already late and everyday precious lives are affected by such acts of brutality." "We need to correct our mistakes by dealing with this menace once and for all before it is too late," he said. Urging those at the helms of power both in the Centre and in Assam to adopt a new stringent policy against the perpetrators of crime, he said it was high time to take action and make it visible on the ground. Condemning the blame game adopted by several political parties, he said, "It has always been the tendency to play the blame game after a distressing incident. Personally I feel it is a collective responsibility and instead of blaming one another we should come together to take responsibility." The Meghalaya government has just completed disarming of two dreaded Garo outfits, the ANVC and its breakaway faction, the ANVC (B) and talks are on with another outfit that has unleashed terror in at least five districts in the Garo hills region. (The Telegraph 29/12/14)
40. 6 RTI activists killed in 5 years, accused still at large (1)
Patna: Six RTI activists have been killed in Bihar in the last five years for daring to seek information from different authorities. Two of them — Rahul Kumar and Ram Kumar Thakur — were murdered in Muzaffarpur district in March 2012 and March 2013, respectively, while Murlidhar Jaiswal was killed in Munger district in March 2012, Rajesh Kumar in Bhagalpur district in December 2012, Ram Vilas Singh in Lakhisarai district in December 2011 and Shashidhar Mishra in Begusarai district in February 2010. In three cases, the main accused are yet to be arrested. Family members of Ram Vilas, who was killed at his native village Babhangawan under Lakhisarai police station area, were so much terrorized that they shifted his son Abhishek Kumar to New Delhi. "I have returned to my district town just a month back, but all my well-wishers and relatives are advising me to go back to Delhi. They say I may be killed any day as the main accused in my father's murder case, Bumbum Singh, is still roaming free," Abhishek told TOI.
"Thakur, a lawyer and RTI activist, was shot dead near Purushottampur village in Muzaffarpur district when he was returning by his cycle from the district court with his nephew. He was shot dead by six persons and none of them have been arrested yet despite a named FIR lodged against them. Raj Kumar Sahni is the main accused in the case. Similarly, the main accused in Jaiswal murder case — Bablu Mandal — is yet to be arrested," National Campaign for Peoples' Right to Information (NCPRI) activist Ashish Ranjan said. A delegation of NCPRI led by Ranjan and noted RTI activist Shiv Prakash Rai recently called on Bihar DGP P K Thakur and drew his attention towards alleged 'police inaction' in cases of RTI activists' murder. "We have time and again been pressing the police for arresting the persons who killed six RTI activists. But to our dismay, the main accused in the three cases are roaming free and threatening the deceased's family members," Rai told TOI. He also said he has planned to file a PIL in the Patna high court, if police failed to take necessary action in these cases. When contacted, DGP Thakur said he had sought reports from the district police concerned in all six cases. ADG (law and order) Alok Raj, who is looking into the matter, said the police headquarters had demanded file of all the six cases from the district police. "After review at headquarters level, we will, if necessary, constitute special teams to nab the accused evading arrest," Raj said. (Times of India 22/12/14)
41. Medical reimbursement of SC judges exempted from RTI: HC (1)
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has held that reimbursements of medical expenses of the Supreme Court judges cannot be disclosed under the Right To Information (RTI) Act, saying it does not serve any public interest. Justice Vibhu Bakhru held that the Central Information Commission (CIC) was in error to direct the Supreme Court Registry to provide the information sought, saying "medical records are not liable to be disclosed unless it is shown that the same is in larger public interest"."In the present case, the CIC has completely overlooked this aspect of the matter. Further, the extent of medical reimbursement to an individual is also, in one sense, personal information as it would disclose the extent of medical services availed by an individual. "Thus, unless a larger public interest is shown to be served, there is no necessity for providing such information. Thus, a direction for maintaining records in a manner so as to provide such information is not warranted," the court said. The court made the observations in its judgement on the plea of the Supreme Court registry against CIC's order directing the apex court to maintain details of medical reimbursement availed of by each of its judges in the last three years to be furnished to information-seekers. The high court held CIC's order as "erroneous". (Zee News 22/12/14)
42. CIC to decide if corporate debt restructuring falls under RTI (1)
MUMBAI: The Central Information Commission (CIC) will soon have to decide whether a body set up by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), whose principal task is of restructuring corporate loans, falls under the public scrutiny through Right to Information (RTI) act. The Corporate Debt Restructuring Cell (CDRC) set up by the RBI has refused to provide details of total amount sacrificed by public sector banks as a part of CDR packages and also the mechanism by which it was approved to an application under the RTI. In its reply to former CIC and RTI activist Shailesh Gandhi, who had sought the information, the CDRC has said that it does not fall under the category of 'public authority' as it is neither owned, controlled or substantially financed by directly or indirectly by funds provided by the appropriate government. Subsequently, Mr. Gandhi's first appeal too was rejected and he had now gone in to second appeal with the office of CIC. The appeal said that the CDRC website shows that it has restructured corporate debt of Rs. 3.7 lakh crore for 505 customers — an average of Rs. 668 crore per customer. It is also claimed in the appeal that 80 to 90 per cent of the restructuring is of borrowers from Public Sector banks. "The CDR cell has been created by a RBI circular. Despite having 38 members who are public sector banks and institutions and only 14 private sector banks it claims an independent status. Five of its seven core group members are public sector employees and 13 of its 19 employees are also employees who are getting their salaries from public sector banks," said the application by Mr. Gandhi. While the CDRC in its reply to the first appeal did not dispute these numbers, it implied that the bank officers are not government servants. He added that the initial finance of the CDRC was provided by IDBI, a public sector bank and much over 75 per cent of subsequent finance is from public sector banks and institution. "It does not appear to have any legal structure and despite being created by a RBI circular, claims a virtual presence not accountable to anyone. If such an argument is accepted, all government organisations could create such virtual cells and deny information and accountability," he said. (The Hindu 25/12/14)
43. PM's wife denied information under RTI (1)
Ahmedabad: The Mehsana police have denied information sought under RTI by Jashodaben, wife of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on the security cover given to her, on the ground that her queries were related to local intelligence bureau (LIB) which is exempted under the RTI Act. "The information sought by her (Jashodaben) was related to the LIB . Therefore, it could not be given to her and we have sent a written communication about this development to her," Superintendent of Police J R Mothaliya of Mehsana district said. The reply given in writing to her also says the same thing. "The information sought by you (Jashodaben Modi) was related (to) the LIB and as per the Gujarat Home Department's resolution number SB 1/1020018203/GOI/62 dated November 25, LIB has been exempted from RTI Act and therefore, the asked information cannot be given to you," said the letter written to her by the public information officer and Mehsana Deputy Superintendent of Police Bhakti Thakar. In her RTI application filed before Mehsana Police on November 24, Jashodaben had sought several documents related to the security cover given to her as per the protocol, including the certified copy of actual order passed by government about providing security. She also wanted to know the laws and related provisions in Indian Constitution about security cover given to a prime minister's wife. Jashodaben, 62, had asked the government to explain the definition of protocol and sought details about what is included under it and what other benefits she is entitled for as per that protocol. She also expressed unhappiness about the current security set-up, where her guards travel in government vehicles like car, while she, despite being the prime minister's wife, has to travel in public transport. She also said that as former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was killed by her own security guards, she feel scared of her guards. She asked the government to make it compulsory for each guard to produce the copy of deployment order. Jashodaben, a retired school teacher, lives with her brother Ashok Modi at Unjha town of Mehsana district. After Narendra Modi was sworn in as Prime Minister on May 26, she has been given security by Mehsana police. Mehsana police has deployed 10 policemen, including armed guards, who work in two shifts. (Deccan Herald 28/12/14)
44. RTE applicable from nursery admission: HC (11)
INDORE: Indore bench of Madhya Pradesh high court (MPHC) on Friday directed that provisions of Right to Education (RTE) Act 2009 would be applicable for admission nursery onwards. Private schools will have to give admission in nursery to 25% of students under RTE and state government will reimburse schools as per law, the court said. The order has come as a major relief for parents seeking admission for their children in nursery under the Act and will be of far-reaching significance across the country. Single bench of Justice Prakash Shrivastava rejected petitions of private schools, including Daly College, Emerald Heights, SICA and Sishukunj challenging applicability of RTE for admission in nursery/pre-school. In its order, the HC observed that the child is entitled to get admission in a school from the day he or she starts education and directed private schools to admit children in nursery, LKG and UKG under RTE. The government will have to work out modalities of reimbursement to private schools for admission to children in nursery and pre-school in three months. Madhya Pradesh additional advocate general Manoj Dwivedi said state education department had issued notices to private schools in September 2013 for turning down admission on 25% seats in nursery/pre-school to children under RTE. Opposing it, private schools challenged it by filing a slew of petitions on grounds that it is applicable only to children from 6 to 14 years of age and schools have to give admissions only from I to VII. Schools took the stand as children are below six years of age at the time of admission in nursery/pre-school children, RTE is not applicable. In their petitions, private schools have claimed neighbourhood, which forms main basis for considering admissions, is not defined properly under the Right to Child to Free and Compulsory Education Act 2009 and that the Act has made no mention of nursery admissions. Petitioners have claimed that the Act has only made education mandatory for children from 6 to 14 years of age. Rejecting argument of private schools, the HC observed child is entitled to get education right from the time he or she starts going to school and made it clear the RTE is applicable for admission in pre-school/nursery. (Times of India 20/12/14)
45. Right to Education quota shift: From exemption for minority schools to online admission (11)
Pune: The Right to Education Act that came into effect in 2009 faced a lot of initial confusion as well as resistance to certain clauses, which led to major changes in implementation. Following a Supreme Court order, schools run by minority institutions that availed of no government grants were exempted from the rule of reserving 25 per cent seats for students of economically and socially weaker sections. A recent move was to make the process of filling the 25 per cent quota seats in schools in Pune, Mumbai and Panvel an online process. This was after parents of students from the poorer sections complained that they were prevented from entering schools even for admission. The government had last academic year held that RTE is applicable to all schools including unaided minority schools. Management of several schools opposed this. Parents seeking admission for their children were affected by the conflict and the resultant confusion. On May 6, the Supreme Court made things clear with its directive that the RTE admission criteria would not apply to unaided minority schools as as it is "ultra vires" to the Constitution and will hurt rights of minorities. Many parents of students seeking admission to schools availing of the 25 per cent quota were not allowed to enter the premises even to collect admission forms. Several schools, in their bid keep such students out of the admission process allegedly used "muscle power". Their ploy was to declare later that they did not get any applications under 25 per cent quota. Putting a stop to that, an online admission process was started by Commissioner of Education S Chockalingam in Mumbai, Pune and Panvel for academic year 2014-15. In the coming year, it will be implemented in all municipal corporations in the state. After facing problems owing to variance in age limits set by schools and educational boards for admission, a proposal for a uniform age for admission was sent by the education department to the education ministry for clearance. If passed, there will be an age regulation from pre-primary level onwards in schools across the state no matter which board or management they are affiliated to. The education department has also started an ambitious project of making a database of students, teachers and managements for schools in the state. This will give students and teachers a mail id that can be used to access data about them no matter wherever they move in the state. This will make students' transfer between schools, report cards, health cards etc online and move towards a paperless system. One of the major problems the government has to grapple with is exclusion of many deserving students from the RTE Act because of lack of awareness or documents. Many a time, students from the economically backward sections are not able to use the Act to get admitted to schools because their parents lack awareness about RTE or do not posses necessary documents.Setting up efficient help centres and a higher .. (Indian Express 26/12/14)
46. Nobel laureate's take on education (11)
SANTINIKETAN: Nobel laureate Amartya Sen on Sunday said that the success of a school should not only be judged on the basis of the teaching it imparts. "It should also be seen whether the school is giving its students a scope to bond with the society better. Students come to school not only to learn, but also with an aim to make the social health better. The social health and education are inter-related," he said while interacting with the audience at an event organized by the Pratichi (India) Trust here on Sunday. Sen also found the lower fertility rate in the state in the last couple of years a good sign. "It is a noteworthy matter that the fertility rate in this state is lower than a number of other states, including Kerala," he added. (Times of India 29/12/14)
47. Jobless surplus teachers to fill vacant posts (11)
The teachers who lost their jobs after a rationing undertaken by schools under the Right to Education (RTE) Act can now breathe a sigh of relief. The education minister has declared that the teachers who got cut off due to the surplus issue will be accommodated against vacant posts in schools. Moreover, 1,343 unaided schools are now eligible for the government grant. Of 5,500 unaided schools, 1,343 have been made eligible for the government grant. This has brought a big relief to their teaching and non-teaching staff. According to the teachers community, the staff who were working on very little salary will be now eligible for the salary grant. The issue of surplus teachers started after a government resolution was issued on November 20, 2013. The students and teachers ratio for class V is 30:1, from classes VI to VIII it is 35:1 and for classes IX and X it is 35:1. Because of this ratio, the teachers started losing their jobs. Two teachers have been fighting to get the justice for their colleagues who lost their jobs because of the surplus issue when the students and teachers rations were declared in RTE. The teachers will now be accommodated against the vacant post, claimed the teachers' representative. Two of the teachers representatives, member of legislative council Ramnath Mote from Rajya Shikshak Parishad and Kapil Patil, MLC and president of Lokbharati, had raised this issue. Anil Bornare, spokesperson, Shikshak Parishad, said, "Since the education minister has given relief to surplus teachers, we will follow up with the department to even get grants for the remaining 4,000 unaided schools so that their 25,000 teaching and non-teaching staff members who have been working from 2001 with low salaries can get better payment." MLC Kapil Patil too welcomed the decision. (DNA 29/12/14)
48. Corporation teachers begin 'school wapsi' campaign in Delhi (11)
NEW DELHI: Teachers in municipal schools have started a 'school wapsi' initiative for dropout students. Students who have dropped out or left school midway will be enrolled back under this initiative. To start with, schools in two central zone wards-Zakir Nagar and Nizamuddin-will be roped in. "We will extend the initiative in other schools depending on the results. Though many families are willing to send their kids back to school they are hesitant due to financial reasons. Poverty, child abuse or child labour are some of the reasons why kids drop out of school," Arvind Mishra, vice-president, Akhil Dilli Prathmik Shikshak Sangh, said. (Times of India 30/12/14)
49. Only food security card valid for free treatment (21)
New Delhi: Poor patients can avail free treatment at identified private hospitals here using their National Food Security cards from January 1. BPL cards or ration cards will no longer be valid documents from the new year, said a senior official of the Directorate of Health Services. So far, 73 lakh people who earn less than Rs 1 lakh annually have been issued National Food Security cards in Delhi, according to figures available with the Food Supplies and Consumers Affairs. According to state health department officials, one standard document will help more poor patients avail free treatment at the private hospitals under the quota reserved for them. "The older documents will now be replaced. There are more beneficiaries now as the number of BPL and ration card holders is less than that of the the National Food Security card holders. There will be a wider network of people who can benefit from the health schemes," said a DHS official. "The food security cards will be the new document to establish that a patient is below poverty line or from the economically weaker section (EWS)," said the official. Currently, there are 43 identified private hospitals in Delhi which are supposed to provide free treatment to 10 per cent of the patients admitted in their wards and 25 per cent of patients in the Outdoor Patient Department (OPD). Hospitals have often been accused of turning away poor patients in spite of having vacant beds. Some hospitals have even failed to meet the benchmark of treating poor patients as defined by the state health department. Patients will also be able to avail the Delhi Arogya Kosh scheme through this document. This scheme provides financial assistance till Rs 5 lakh to patients for treatment of an illness in a government hospital or certain specific diseases in notified private hospitals. Circulars have been issued to medical superintendents of all government and identified private hospitals to update food security cards as valid documents beginning next year. Till now, patients could also use income certificates to establish the poverty level. According to health department officials, the free treatment scheme was often misused with forged documents being produced. "One standard document will rule out such possibilities and more genuinely poor patients can be accommodated," said the official. However, several migrant labourers who did not have BPL or ration cards and now do not have the new document either can continue to avail free treatment after an undertaking from the DHS. (Deccan Herald 20/12/14)
50. PDS sugar leaves bitter taste in govt mouth (21)
Shillong, Dec. 22: Consumers in Meghalaya have started receiving sugar under public distribution system (PDS), but the state government is now bearing a financial brunt as it is procuring the item from the open market at a high rate. A symbolic distribution of sugar was organised at U Soso Tham auditorium, State Central Library here today where food and civil supplies and consumer affairs department minister Clement Marak distributed a few kilograms of sugar to some of the selected consumers in the presence of wholesalers and fair-price shop dealers. The sugar has the name of "ISS Grade Sugar-30." The Meghalaya government was able to distribute sugar to the ration-card holders in the state after the Centre provided a certain amount of subsidy to buy sugar from the open market. The Centre is giving Rs 18.50 paise per kg as subsidy and the state has to bear the remaining cost. Interestingly, the Meghalaya government through its supplier is procuring sugar from the open market at the rate of around Rs 43 per kg, meaning, the state government has to bear extra amount of around Rs 24.50 paise per kg. According to sources, at present, the price of sugar in the open market of Meghalaya ranges between Rs 32 and Rs 36 per kg. The beneficiaries of PDS have been deprived of regular supply of sugar since July last year because the allotment from the Centre has stopped. The principal secretary (food and civil supplies), P.W. Ingty, said the state government has selected Kendriya Bhandar, the largest consumer co-operative society in the country, to supply sugar to Meghalaya by purchasing it from the open market. "Kendriya Bhandar was selected after passing through a tender process," Ingty said. Ingty, however, justified the Rs 43 per kg-rate quoted by Kendriya as it includes purchase, handling charges as well as packaging of the sugar. But the food and civil supplies official admitted that the Meghalaya government would be losing revenue as it has to bear the additional expenditure after the central subsidy. Ingty said the state government is procuring 1,704 metric tonnes of sugar a month for the state through the supplier (Kendriya Bhandar). The expenditure per month is over Rs 7.3 crore. "Each ration card holder is entitled to 3kg of sugar a month and it is being distributed at Rs 13.50 paise per kg at various fair-price shops," he said. The sugar will be stocked at various godowns and its distribution supervised by deputy commissioners. For the state capital Shillong, the deputy commissioner (supply) is using a godown of the Meghalaya State Co-operative Marketing and Consumers' Federation Ltd. popularly known as 'MECOFED' at Mawlai Mawiong here. The sugar which Meghalaya is distributing this month to the consumers is its quota for October. The state is waiting to receive its quota for November and December. (The Telegraph 23/12/14)
51. Rich were top beneficiaries (21)
GURGAON: Though the income of members belonging to the EWS Co-op group housing societies should not exceed Rs.2,500 per month as per the Group Housing Scheme 1998, several members in the present case purchased their shares from the original members by paying hefty considerations. According to the details provided by the society, several members paid money ranging from Rs.9 lakh to Rs.25 lakh to buy shares from the original members. "The information supplied by the society reveals that following members who became members of the society have purchased their shares from original members by paying hefty considerations which could not possibly have been mobilised by a person belonging to Economically Weaker Section category," said the order. One of the members, Mahesh Goyal, was an officer of the Haryana Urban Development Authority till recently and retired as Senior Accounts Officer on June 30, 2014. A complaint was received in his case that he had amassed properties which were disproportionate to his known sources of income in which a vigilance inquiry was also ordered". "Not a single eligible person from the EWS or Below Poverty Line got land /flats earmarked for economical weaker section in the licensed colonies. I have visited more than 25 licensed colonies and Group Housing Society in Gurgaon. The people living in the houses/flats allotted to the EWS or BPL have all gadgets and equipment along with luxury cars. The people living in EWS flats / houses belong to higher/middle class category," said Gurgaon Progressive Forum president Raman Sharma. (The Hindu 25/12/14)
52. Govt may rework housing target for poor to 2 crore units (21)
NEW DELHI: The housing ministry may reset the target and build two crore houses for the urban poor instead of the three crore planned earlier under NDA's flagship 'Housing for All' scheme. Sources said the initial target with a total investment of Rs 22.5 lakh crore is being reworked. Recently the housing and poverty alleviation ministry made a detailed presentation on the scheme to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Sources said the PM was largely satisfied with the presentation. However, government officials were tightlipped about the reason behind reworking the target. Under the new mission, all housing schemes for the urban poor such as Rajiv Awas Yojna and JNNURM will be brought under one umbrella and it will be named after Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. NDA government has set 2022 as the target to provide pucca houses to all in urban areas with power and water connection. "We are yet to finalise the target. While a large portion of the housing demand in urban areas will be met by the private players, there is also a need to build houses for the poor," a government official said. Each house for the urban poor would cost around Rs. 7.5 lakh. The housing ministry is looking at different options including interest subvention for affordable housing and the minister, M Venkaiah Naidu has already spoken about the need to bring down interest on housing loans. According to government estimates, there was shortage of 18.78 million houses in urban areas and more than 95% shortage is in the categories of economically weaker section and low income groups. Around 75% of the estimated housing shortage is concentrated in 10 states. While Uttar Pradesh has maximum share of 16%, Maharashtra accounts for 10% deficit. The Housing for All mission has four major components – slum redevelopment, affordable housing through interest subvention, rental housing for migrants and housing for urban destitute and homeless. (Times of India 29/12/14)
53. R'than tribal children battle malnourishment, death (21)
Baran (Rajasthan): Night has begun to fall and Kamla Bai is tossing chapatis on the griddle kept on the burning earthen stove in her partially-built house. The woman, who appears to be nearing her 60s, is in grief as her two-year-old grandson, Roop Kishore Raghuraj, died last month. What pricks Kamla Bai even more is that Kishore succumbed to malnourishment and she could not save him despite being an assistant at an Anganwadi – government-sponsored mother and child healthcare centre. Kishore is not the only causality of malnourishment among the children of Sahariyas in Rajasthan's Baran district – an underprivileged primitive tribal community of 1,25,000 which reported hunger deaths in 2002 and struggles to lead a life of two meals a day even today. Baran is some 300 km east of Rajasthan capital Jaipur, near the border with Madhya Pradesh. "He was admitted to the hospital (Malnutrition Treatment Centre) for nearly a month, but could not be saved. He was always sick and had stopped responding well," Kamla Bai told this correspondent in Baran's Kariria village. In Baran – where the poorest of the poor of Rajasthan live – most people till a couple of years ago were bonded labourers and lived a life of neglect. Today, almost all of them are daily wage migrant workers or earn by working in the paddy fields of rich farmers. Baran – one of India's most backward districts – was in the news in September for the death of two children who were reportedly extremely malnourished. The issue kicked up a political storm. This correspondent visited several villages and hamlets in Sahabad and Kishanganj blocks of Baran, where most children have similar physical features – bloated stomachs, spindly legs and gaunt eyes. Before Kishore, the last victim of malnourishment was Mangal in 2013 in Kirari, the residents of the village said. "If our children fall sick we cannot do much. Either we are dependent on tablets sold in the village shop or the primary health centre which is very far from here," Angoori, a mother of three, told IANS. Baran has nine Community Health Centres and one district hospital. From January till September, 1,583 malnourished children were admitted for treatment. Local NGOs claim that the numbers are much higher than the official figure. Though there are government schemes for the welfare of Sahariyas, the benefits do not reach all of them. Under one such scheme, each Sahariya family gets 35 kg wheat, two kg of dal and cooking oil and one kg of ghee per month. In one of the villages visited by IANS, many Sahariyas had voter identification cards – but no ration cards. "The problem is the leakage of supplies," a Rajasthan government official said. IANS spoke to a very senior doctor, who has worked in the region for over two decades, about the problem. "The Integrated Child Development Scheme is a failure in Rajasthan. The Aanganwadis don't function properly. In remote villages, they don't open for months," the doctor said, requesting anonymity. Aanganwadis cater to children in the 0-6 age group and provide outreach services to poor families in need of immunization, healthy food. "The consumption of food is shown in the record book, but that's not the case. Either it ends up getting wasted since centres don't open for a long time or it reaches the houses of the Aanganwadi workers," the doctor said. He said the Malnourishment Treatment Centres are always short-staffed. Local journalist Firoze Khan, who has extensively studied the community, said Sahariyas are also to be blamed for their state. "They don't want to be in the mainstream. They want to live in villages. They are averse to cities. They can only work here," Khan said. Alcohol addiction among Sahariya men is also a problem, he added. One of the Additional District Magistrates gave a bizarre answer for the high malnutrition levels: "The problem is only among the children between 0 and 6 ages. Once they grow up and go to school, you cannot say they were ever malnourished." (Deccan Herald 29/12/14)
54. House panel says funds for MGNREGA not adequate (14)
New Delhi: Urging the Rural Development Ministry to seek a higher allocation for the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) from the Finance Ministry, a parliamentary panel has said the existing funds are not adequate for the scheme's effective implementation. The panel has also recommended a 'review' of the scheme. "Keeping in view the likely revision of wage rate and expected increase in outreach of households, the committee is constrained to note that the allocation made for the current year does not appear to be sufficient for effective implementation of the scheme," the Standing Committee on Rural Development said in its report tabled in Lok Sabha on Friday. The committee, chaired by P Venugopal, recommended that the ministry should seek higher budgetary allocations for MGNREGA from the Ministry of Finance and Planning Commission so the shortage of funds does not become a "ground and a reason for slippage" in achieving the objectives of the scheme. The panel also asked the government to undertake an exercise to "completely review the scheme to find out reasons for dismal progress at ground level resulting in non-achievement of the objectives" for which the scheme was launched and to take corrective and remedial measures. (Indian Express 20/12/14)
55. PM Narendra Modi lauds unorganised sector workers of Gujarat (14)
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday lauded the unorganised sector workers of Gujarat, saying the state had "zero-manday loss" which was one of the reasons for receiving substantial amount of foreign investment. On a visit to Varanasi, Modi addressed the sector workers at 20 locations across Gujarat through video-conferencing, as part of 'Shramyogi Kalyan Mela' of the state government. Praising the unorganised workers, Modi said Gujarat had zero-manday loss as all stakeholders followed the Gandhian spirit of working as a family. This, he added, is one of the reasons that the state was receiving large amounts of foreign investment. An official statement released in New Delhi said that as part of the activities for 'Good Governance Day', the Gujarat government launched several welfare schemes for unorganised sector workers. These schemes draw inspiration from the "Shramev Jayate" vision of the Union government, the statement added. Among the initiatives is 'U-WIN' – Unorganised Sector Identification Number, which will enable unorganised sector workers to avail the benefits of several government schemes. The Prime Minister congratulated the Gujarat government for these initiatives, and said other states could also emulate these. He also congratulated the state government for launching Rural Labour Commissionerates and Rural Labour Welfare Boards. (DNA 25/12/14)
56. Labour reforms for the unorganised sector a priority: Minister (14)
Kolkata: Labour reforms for the unorganised sector is a priority for the Narendra Modi government. And steps are being accordingly taken in this regard by the Centre, the Union Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Bandaru Dattatreya, said here. According to him, some of the steps taken include the setting up of the Shram Suvidha Portal (SSP) where a unique labour identity number will be provided to workers (in the unorganised sector) of various establishments. Dattatreya was in the city to attend the Srei organised event, World Confluence of Humanity, Power and Spirituality. "My focus area will be the unorganised sector. We have taken a new initiative, the Shram Suvidha Portal (SSP), that will help provide labour identity number (LIN) to the establishments", he said. So far, labour identity numbers have been provided by the Centre to 7.5 lakh institutions. The numbers will go up soon. According to Dattatreya, steps are being taken to further decentralise labour services with the Central government allotting a Universal Account Number (UAN). The UAN is a portable number which gives the members greater control over their money and links EPF and ESI services. The Union Minister claimed that he has already invited his State counterpart, Moloy Ghatak, to Delhi to discuss various matters including labour unrest. He maintained that one of the major areas of concern for his department was the "pathetic" situation of the plantation (tea gardens) workers in West Bengal and Assam. The Labour, along with the Commerce Ministry was looking at various schemes to help uplift the workers conditions, the Union Minister pointed out. (Business Line 28/12/14)
57. NREG Workers' Federation to Take out March (14)
KOLLAM: Alleging derailment of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme (NREGP) by the Central Govt, the state committee of NREG Workers' Federation, affiliated to the AITUC, will take out a march towards Raj Bhavan in T'Puram on Tuesday. The state committee of NREG Workers' federation alleged that as the number of working days were getting reduced, many people were opting out and this would considerably lead to the winding up of NREGP. "The Centre has decided to restrict the programme to 2,500 blocks. It was once carried out in 6,597 blocks," NREG Workers' Federation state president Chengara Surendran said. (New Indian Express 29/12/14)
58. Maharashtra may quit AIPMT to free 15% 'other state' quota (25)
NAGPUR: The Maharashtra government is contemplating withdrawing from the All India Pre-Medical Test (AIPMT), so that it can utilize the 15% seats reserved for students from other states for local students. Higher and technical education minister Vinod Tawde made a statement in this regard in the legislative assembly on Thursday while replying to a discussion under Rule 293 moved by Yogesh Sagar, Madhuri Misal, Sanjay Kute, Shashikant Khedekar and others. This would make Maharashtra the fourth state, after Andhra Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, and Telangana, to not have the 15% quota for outside students. "Maharashtra has good facilities in medical education with its government-run colleges considered among the top in the country. As the state had agreed to be a part of AIPMT, 15% seats in our colleges are reserved for students from others states, and vice versa. This means, out of 2,000 odd seats in the colleges, about 330 are occupied by students from other states, which is a big percentage," he said. Higher and technical education minister Vinod Tawde pointed out that in the last six years hardly 22-30 students from Maharashtra had preferred seats in medical colleges in other states, while some 330 students from outside used our seats every year. "It's a big disparity, and our students, particularly those who can't afford the fees of private colleges, are at the loss. We will approach the Supreme Court to exclude the state from AIPMT, which will be conducted on May 3 next year. If the court agrees, we will get 300 extra MBBS seats for state students," he said. The former leader of opposition in council said that Maharashtra was part of the national entrance examination for many years and students from many states pursue medical education from the state under 15% All India quota. Former lecturer and now senior PMT trainer Sameer Phale said the decision would surely benefit the state students, as they would get additional 300 seats. However, it would be against the democratic set up of the country. "What about students from other states who want to take admission in Maharashtra colleges? At national level, such things shouldn't be considered. States like AP and J&K had rejected the 15% quota since the very beginning of AIPMT." He added that even the Armed Forces Medical College had stopped its own entrance exam following SC directives to start National Entrance-cum- Eligibility Test (NEET). "But after it was stopped by the SC, they admit students through AIPMT. Even MP and Chhattisgarh use AIPMT score for admissions. Now, if Maharashtra students want to take admission in AFMC or other colleges, they have to appear in AIPMT," he said. (Times of India 19/12/14)
59. 'We converted for quota benefits' (25)
ALAPPUZHA: Forty-four-year-old Joy, who led his family at the 'Ghar Vapsi' ceremony at Cheppad in Alappuzha district on Sunday, says he converted to Hinduism three years ago. He has done it once again to ensure that he and his family are officially accepted as Hindu Pulayas, which will make them eligible for reservation benefits. A daily wage labourer, Joy lives with his wife and two daughters in a decrepit hut in Kanichanallor at Cheppad, near Haripad. His parents, George and Janamma of the Palatharayil house, converted from Hinduism to become Pentecostal Christians several years ago. According to official records, they are Christian Cheramar. However, since the community did not come under the Scheduled Castes, they were unable to avail themselves of any benefits that their relatives enjoyed. "We had converted back to Hinduism three years ago through a ritual held at the temple at Chettikulangara. However, we were told by the Cheppad village authorities that the certificate provided by the Travancore Devaswom Board was not sufficient to be formally registered as Hindus." His family then approached the Chengannur unit of the VHP seeking its assistance. "We were not offered any financial assistance to convert… They have offered to take up our issue," he said. (The Hindu 23/12/14)
60. Social activists slam government's withdrawal of Muslim reservation (25)
Mumbai: Social activists and academicians have slammed the state government for withdrawing Muslim reservation and pushing its Hindutva agenda by approving reservation only for the Maratha community. Pointing at the high court's interim order upholding Muslim reservation, they have raised doubt over the government's intention behind taking such a hasty decision. Activist-Dalit poet J.V. Pawar said that the Maratha reservation decision was obviously to net Hindu votes and the BJP government did not need Muslim votes. "The BJP knows that Muslims are not going to vote for it and therefore, their reservation has been withdrawn despite the earlier government having introduced it." Professor Fakruddin Bennur raised objections to the government's excuse that reservation could not be given on the basis of religion. "This has remained the argument of the right wing since the 1950s. But articles 23 and 24 of the Constitution permit concessions to linguistic, cultural and religious minorities. When there is reservation for Buddhists, Jains and Sikhs in various forms, why deny it to Muslims? Is the BJP government marginalising Muslims to make them secondary citizens?" he asked. Stressing that there was greater need for Muslim reservation, head of the politics department, Mumbai University, Dr Jose George said that Muslims were more deprived as compared to Marathas. "The decision shows complete bias towards Hindus. We all know that Muslims are more backward socially and economically compared to Marathas," he said. Dr George rubbished the BJP's Constitution-related defence, saying that if laws could be amended for Maratha reservation, then why not for Muslims (Asian Age 25/12/14)
61. Maharashtra Council passes Maratha reservation Bill (25)
NAGPUR: The Maharashtra Legislative Council approved the Maratha reservation Bill on Wednesday, a day after the Assembly passed the legislation. The new law provides 16 per cent reservation to Marathas in admission to educational institutions and government jobs. "We consulted senior legal experts, including the Attorney-General, after the Bombay High Court granted an interim stay on the ordinance [issued by the previous Congress-NCP government to provide a 16 per cent quota to Marathas]. We received a partial relief from the Supreme Court, but, as advised by legal experts, we have passed the Bill in both Houses of the State legislature," Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said. Mr. Fadnavis had earlier said that his government would field the Attorney-General and senior lawyer P.P. Rao to represent the State in the High Court, which stayed the ordinance. The court stayed the 5 per cent reservation in government employment for Muslims, but allowed a similar quota in education for the community. The Opposition continued its protest against the government decision not to table the Muslim reservation Bill and not to issue an ordinance to save the five per cent quota for the community provided by the previous government though an ordinance that lapsed on Wednesday. (The Hindu 26/2/14)
62. Rights group to pursue case – Manorama verdict brings hope (1)
Imphal, Dec. 20: Encouraged by the announcement of compensation in the Thangjam Manorama case, a rights group has decided to pursue a petition pending in the high court seeking prosecution of the Assam Rifles personnel responsible for her death. Manorama was a 32-year-old Manipuri woman whose bullet-riddled body was found a day after she was picked up by Assam Rifles troops from her home in Imphal East on the night of July 10, 2004. The development has encouraged Human Rights Law Network, Manipur chapter, which plays an important role in filing cases in court against fake encounter killings, to pursue a petition pending in the high court. "In the light of the Supreme Court's ruling, we will pursue a case pending in the high court. The case, filed by Manorama's relatives in 2010, sought prosecution of the Assam Rifles troops responsible for her death," Rakesh Meihoubam, director of Human Rights Law Network, Manipur, said. The then Imphal bench of Gauhati High Court kept the petition filed by Manorama's mother and younger brother Thangjam Doren pending after the Assam Rifles moved the Supreme Court the same year (2010) to challenge a ruling passed by a division bench of the high court that upheld the validity of an inquiry commission. The commission, headed by retired district and sessions judge C. Upendra Singh, was set up by the Manipur government to probe Manorama's killing. The division bench passed the order on two separate petitions filed by family members of Manorama and the Manipur government in 2005, challenging a ruling passed that year by a single bench of the high court. The single bench had ruled that the state government had no authority to set up the inquiry committee to probe the actions of Assam Rifles. It stated that the Assam Rifles personnel killed Manorama after "brutal torture". Since there was no action on the report, Manorama's family moved Gauhati High Court, which used to cover cases in Manipur. In 2010, the high court asked the state government to act on the Upendra commission report. The Centre challenged this ruling in the Supreme Court in 2011. The findings of the commission were made public only after the Union home ministry submitted the report to the Supreme Court on its directive. During one of the hearings, the Supreme Court had asked the Centre to pay compensation to Manorama's mother. "The Supreme Court's order for payment of compensation has made it very clear that the personnel had done something that they should not have done at all. Therefore, in the light of the order, we will pursue the petition and appeal to Manipur High Court to take it up and hear the plea for prosecution," Meihoubam said. He said the then Gauhati High Court had kept the petition pending because it wanted to see the outcome of the petition filed by the Assam Rifles in the Supreme Court.Manorama's relatives and human rights activists in the state, while welcoming the apex court's order for payment of ex gratia, demanded that the personnel involved in the killing should be punished. (The Telegraph 21/12/14)
63. UN chief calls on Sri Lanka to cooperate in human rights abuse probe (1)
New York: United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki—moon has reiterated his call to Sri Lanka to cooperate with the on-going UN investigation of alleged human right abuses. Responding to a media query on Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa reiterating that he will not participate with outside investigations, Stephane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General, was quoted by the Lanka Page web site, as saying that the Secretary-General has always encouraged the Government of Sri Lanka to comprehensively address the post-war agenda. Colombo has vehemently refused to cooperate with the UN Human Rights Council-led investigation. (The Hindu 25/12/14)
64. PUCL condemns Assam violence (1)
CHENNAI: The People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) has condemned Tuesday's violence against tribal people in Assam and called for strong action to avoid a repeat of such incidents. In a statement, it said unarmed tribal people in Sonitpur and Kokrajhar districts of Assam were shot dead by gangs of the National Democratic Front of Boroland (Songbijit). "PUCL is deeply concerned over the outbreak of murderous attacks once again. "It is apprehensive that unless the situation is handled firmly, a situation of mass death, destruction and displacement will recur as it did during the ethnic killings in mid-2012 in Kokrajhar and neighbouring districts resulting in nearly 100 being killed and over 400,000 people fleeing their homes," the statement said. (The Hindu 26/12/14)
65. High Court sets aside NHRC order against Somnath Bharti (1)
New Delhi: The Delhi high court on Friday set aside an order issued by the National Human Rights Commission holding Aam Aadmi Party leader Somnath Bharti guilty of "racial prejudice and unlawful acts" against 12 African women during his controversial midnight raid in Khirki Extension in South Delhi. A vacation bench of the high court, while setting aside the September 29 decision of the NHRC, also directed the commission to hear the matter afresh and pass a detailed order by taking into account the evidence presented by the AAP leader in his defence. The court has also asked Mr Bharti to appear before the commission on the next date of hearing in January. The vacation bench of the high court passed the order while disposing of Mr Bharti's appeal against its single judge bench decision to dismiss his petition against the NHRC's September 29 ruling. Additional solicitor-general Sanjay Jain and Central government's standing counsel Jasmeet Singh appeared for the Union of India in the matter. Advocate Deepak Khosla, appearing for Mr Bharti, had contended that the single judge bench had dismissed his plea as "premature" without "allowing fair opportunity to explain the facts of the situation before the NHRC and the legal grounds on which the writ petition was eminently maintainable." Mr Bharti had sought that the commission's ruling be declared a "nullity" as it was passed without giving him an opportunity to lead evidence in his defence. The leader had also asked for a compensation of `100 crore from the Centre, the NHRC and the city government. The NHRC had prematurely directed the Delhi government to pay Rs 25,000 compensation each to the 12 women, who had allegedly suffered racial abuse, illegal detention, intimidation, abuse, assault and indignity by the AAP leader, the petition claimed. The petition had also questioned whether the NHRC had the jurisdiction to award compensation based on mere "prima facie" findings. On December 22, the NHRC had accepted Mr Bharti's request for hearing on the controversial midnight raid in January next and also directed the Delhi government to defer payment of monetary relief of Rs 25,000 to the victims, recommended by it on September 29, for a period of two months. (Asian Age 28/12/14)
66. NHRC notice to five states over atrocities on Christians (1)
New Delhi: The NHRC has issued notice to Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu over alleged acts of violence and atrocities against Christians. Taking suo motu cognizance of a media report, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has sought a report from the chief secretaries of the states within three weeks. In Madhya Pradesh, churches have reportedly been vandalised in addition to incidents of arson, stone pelting, attack on pastors and forcible conversions. Similarly in other states, diktats on missionary schools have been given, Sunday services have been disrupted and the entry of Christians in some villages has been barred as well. In parts of Chhattisgarh, refusal to supply ration to Christians has been reported. "The commission has observed that the contents of the press report, if true, amount to violation of the fundamental right to freedom of religion," the NHRC said. (Business Standard 30/12/14)
67. Lok Sabha nod to bill to regularise e-rickshaws (19)
New Delhi: Lok Sabha on Thursday passed a bill to regularise e-rickshaws and provide for driving licences for these battery-operated vehicles, mostly plying in Delhi, with government promising to incorporate members' suggestions in rules to be framed once it becomes a law. "This is an amendment bill. If we pass the bill, I will incorporate rules and regulations suggested by you," Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari told opposition MPs who demanded that the Motor Vehicles Amendment Bill, 2014 be sent to standing committee for a closer scrutiny. Replying to a debate, Gadkari also spoke about "pollution- free India" and the government's ambitious plan to convert polluting diesel buses to "e-buses." He said the proposal is being discussed and he will come to Parliament once it is approved. Rejecting opposition's allegations that the bill was hurriedly brought to gain political mileage in poll-bound Delhi, Gadkari said the government was pushing for its early passage keeping in mind the plight of one crore poor rickshaw pullers who struggle for their daily bread and butter. "The bill is brought not keeping in view Delhi elections," the Minister said, noting that drivers and passengers of e-rickshaws are poor people and a court order has affected over 2 lakh people who depend on them for their livelihood. The Minister said an early passage of the bill will be a boon for one crore poor people who face a lot of health problems by plying cycle rickshaws manually. Gadkari said government has decided to provide low interest loan to the rickshaw pullers belonging to poor backward and minority communities to buy e-rickshaws. (DNA 19/12/14)
68. Woman ordered to give monthly maintenance to husband (19)
KOZHIKODE: A family court in Kasaragod has asked a woman to pay Rs 6,000 as monthly maintenance to her husband for spoiling his career by raising a false allegation of rape. Judge PD Dharmarajan passed the order on a petition moved by NK Sivaprasad of Nellikkunnu in Kasaragod under Section 24 of the Hindu Marriage Act on Thursday. Sivaprasad, a music teacher, married VM Nivya on January 22, 2011 against the wishes of her parents while she was studying for post-graduation. They got separated in May 2011. Nivya returned to her parents and filed a complaint against Sivaprasad, alleging that he raped her by promising to marry her. Police filed a case against Sivaprasad for rape under Section 376 of the IPC. "On investigation, it was found that they were married. There was evidence such as the receipt from the temple where the marriage was solemnized, hotel records where they stayed and photographs of the reception in Kasaragod. They had also registered their marriage in Enmakaje panchayat," said advocate US Balan who appeared for the husband. Nivya moved the family court for divorce after police filed a referral report saying the allegation is wrong. "We moved a petition demanding maintenance for Sivaprasad," said Balan. "He had to stop his music sessions as girls refused to attend his classes. I argued that he is eligible for maintenance from his wife, who is now working as a lecturer at a reputed institution in Mangalore." He said the provision for giving maintenance for the husband is available only in the Hindu Marriage Act. "This provision is not there in other marriage acts such as the Christian, Muhammedan or Special Marriage Act," Balan said. "Section 125 of the CrPC should be amended so that husbands also can claim maintenance from wives with solid source of income. Now only the wife, children or aged parents can claim maintenance." (Times of India 21/12/14)
69. HC bats for second wife's rights, allows equal share of pension for 2 widows (19)
MUMBAI: Two surviving widows of a railway employee are entitled to an equal share of the monthly pension, the Bombay HC held recently. It upheld an order by the central administrative tribunal to equally divide a railway employee's pension between his two widows based on railway pension rules, framed in a 1964 scheme that makes such provisions. The high court rejected a plea by the South East Central Railway, Nagpur division, to quash the tribunal's order as being "flawed". The Hindu Marriage Act, enacted in 1955, doesn't recognise the second "wife" as legally wedded, when the first marriage still exists. "The tribunal was wrong in passing orders contrary to law," argued the railways' lawyer. The Bombay high court commended the Indian Railways for a "progressive" pension rule that protects "unfortunate women ensnared into void marriages". The arguments made by the railway "do not appeal to us", said the HC. "We cannot be oblivious of what is going on in society," said the HC bench of Justices A B Chaudhari and P R Bora of the Nagpur bench while delivering the judgment last month. "Husbands fraudulently indulge in cheating the second woman, who falls easy prey to such a person for no fault of hers," the judges said. The judgment may come to the aid of other "second wives". The HC felt that other state and central government employers adopt the railway rules to provide relief to a woman whose marriage to a government servant is void under the Hindu Marriage Act. "While it's true that courts cannot pass or enforce orders contrary to law, the question is should a second widow be left to starve by handing all pensionary benefits only to the first?" the HC said. The railways have not contradicted the Hindu Marriage Act nor placed a burden on the railway or treasury either, said the HC, it however ensured that a woman "trapped by a man into an illegal marriage" is secured a livelihood for the rest of her life. Article 15 of the Constitution prohibits discrimination on grounds of sex and Article 39 obligates states to promote laws meant to protect women's right, the HC said. "Indian Railways deserves an applause for incorporating a rule, seldom found in service rules of other government organisations, that provides for equal pension to more than one widow of an employee." Finding no merit in the Railway petition, the HC dismissed it. (Times of India 23/12/14)
70. PIL seeks state scheme for unmarried tribal mothers (19)
MUMBAI: The Bombay high court on Tuesday sought a reply from the state to a public interest litigation (PIL) that highlights the need for rehabilitation of young unwed mothers among the Kolam tribe in the state. The PIL filed by the Natural Resources Conservation Organisation comprising members of Scheduled castes and tribes sought affirmative action for such tribal women, who were forced to give their own father's name to the child and were deprived of concessions in reservation. The PIL filed through advocates Uday Warunjikar and his junior advocate Tandel said it appeared that contractors and their staff who visit these tribal areas were responsible for getting the girls and women pregnant. Most of the Kolam tribe resides in Yavatmal district in forest areas in about 400 villages along the state border. The belt is educationally backward, said the PIL. "The problem is not about pregnancies but about social development of tribal community," the PIL said, seeking judicial intervention so that the state introduces schemes for such victims. (Times of India 25/12/14)
71. 6 states ratify Judicial Appointments Commission Bill (19)
New Delhi: Sixteen states have ratified a constitutional amendment bill which seeks to scrap the collegium system of judges appointing judges, bringing the government a step closer to put in place a new mechanism of appointments in the higher judiciary. Any Constitutional amendment bill requires ratification by at least 50% of the state legislatures. Sources said the Law Ministry has been informed by 16 of the 29 states that the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) bill has been ratified. The names of all the states which have ratified the bill was immediately not known. The Rajya Sabha Secretariat which had earlier this year sent the bill to the states for ratification is expected to receive authenticated copies of their approval in the coming days. Goa, Rajasthan, Tripura and Gujarat had last month ratified the bill. Also, UP assembly had ratified the bill last month with an amendment amid protests by BJP MLAs. Once the ratifications have been formally received, the bill will be sent to the President for his assent. Parliament had in August cleared the bill that will facilitate setting up of a commission for appointment of judges, replacing the 20-year-old collegium system, which has been under severe criticism. The bill will make way for the setting up of National Judicial Appointments Commission, which will appoint and transfer judges to the Supreme Courts and the 24 High Courts. The bill will grant Constitutional status to the NJAC and its composition. Chief Justice of India will head the NJAC. Besides the CJI, the judiciary would be represented by two senior judges of the Supreme Court. Two eminent personalities and the Law Minister will be the other members of the proposed body. (DNA 28/12/14)
72. There's no north-south divide: Madras high court (19)
CHENNAI: The Madras high court on Monday dismissed a "public interest petition" that objected to the court granting four to five days of holidays for "north Indian" festivals like Diwali, and imposed an exemplary cost of Rs 20,000 on the petitioner. Slamming a journalist who filed the petition and accusing him of raising divisive issues for publicity, the first bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice M Sathyanarayanan said: "There is no north-south divide, but for the endeavours of persons like the petitioner, who seek to raise divisive issues only to gain publicity and create unrest among people. It is necessary for this court to come down with heavy hands on such endeavours." Petitioner V Anbazhagan, claiming that till a couple of decades ago the high court had been granting just a day's leave for Diwali, said that because chief justices of the HC happen to be from north India they tried to thrust northern culture on the people of Tamil Nadu. Granting four days of holidays in November 2015 for Diwali is unnecessary and it makes advocates jobless and affects court work, he said. Not more than one day should be declared as a holiday for Diwali, he said. Rejecting his contention, the first bench said the court's calendar had been prepared after a lot of deliberations. "Whether advocates are rendered jobless or not is not the concern of the petitioner, as advocates and their representatives are consulted during the framing of the calendar. It need not be the concern of all and sundry," the judges said. The petitioner cannot set the calendar of the court by raising a divisive issue "of mythological nature", they said. As for the PIL's averment that senior judges were being brought from northern states, they said: "It is immaterial who presides over this court as chief justice. That is an instant of policy of having an outsider as chief justice, possibly to have greater national amalgamation." Noting that India was a vast country with various cultures, language and food habits, they said: "All these cultures combined together form the nation of India. It is something to be celebrated. It should not segregate the country into two parts by raising divisive issues, as the petitioner seeks to do." The bench asked the petitioner to deposit the cost within 15 days at the mediation centre of the court. (Times of India 30/12/14)
73. SC orders Rs 10 lakh interim compensation for the kin of Manipuri girl (1)
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Thursday directed the Centre to give an interim compensation of Rs 10 Lakh to the kin of Manipuri girl ThangjamManoramaDevi who was allegedly raped and killed by Assam Rifles jawans in 2004. A bench headed by Justice T S Thakur passed the order while agreeing to hear Centre's appeal challenging Gauhati High Court order of 2010 in which the HC had directed the state government to open and act upon the probe report prepared by retired district judge C Upendra Singh on the facts and circumstances leading to her death. On July 11, 2004, the bullet-riddled body of Manorama, then 32, was found at Laipharok Maring village in Imphal East. The previous night, personnel belonging to 17 Assam Rifles had picked her up from her residence at Bamon Kampu Mayai Leikai village in the same district after issuing an arrest memo. Senior advocate Colin Gonsalves, appearing for Manorma's family, said the apex court has granted leave but refused to stay HC order and directed the Centre to pay interim compensation. (Times of India 19/12/14)
74. Custodial Death: HC Stays NHRC Order to Pay Compensation (1)
KOCHI: The High Court has stayed an order issued by the NHRC, directing four police officials to pay compensation of `1 lakh to the legal heirs of a person who died in custody at the Thalassery police station in 2010. Justice A Muhamed Mustaque issued the interim order on the petition filed by Thamban Nambiar K, sub-inspector at the Dharmadam police station; James A J, senior civil police officer at the Peravoor police station; Ambikamini U N, woman civil police officer at the Thalassery police station; and Joju Sebastian, civil police officer at the Karikkottakari police station, seeking a directive to quash the NHRC order. The petitioners stated that while they were serving as police officers at the Thalassery police station in 2010 in charge of guard duty, Komath Nazar, who was arrested in connection with a cheating case, tried to commit suicide inside the lockup by hanging himself using his dress. Then, the petitioners intervened immediately, and took Nazar to the Thalassery Government Hospital. However, he died in the hospital. Later, His wife Khadeeja of Muzhuppilangad approached the NHRC, which on January 31 issued the order to pay compensation. The report filed by the State Police Chief stated that the police officers, who were on guard duty at the time of the death, were responsible for the unfortunate incident. Counsel for the petitioners K R Sunil submitted that the police officers were not a party in the complaint, and that they were not heard by the State Police Chief before sending the report. "The NHRC also flouted all principles of natural justice by not providing an opportunity to the petitioners to express their views, while passing an order," the petitioners stated. (New Indian Express 23/12/14)
75. Valley vote not about Azadi, Article 370 or AFSPA (1)
With completion of more or less peaceful elections in which voters in the Kashmir braved the boycott call and came out to vote, deciphering the Kashmiri mind poses tricky issues. How do we read the fact that 55.5 per cent voters in the Valley turned out to vote? Kashmir-experts had pointed out in 2008-09 itself that the voter in the Valley makes a distinction between voting to elect a government and accepting integration with the Indian union. Only four per cent voters consciously saw these elections as being about Azadi, Article 370, AFSPA, human rights violation, etc. For most, the elections were about governance and delivery related issues. While some saw elections as about infrastructure issues or more immediate issues of floods, for a majority, elections were about development. The trend in the Valley was not very different from that of Jammu. The survey also asked respondents their opinion about the 'Kashmir issue' (Kashmir masla). (Table 7) The responses are enigmatic because more than four in every ten persons do not offer any opinion on this. Yet, it needs to be frontally recognised that very few Kashmiris endorse the 'status quo'. Equally clearly, merger with Pakistan too is not endorsed by more than one per cent respondents. The most dominant theme is 'azadi', autonomy, plebiscite, and/or self-rule. There is one clear change from 2008: the proportion of those who did not offer any response has increased manifold now. Whether this represents moderation in pro-azadi opinion or simply reticence is tough to tell. The fact that there is enough space for th' 'separatist' politics in the valley is however evident through other findings of the survey too. A large section in the Valley believes that Hurriyat is best suited for solving the Kashmir issue. (Table 8)Similarly, respondents repose robust trust in th' 'separatists' — more than they trust the parties and the government. As far as the leaders are concerned, Syed Ali Shah Geelani enjoys greater trust than Ghulam Nabi Azad, Omar Abdullah, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and Mehbooba Mufti.Popular response is unambiguous about the identity of the average Kashmiri. (Table 9) Asked how they identify themselves, three in every four respondents said they are 'Kashmiris'. Only 15 per cent said they are both Indian and Kashmiri. Clearly, the normal pattern prevalent in rest of India, where people have negotiated with dual identity as Indians and belonging to a region, does not obtain in Kashmir Valley. In contrast, respondents in Jammu do not identify themselves much with Kashmir — they choose to identify more exclusively 's 'Indian' and only twenty per cent from Jammu region identify with Kashmir. Herein lies the complication of the state called Jammu & Kashmir. As our survey shows, on almost all issues the two regions do not see eye to eye. They think differently, they identify differently, they vote differently too. And the government thus elected has to govern for the entire state of J&K. (Indian Express 25/12/14)
76. PDP seeks assurance from BJP on Article 370 and AFSPA (1)
SRINAGAR: The stalemate over government formation in Jammu and Kashmir continued for the fifth day today as PDP sought assurance from BJP over certain issues like safeguarding Article 370 and revocation of AFSPA which form the core agenda of the regional party. "All options are still open, no decision has been taken yet on formation of government in the state with any other party," PDP spokesperson Naeem Akhter told PTI here. He said the leadership of PDP, which emerged as the single largest party in the assembly elections, was discussing all its options for government formation including an alliance with the BJP. "There are certain issues which form our core agenda and require an assurance that these will be accepted by our potential alliance partner, whichever party it might be," he said. Akhter said his party's stand on safeguarding Article 370, which guarantees special status to Jammu and Kashmir within the Indian union, was non-negotiable. He also said that the party was committed on revocation of Armed Forces Special Powers Act from the state, besides initiating a political process for resolution of Kashmir issue. Asked if his party would consider the demand for rotational chief ministership from any future alliance partner, the PDP spokesman said the negotiations have not reached that stage with any of the parties. He said Congress has also given a proposal for government formation to the PDP which is under the consideration by the party. On the National Conference's offer of unconditional support to PDP for government formation, Akhter said his party has received no such communication so far from its arch rival. "As and when such an offer is received we will surely discuss it and decide the future course of action," he said. Meanwhile, PDP President Mehbooba Mufti said only Akhter is authorised to articulate the party's views in the media on policy matters. "The statements of the Chief Spokesman (Akhter) should be taken as the stated position of the party on various policy issues. "In the prevailing hazy political scenario, unqualified comments in the media only add to the confusion and fuel wild speculation," Mehbooba said in a statement. She said as a responsible political party, the PDP will take not only its cadres but the people of the State on board before arriving on any decision regarding the future course of action. "I want to assure my party cadres and the people that whatever decision is to be taken will be taken in the larger interest of the State and its people," the PDP president said. She said the mandate given by the people to the PDP to represent the political aspirations and economic interests of all the regions and sub-regions of the state would be represented and valued in adequate measure. (The Economic Times 28/12/14)
77. 'Use social media with caution' (1)
NAGPUR: Social media is seen as a platform to express and rant without any filters by most young users. However, this indiscriminate expression can often lead to trouble with the law. It is due to this that experts in the field advise caution when putting up one's thoughts in a digital form. Various aspects of social media and judiciary, especially when it comes to the behaviour of the younger netizens were discussed at the Nagpur Cyber Security Summit, organized by NGO Cyber Awareness Organization (CAO) and the department of computer technology of Yashwantrao Chavan College of Engineering, on Saturday. A special session by director of Institute of Forensic Science Anjali Rahatgaonkar about the scope and opportunities in the emerging field of cyber forensics was also organized. A cyber security research club was also formed in the college. "We often don't see the dark underbelly of social media which is made worse by ignorance among general public. There have been instances where messages circulated through instant messaging platforms and on social media led to the arrest of an innocent woman alleged to be a con artist and even riots," said advocate Mahendra Limaye, founder of CAO. Head of the computer technology department AR Bhagat Patil added surveys pointed to an increase in cyber crime, especially that perpetrated by youngsters in the age group of 15-25. "While planning their seemingly covert operations, these young people don't realize that their digital footprints can be traced back and get them into trouble," he said. Secretary of District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) Kishor Jaiswal spoke about the conflicts between two provisions of Indian legislature – 66A and 19. While the former says that any content sent through a digital medium found offensive can land the sender in jail, the latter provides every citizen the freedom of expression. "Section 66A is tricky as offensive can be subjective and depends on the interpretation, change of language, etc. There are no clear case laws to deal with several situations that can arise in the age of digital communications. Therefore a responsible internet user needs to practise restraint," he advised. Cleaning one's digital footprints is as important as cleaning one's house, said additional general manager of RTTC Nagpur Regional Telecom Training Centre Manish Shukla. "A service provider has access to at least six months' worth of their clients' digital history. From potential recruiters to police, anyone with the right reasons can have access to this history, too," he said. (Times of India 21/12/14)
78. Focus on developmental issues, CM tells media (1)
KOTTAYAM: Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has called upon the media to channelize their energies in focussing on the general interests of the society and the developmental challenges of the State, rather than concentrating on controversies. Speaking on the occasion of the presentation of media awards instituted by the State government here on Tuesday, Mr Chandy pointed out that initiatives like Kudumbasree, Aasraya, Student Police Cadets and palliative care provided by the local bodies have to be looked at close quarters to ascertain their impact in confronting the second generation challenges faced by the State. Constructive criticism was crucial component of ensuring effective democratic process as it would help those in power to make necessary changes in the policies they follow. In spite of being at the receiving end of criticism he had always appreciated scrutiny by the media, he pointed out. If the media in the State could focus on constructive criticism that would help those in power to do much more than anywhere in India, he said.In his presidential address, K C Joseph, Minister for Information and Public Relations said the situation existing in the visual media, both in terms of their working conditions and remunerations, was not on par with what was existing in the print and this has to be addressed. Mr Joseph also called upon the visual media to create a code of conduct for themselves so that the current cut throat competition for TRP where truth often become the scapegoat. The current situation would ultimately affect the credibility of visual media in general, he pointed out. The chief minister presented the awards carrying a purse of Rs.25,000 and citation each, to G Jayachandran, R Krishnaraj, Sameer A Hameed, Fausia Mustafa, Shaju K V, Shani P T, Shefeeque Khan and K R Gopikrishnan. He also presented the special mention awards carrying a purse of Rs.15,000 and citation each, to sarathchandran and Veena George. (The Hindu 24/12/14)
79. Political parties, writers rally behind Tamil writer (1)
CHENNAI: Political parties and writers have rallied behind Tamil writer Perumal Murugan, who is under attack from the BJP and other Hindu outfits, for what they call the denigration of Lord Shiva and women devotees in his novel Madhorubhagan. The Tamil Nadu Progressive Writers and Artistes Association (TNPWAA) on Saturday organised a demonstration here, in which senior writers participated to express solidarity with Mr. Murugan. TNPWAA general secretary Su. Venkatesan and president Tamilselvan alleged that the Sangh Parivar had sought to turn people of a particular area against a writer, hailing from the region. "Any attack on creative works and authors will only turn the clock back. Madhorubhagan deals with human relations in the backdrop of an age-old practice in a part of Tamil Nadu. It cannot be construed as an insult to women or religion," they said and alleged that these kind of activities were on the rise after the BJP assumed office at Centre. While CPI(M) State secretary G. Ramakrishan spoke to Mr. Murugan and expressed solidarity, Viduthalai Chiruthaikal Katchi leader Thol. Thirumavalavan, in a statement, said the demand for a ban on the novel was part of a larger design of the Sangh Parivar to convert Tamil Nadu into a land of clashes. At a press conference, TNCC president EVKS Elangovan said: "Such actions violate the fundamental right of expression. Artistic right to express should not be stifled." Mr. Ramakrishnan wondered why the BJP and its offshoots wanted to ban a novel published in 2010. "No one can suppress the freedom of expression. I told Mr. Murugan that my party will stand by him," he said. Alleging that the Sangh Parivar was emboldened to act as the cultural police after the BJP assumed power at the Centre, he urged the State government to provide adequate security for the writer and his family. Mr. Thirumavalavan said the Sangh Parivar had no right to interfere with the creativity of a writer, who had portrayed a tradition that was in vogue many years ago. Hindutva ideologue and writer Aravindan Neelakantan reiterated that the RSS had never favoured the idea of banning books. "Immediately after the ban on Salman Rushdie's Satanic Verses, Shiv Sena demanded similar measure against Riddles in Hinduism and its removal from Dr Ambedkar's collected works. But the RSS opposed the ban and wanted it to be published," he said. Accusing the media of blowing out of proportion the activities of a few fringe elements in Tiruchengode, he said the RSS had nothing to do with this incident. In his novel, Mr. Murugan had portrayed the life of guilt-driven childless couple in the backdrop of a "free, consensual sex ritual" held during the car festival of Arthanareeswarar temple in Tiruchengode. (The Hindu 29/12/14)
80. I&B ministry gaining steam on social media (1)
NEW DELHI: With Prime Minister Narendra Modi leading from the front, social media outreach of I&B ministry and its associated bodies has got a major boost with over 16 lakh followers on Twitter, nearly 90,000 YouTube subscribers and around 30 lakh likes on Facebook. Senior officials say the Information and Broadcasting ministry has utilised the new media to disseminate information in an unprecedented manner. "The celebration of former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee's birthday on December 25 as the Good Governance Day is just one of the examples of how I&B ministry utilized the new medium aggressively. On Facebook, the ministry posted 35 times, including around 22 plates with Vajpayee's poetry written on them. "And as per our information, in a single day, the reach of these posts was approximately 7.5 lakh people," a senior official told PTI. On the same day, officials of the I&B ministry also posted another 43 posts on twitter which reached another 4,82,000 people approximately, officials added. These posts were retweeted in one day more than 8,460 times, they added. The Ministry of I&B and associated bodies like Press Information Bureau, All India Radio (AIR) and Doordarshan have established a sophisticated strategy to lead online coverage of important events live, an official said. And this strategy is evolving and the ministry is now planning to extensively use 'Whatsapp' and develop mobile applications to expand its reach in the social media space. Citing instances, where the ministry's use of social media has been quite successful, officials named PM's address at Madison Square Garden, IFFI opening and closing ceremonies, launch of flagship programmes etc. "The kind of impact this social media strategy has can be assessed from the fact that the total number of impressions of I&B Ministry's Twitter account during the period when International Film Festival was held was a substantial 26 lakhs," a senior official said. (Tims of India 30/12/14)
81. Gujarat conversions spark anger (7)
Valsad/New Delhi: Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) came under fire Sunday from the Congress and other opposition parties after more than 200 tribal Christians were converted to Hinduism in Gujarat. "Extreme right wing is flexing its muscles. VHP/RSS through Hindutva … rewriting history and economic policies," Congress leader Digvijay Singh posted on Twitter. Another Congress leader Rashid Alvi said such acts by right-wing outfits only created a bad impression about India across the world. "This is totally unfortunate whatever is happening. In the world, India had a different image of having people practising various religious beliefs, speaking different languages — based on which the country was built… These actions will only create bad impression about the country," Alvi told ANI. "Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and others are trying to destroy the country. If these people have been converted by coercion or inducement then it is a clear violation of law. But then what kind of image of India will be in the world," he added. CPI leader D Raja also hit out at the VHP's move saying, "India is not a Hindu Rashtra, but a democratic republic." A Gujarat-based priest said he could not "accept that anyone who has been a Christian will convert to other religion by personal choice"."VHP is forcing people and luring them to convert their religion," Father Dominic was quoted as saying by Zee News. Saturday's mass ceremony took place in a tribal village 350 kilometres south of Ahmedabad."As part of the ongoing 'ghar-wapsi' programme, VHP re-converted 225 people from Christian community and took them back into Hindu religion," said Valsad district VHP chief Natu Patel. VHP organised a 'Maha Yagnya' (ritual of the sacred fire) for "purification" of the tribals before taking them back in Hindu-fold and also gave each of them a copy of Bhagwad Gita. One of the converts told AFP they were promised ration cards and other financial incentives if they switched religions. The VHP ceremony came just hours after BJP president Amit Shah dared opposition parties to move a bill against "forcible conversions" The incident came against the backdrop of a raging debate over such programmes being organised by Sangh Parivar groups in various parts of the country. A controversy had erupted early this month when a right wing group had organised a 'ghar-wapsi' drive wherein it reportedly converted about 100 Muslims in Agra in Uttar Pradesh. The incident had created a ruckus in the Rajya Sabha, with the Opposition demanding a statement from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. A similar incident was also reported from BJP-ruled Chhattisgarh where a party MP had claimed 39 tribal Christians were re-converted to Hinduism in Maoist-hit Bastar district in October this year. If people are converting voluntarily,there should be no problem, but if force is being used, State Govt should take action: Venkaiah Naidu (Hindustan Times 21/12/14)
82. After Trilokpuri and Bawana, Delhi is nervous again (7)
New Delhi: Barely two months after he saw his neighbourhood burning, Trilokpuri resident Zeeshan Haider is again getting a sense of foreboding after RSS-backed organisations decided to felicitate converted Muslims from Meerut at a rally in central Delhi's Ramlila grounds on Christmas. "The situation had just started getting better. Hindus and Muslims had started interacting amicably again, going about their business normally," the 27-year-old told HT on Monday. "The talk about conversions may again polarise and lead to bitterness." The poll-bound Capital has slowly been getting on the boil in the last few months. From Dalit colonies to campuses, from shop corners to office water coolers, talk swirls around imminent polarisation. November's Trilokpuri violence that injured over 70 was immediately followed by communal tensions in northwest Delhi's Bawana. Earlier this month, a prominent Catholic church in northeast Delhi's Dilshad Garden burnt down amid allegations of foul play and religious polarisation in the city ahead of assembly polls likely early next year. As organisers put up tents for participants at the Ramlila grounds and the police up their presence, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat's recent call to Delhiites to fund tribals so that they don't convert has added to the murmurs. "Those who have willingly converted should be left alone. I know a few of them," said Ramesh Singh, 47, a dry fruits trader from the old city. "But forcible conversions, be it from any religion, must stop." Even BJP leaders are in two minds. "At a time when the Opposition is targeting then BJP over conversions, senior leaders should ideally stay away from such an event," said a leader of the BJP's Delhi unit, requesting anonymity. "But we don't have much of a say in this. Seniors take the call. If they want members of the Delhi BJP to attend, we will have to," he added. The RSS expects 25,000 to participate from across Delhi and the national capital region with around 5,000 of them from Gurgaon. "There will be RSS members, students of DAV schools and members of the Arya Samaj too. In support of the PM's Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan, there will be a special float (jhaki) and after the event, RSS leaders will clean the rally venue," said RSS leader Vagish Issar. He said Dalits would participate in big numbers, a community the BJP wants to win over from the Aam Aadmi Party. Elections, after all, are just round the bend. (Hindustan Times 23/12/14)
83. Anti-conversion bill will create communal tension: Archbishop Moras (7)
BENGALURU: Bernard Moras, the archbishop of Bengaluru has said that the NDA pushing for the proposed anti-conversion bill was in contradiction of its election manifesto of upholding the secular tenets of the constitution and that is will create communal tension in the county, whose citizens have the right to follow the faith of their choice voluntarily. Chief minister Siddaramaih, and home minister K J George also condemned the move with the former saying the State will not support the bill. Rendering his Christmas message, Moras said that the move "desecrates the constitution and is usurping the constitutional rights." "…All of us are against forceful conversion, but if persons, on their own free will, wish to embrace any religion, how can we label it fraudulent?" he asked. Stating that the Christian community opposes the bill in a bid to safe guard the secular fabric of the nation, he said: "If we aren't making out opinions known to people, especially those in power, the anti-conversion bill will be forced upon us. The government, by forcibly introducing this wants to create communal tension and polarization in the country, and will unnecessarily cause a serious infringement of fundamental rights." He also sought explanation from the government about other religious leaders propagating their religious tenets to the people here and abroad so as to make them embrace the religion they propagate. Answering a specific question on the sidelines before Moras spoke, George said: "Any government should respect the constitution and not bring about drastic changes to it. Just as the constitution does not support forceful conversions, it gives citizens the rights to voluntarily pick the religion they want to follow." Siddaramaiah, made a more formal commitment by including his disagreement in his speech. "Hinduism prescribes mutual respect for all religions and beliefs, but some people like building walls between people and cause trouble. The makers of our constitution had a secular India in mind and nobody should contradict it. The congress is a secular party and we'll not support this." He added that there will be no compromise from the government here… (Times of India 24/12/14)
84. Tension in Assam areas, day curfew relaxed (7)
Guwahati : Curfew was relaxed for a few hours Sunday in Assam's violence-hit districts where the death toll in ethnic violence now officially stands at 75, officials said. Tension persisted in Kokrajhar and Sonitpur districts in particular which accounted for most killings, Home Secretary Pratik Hajela said. Hajela added that the army and other security forces had intensified their operations against Bodo militants who massacred unarmed adivasis Dec 23 in three districts, inviting retaliatory violence. The security crackdown is taking place along the border with Bhutan. "We hope the situation will improve soon," Hajela said. The army has deployed 66 columns for the operation. The central government has sent 50 companies of paramilitary forces to Assam. Another official said the district administrations Sunday relaxed the curfew imposed after the violence for a few hours but said the night curfew will continue. Security forces are particularly active in the four Bodoland Territorial Areas Districts districts of Kokrajhar, Chirang, Baksa and Udalguri. Operations are also going on along the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border in Sonitpur, the worst affected district. On Saturday, army chief Gen Dalbir Singh reviewed the situation in Assam in the wake of violence unleashed by the anti-talk faction of National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB). The violence has displaced over one lakh people in four districts. Hajela said Bodo militants killed 41 people, including 15 women and 14 children, in Sonitpur district. Another 31 tribals, including 10 women and four children, were killed in Kokrajhar district. The militants killed another three people in Chirang district. Three people also died in police firing at Dhekiajuli in Sonitpur when thousands of tribals took to the streets to denounce the violence. Hajela said the dead included 61 adivasis, including the three in police firing, 12 Bodos and two Bengali-speaking people. "Although the NDFB's violence affected three districts initially, its backlash spread to neighbouring Udalguri district. A total of 364 houses have been set on fire in the four districts. Hazela said the state government had prioritised relief work for the over one lakh people living in 81 relief camps. There are over 80,000 people in 52 relief camps in Kokrajhar, about 12,000 people in 11 camps in Chirang and 6,485 people in nine other camps in Sonitpur, he said. The government has opened centres across the state to collect donations to help out the homeless. "If anyone wants to donate clothes, foods or cash, they can. We will distribute these," the official said. (Business Standard 28/12/14)
85. MP: Cow slaughter causes communal tension (7)
Curfew was clamped in Gairatganj town of Raisen district, 50 km from Bhopal, on Monday following communal tension over alleged cow slaughter in butcher's market. Superintendent of police (SP) Deepak Verma said the police had received information about cow slaughter in a butcher's market at Gairatganj. When a police team reached the market, skin and flesh of cow were recovered. "One of the butchers, who had sacrificed the cow, has been arrested while the other fled from the spot," he added. After the incident, rumours led to communal tension in the area. Some incidents of arson and stone pelting were also reported. Saffron organisations also held a demonstration and created ruckus at the bus stand. Police used tear gas to control the situation and resorted to use of force to disburse the mob. District administration imposed section 144 in the town. But after reviewing the condition, collector JK Jain imposed curfew. In the violent incidents, about half-a-dozen people have received injuries. Additional police forces from Begumganj, Silwani, Sagar, Vidisha and Raisen have been rushed to Gairatganj. Collector JK Jain said police have arrested 13 people who were spreading rumours and intensifying tension in the town. Superintendent of police Verma said, "Police are trying to nab the other accused in cow slaughter incident. Now, the situation is under control. No reports of violence have been reported in the evening." This is the third time when curfew has been imposed at a place in Raisen district because of communal tension. (Hindustan Times 30/12/14)
86. Fresh row on conversions, 'Hindus lured' (26)
Lucknow: Reports of 'conversion' of scores of Hindus into Christianity through alleged 'allurements' triggered tension in some districts in Uttar Pradesh. Police sources here said as many as 70 people, mostly from the scheduled and backward castes, had reportedly converted to Christianity in Baharaich district, about 200 kilometres from Lucknow. Reports said a Christian outfit 'lured' these poor people of Kamalpuri village in the district into changing their faith and made them join a prayer meeting at a makeshift church. A police team was rushed to the village after reports of tension following conversion and the matter is being investigated, police sources said adding that some villagers alleged that they were being pressurised to change their faith.One person has been taken into custody. Report of alleged conversion also triggered tension in Gorakhpur district, about 275 kilometres from here. Hundreds of people came out to the streets and held demonstration against the alleged conversion of some Hindus into Christianity at Pipraich area on Wednesday evening. The saffron outfits have warned that they will oppose any attempt to encourage conversion of Hindus. "We will not tolerate if attempts are made to convert the Hindus by luring them," said district Hindu Yuva Vahini (HYV) president Anand Shahi. The HYV was floated by Mahant Adityanath, the firebrand BJP MP from Gorakhpur. Six persons were arrested for allegedly encouraging the conversion, police said.The state government has already sounded an alert after the recent 'mass conversion' of over 250 Muslims into Hinduism at Agra. "The authorities have been directed to act swiftly in cases of conversion. While we cannot stop voluntary conversion, it must be ensured that no one was forced," said a senior official here on Thursday. (Deccan Herald 19/12/14)
87. Our motive is not to convert people's religion, but to win hearts: VHP leader Ashok Singhal
New Delhi: Defending the Ghar Vapsi campaign being carried out by some Hindu groups, Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Ashok Singhal on Sunday said that the motive is to make people aware of their ancestors. "We are committed to protect Hindutva. Our aim is not to convert people's religion, but to win their hearts," Singhal told reporters. Speaking at a book launch, VHP patron Ashok Singhal said it was due to their "struggle" in the last 50 years that Hindus have "regained" the lost "empire" of Delhi after 800 years. "Our culture and religion were subjugated and we struggled. In 800 years, a day has now come in which we can say we have a government which is committed to protecting Hindutva. Our values will be gradually established in the country. "We want an invincible Hindu society which works for the world's welfare according to these values… We have never gone out to convert the world but to win over their heart," Singhal said, apparently referring to the recent row over conversion. Referring to the BJP government, he said Hindus have come back to power in Delhi after Rajput king Prithviraj Chauhan lost it in the 12th century. He claimed that various powers in their attempts to capture the world have brought it close to a world war. "You can see that in Australia and in Central Asia. The danger of 'Islamic terrorism' we can see in Europe. This war could have been stopped but the way different powers are in a race to establish their reign in the world, it seems this world war is inevitable," he said. However, he said Hindus will not be a "player" in such a war as they have always sought to win the world by love and believed in spiritual and not material victory. "They (others) are showcasing their strength on the basis of hate… World will have to think that if we have to live together then we can do so only on the basis of mutual love that India has been propagating," he said. (Zee News 21/12/14)
88. Large-scale re-conversion likely on Christmas (26)
KOCHI: Even as the controversy over 'ghar vapsi' is raging, around 200 persons, mostly Christians, have been brought back to the Hindu fold during the past few days by the Viswa Hindu Parishad (VHP) in Kerala. Indications are that a large number of people would be brought back to the Hindu fold on Christmas Day, though VHP sources said that no major events had been specially planned for the day. Sources close to the developments indicated that preparations were under way for re-converting close to 300 persons on the day at different centres, including Ernakulam and Idukki districts. Leaders of the Kerala unit of the organisation said the re-conversion drive would go full-throttle in the coming days and there were no directions from the national leadership to put the campaign on hold. While 80 per cent of the re-conversions were from Christianity, a few incidents of Muslims returning to the Hindu faith had also taken place. People who were converted from Ezhava, and Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes communities to Christianity had been mostly returning recently. Muslims too had returned at functions held at some parts of Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode, sources said. Dharm Prasar, the VHP organ focusing on re-conversion, is planning to bring back 250 families by the year-end. Around 80 families have already returned to Hinduism at regional events held at Thodupuzha, Mavelikara, Kollam, Kasaragod, Thrissur, and Ernakulam. The events were being planned as low-key affairs considering the likely resistance that may come up against re-conversions, sources said. VHP Kshetriya Sanghatana secretary K.N. Venkiteswaran, when asked about the plans for mass conversion programmes on Christmas, said if people came forward to return to Hinduism on that day, the homecoming would be arranged. The VHP leader, who claimed that the drive had received overwhelming response, said the organisation would facilitate people returning to their original faith. The helpline run by the VHP had been receiving close to 200 calls a day seeking support to return to Hinduism, he said. The re-conversion drive, an ongoing process, would continue in the coming days and those willing to return to "Swadharma" would be given all protection and guarded against any social discrimination, VHP leaders said. Annually, around 2,000 people had been coming back over the years. Fear factor was holding back Muslims from coming back to Hinduism, he said. (The Hindu 23/12/14)
89. 11 Muslims converted to Hinduism, says VHP (26)
ALAPPUZHA: A few days after arranging the reconversion of 30 Christians, the Chengannur district unit of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) on Wednesday claimed to have converted 11 Muslims to Hinduism at a ceremony in Kayamkulam. As in the previous instance, the conversion ritual was kept under wraps by VHP functionaries until its conclusion. The ceremony took place at Kizhavoor Yakshi Amman Temple at Varanappally from 7 a.m. for around two hours in the presence of VHP workers. VHP Chengannur district president Prathap G. Padickal said the persons belonged to three families, one hailing from Arattupuzha and the others from Kayamkulam. "A member each of two couples had been forcibly converted to Islam as part of love jihad years ago," he said and added that the third family hailed from Tamil Nadu and had settled in the State. "All the three families have been practising Hindu rituals and customs for some time. They had approached the VHP seeking our assistance for the conversion," Mr. Padickal said. He refused to divulge the identities of the three families in order to "ensure their protection". The VHP leader also declined to say whether there would be further conversions in the region in the coming days. (The Hindu 25/12/14)
90. Another idea from Hindutva lab: 'bahu lao-beti bachao' (26)
Lucknow: After "love jihad" and "ghar wapsi", now its "bahu lao-beti bachao" campaign. Notwithstanding the controversy generated over the first two, Bajrang Dal, the youth wing of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, has announced the launch of "bahu lao-beti bachao" campaign. Under it, they will "protect Hindu boys who marry Muslim or Christian girls" and will also create awareness among Hindu families "to protect their girls from falling in love or getting married to Muslim or Christian boys". Bajrang Dal will launch the campaign from February 17 in Uttar Pradesh. Its office bearers here have already discussed the campaign at the "Hindu Sammelan" that the VHP recently organised across the country to mark its golden jubilee. VHP is an offshoot of Rashrtiya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Bajrang Dal state convenor Ajju Chauhan told The Indian Express that the "bahu lao-beti bachao" campaign will be a reply to "love jihad" and will seek to bring girls from Muslim or Christian communities as daughters-in-laws for Hindu families. "In 'love jihad', Muslim youths use fake identity of being a Hindu to marry Hindu girls for which they get funding from different organisations. But, in 'bahu lao-beti bachao' campaign, we will neither ask the Hindu youths to cheat girls, nor provide them any money to lure girls of other communities," Chauhan said. He said Bajrang Dal will only provide protection to the couple —- Hindu boy and Muslim or Christian girl – if they face threat from their families before or after marriage. Bajrang Dal will also help any such couple to get married if their families oppose the decision, he added. The campaign will be launched in other states such as Kerala and Karnataka. A mass awareness campaign on 'bahu lao-beti bachao" will start soon through street plays, pamphlets and hoardings. (Indian Express 28/12/14)
91. RSS open to re-conversion of Goan Catholics (26)
Panaji: In the midst of a nationwide row over the issue of re-conversion, a senior Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) official said that the organisation was open to facilitate the 'Ghar Wapsi' of willing Goan Catholics, whose ancestors were forcibly converted during the colonial Portuguese era. Speaking to a select group of journalists in Goa, on the sidelines of a training camp for 15-year-old plus RSS volunteers, Sharad Kunte, who heads the Sangh's intellectual wing for the western region, also said that the RSS was not actively seeking to re-convert people, but only serving as a facilitator or guide to those who wanted to come back into their original religious fold. "If they want to come back, we are ready to welcome them," Mr. Kunte said, when asked about the Sangh's position on Hindus who had been converted by the Portuguese centuries earlier. He spoke about Goa's colonial past and the conversions to Catholicism, which had taken place under the erstwhile Portuguese rule. "It's like this, the Portuguese had forcibly converted thousands of Hindus. They (those converted) are not around now, but I think their later generations are," Mr. Kunte said, adding that even if present day Catholics in Goa did not wish to re-convert, the RSS has no issues with it. Goa was a Portuguese colony for more than 450 years until it was liberated from Portuguese rule in 1961 by the Indian army. In the earlier part of the Portuguese regime, a large number of Goans were converted, often by force by Catholic missionaries, according to documented historical texts. Goa has a population of 1.5 million out of which more than 26 per cent are Catholics. Mr. Kunte said that the RSS's 'Ghar Wapsi' programme had nothing to do with converting people by force. "For those who want to come back (to their original religion), we are only showing them the way," Mr. Kunte added. Kunte was speaking to reporters after conducting a session on Saturday at the training camp which was attended by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar and Goa legislative assembly Speaker Rajendra Arlekar, among others A nationwide controversy erupted recently after a few right-wing Hindu organisations, some of which owe allegiance to the RSS, organised re-conversion programmes in some north Indian states to re-convert non-Hindus to Hinduism. The opposition, which had stalled the proceedings of the Rajya Sabha for several days on end over the issue, has accused the Hindu organisations of offering money as well as government perks to those who reconverted or were potential re-converts. (The Hindu 29/12/14)
92. In Bodh Gaya, 200 are 'made' Hindus (26)
Patna: Over 200 Christian Mahadalits of tiny Atia village in Bodh Gaya were "purified" on Monday under pressure from the saffron brigade to participate in their "Ghar Wapsi (homecoming) programme. The move was initiated by local BJP MP Hari Manjhi. The Sangh Parivar targeted the Mahadalit village because the villagers had embraced Christianity en bloc; they were segregated under brahminical orders from the Hindu mainstream and lived in extreme poverty. Manjhi, however, disappeared from the scene and rushed to Delhi just before the Ghar Wapsi programme was launched. According to sources in Bodh Gaya, Mr Manjhi left for Delhi after the BJP withdrew itself from the entire Ghar Wapsi episode. Till a fortnight ago the BJP had been supporting the Ghar Wapsi drive and had even sent a fact-finding team to Bhagalpur for the re-conversion of those who were baptised into Christianity. The BJP had staged a dharna outside the Bihar Assembly a few days ago to protest conversion en masse in the village. VHP members, while talking to this newspaper, said the "purification" was performed according to Sanatan rituals. The VHP members plan to start an Ekal Vidyalaya in the Christian-dominated Atia village with the sole purpose of educating the children and making them aware of the essence of Hinduism. "The villagers came to us and wanted to reconvert. We accepted their request and welcomed them and performed their shudhikaran (purification), and today around 200 men, women and children in the village returned to their original religion," Shyama Singh of the VHP told this newspaper. (Asian Age 30/12/14)
93. 26/11 accused Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi led charmed life in jail, fathered a child (12)
New Delhi: Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, granted bail by a Pakistani court on Thursday, led a charmed life in jail despite being a top member of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). Second only to Hafiz Saeed in the Lashkar hierarchy, Lakhvi was "treated like a state guest and not a terrorist" after being held in December 2008 in connection with the Mumbai terror strike. Lakhvi even fathered a child while confined on terror charges at Rawalpindi's high-security Adiala jail. This information was given to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) by co-accused Abu Jundal, who was packed off to Saudi Arabia by his handlers in the Pakistani establishment in the wake of the international heat generated by the terror attacks. Both Lakhvi and India-born Jundal worked in close coordination to train and arm Ajmal Kasab and the nine others who came to Mumbai via the sea route. According to Jundal, Lakhvi called on him in Adiala jail to tell him about his marriage and fatherhood. Lakhvi's child was kept a closely guarded secret even within the LeT ranks. Jundal's revelations only reaffirmed the belief in government circles that Lakhvi was being protected by Pakistani authorities— the ISI and the army in particular. Pakistani-American terrorist David Coleman Headley, who made several trips to Mumbai to recce the terror targets ahead of 26/11, told the NIA when it went to Chicago to interrogate him that the then ISI chief, Lt Gen Shuja Pasha, visited Lakhvi in Adiala jail. The American government, too, had shared intelligence with India that Lakhvi had access to a mobile phone in jail and that he continued to run Lashkar's operations from behind bars. An investigative online journal, ProPublica, had reported that Pakistan's then army chief, Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, had declined to confiscate Lakhvi's cellphone. Lakhvi's importance to the Pakistani establishment can also be judged from the fact that the military commander was guarded by Lashkar-e-Taiba militants even though he was housed in a high-security jail. For years now, Pakistan has also refused to hand over Lakhvi's voice samples, needed to establish that he orchestrated the Mumbai attacks from a control room in Karachi. Lakhvi's voice was identified by Jundal but protective Pakistani authorities, aware that this would amount to clinching evidence, did little to pursue the case against him despite several dossiers being handed over by India. (Hindustan Times 19/12/14)
94. Assam: Violence spreads as toll rises to 65, NIA to probe killings (12)
Guwahati: Violence spread in Assam on Wednesday as the toll in the massacre of tribals by Bodo militants rose to 65 including 21 women and 18 children, sparking a retaliation in which Bodo homes were torched and a police station attacked leaving three more tribals dead allegedly in police firing. According to reports, two Bodos people were killed when the Adivasi people burnt a number of houses belonging to the community in Kokrajhar district. There was no official confirmation of the deaths. Violence spread to a fourth district–Udalguri–when the militants of the anti-talks NDFB(S) who were behind the ethnic violence in three districts on Tuesday ired at villagers and burnt houses injuring one person. The attack triggered another round of retaliation in which the Adivasis set ablaze over 60 huts of Bodo people at Lamabari and Udalguri weekly market. Tribal plantation workers burn houses belonging to indigenous Bodo tribesmen after ethnic clashes in Balijuri village, in Sonitpur district of Assam (Reuters) As authorities mulled an offensive against Songbijit faction of National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB), Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh called the carnage as a "terror" act and that it will be dealt with accordingly. Army has been deployed in all the violence-hit areas and is 'actively' involved in maintaining law and order situation since last night, a defence spokesperson said. Curfew has been clamped in all the disturbed areas under Sonitpur, Chirang and Kokrajhar districts, police said. Singh rushed to Guwahati to review the situation at a meeting with Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi and top security officials. The Chief Minister urged Singh to order an NIA inquiry into the killings and the Union Minister consented to it, sources in the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said on Wednesday night. 37 people were killed in Sonitpur district, 25 in Kokrajhar and three in Chirang district after heavily armed militants belonging to NDFB swooped down on remote Adivasi villages of the three districts last evening, Police said. Among the dead, 21 were women and 18 children, it said, adding 15 people were also injured. The Centre said it was rushing about 5,000 paramilitary personnel at the request of Assam Government even as the Chief Minister asked for more security personnel. Around 2,500 people have fled their homes and are staying in relief camps after the attack, an official said. An all-out offensive will be launched against NDFB militants jointly by police, paramilitary forces and army in the wake of the violence, sources said in Delhi. The decision was taken at a high-level meeting chaired by Rajnath Singh in Delhi and attended by top officials of Home and Defence ministries and paramilitary forces, they said. Even as Gogoi said firm steps were being taken to prevent the situation from escalating, violent protests by Adivasis erupted against the killings. Police opened fire as angry protestors turned violent in Dhekiajuli of Sonitpur district, a police official said. The protestors, armed with bow and arrows, were marching towards the police station in Dhekajuli town and despite repeated appeal by police to stop, they marched on and attempted to storm the police station, he said. Police initially attempted to disperse the protestors by resorting to lathicharge, but opened fire when the situation worsened, the official said. Three persons were killed and several others injured in police action, he said. Angry protestors also set ablaze twenty houses allegedly belonging to the people of the Bodo community in Phuloguri in Sonitpur district. (DNA 25/12/14)
95. Centre extends ban on NDFB(S) for 5 years (12)
NEW DELHI, Dec 26 – Government has extended the ban imposed on NDFB (S), by five more years, reports PTI. The ban is applicable to all factions of NDFB, sources said today. The notification declaring the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) as an outlawed organisation under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for five years was issued by the Home Ministry on Monday, official sources said. The Home Ministry has approached a Tribunal set up by the Delhi High Court for the ratification of its order. The anti-talks faction of NDFB, led by Songbijit Ingti Kathar, has killed more than 70 Adivasi tribals in three districts of Assam in the last four days. Songbijit in 2009 fell out with the outfit's top leadership and floated NDFB(S), now the most dreaded faction. Meanwhile, the Centre today extended the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement with NDFB (Progressive) for six months till June 30, 2015. This followed tripartite talks with the representatives of NDFB (P) held on December 22, 2014. (The Assam Tribune 27/12/14)
96. Bangalore blast: NIA yet to be handed over probe (12)
New Delhi: With Sunday's Bengaluru blast, the number of cases in which banned outfit Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) is under scanner has risen to almost half a dozen. But the Union home ministry is yet to hand over any of these cases to the National Investigation Agency (NIA). "The NIA had written to the Union home ministry almost three months back asking three cases — the Bijnor blast (September 12), Karim Nagar bank robbery (February 2) and Pune's police station parking blast (July 11) – be handed over as it is suspected SIMI operatives were involved. But the ministry is yet to take a decision on it," said a government official. A counter terror official added that the list of cases where SIMI operatives who escaped from Khandwa prison in September last year, is suspected to have been involved has become quite exhaustive. "Their role is also suspected in the Chennai train blast (May 1), Roorkee blast (December 6) and Rewari incident of September 25 when a bomb was detected in the nick of time from a passenger train," he said. In most of the cases, forensic experts have said the improvised explosive devices used to conduct blasts consisted of an elbow shape pipe of around two inch diameter, timers, two to three detonators and nails as shrapnel. "Forensic experts have said the explosive was a paste of Potassium Chlorate, Ammonium Nitrate and some kind of lubricant. The IED signature in the Bengaluru blast looked similar. Despite a requirement of a coordinated probe by single agency in all these cases, the NIA has not been pressed into service," he added. NIA sources said that all the probes are scattered across the country and if one agency were to probe them, it would require working with the state police by collating and analysing all leads. The NIA was formed exclusively to probe terror activities after the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. (Hindustan Times 30/12/14)
97. Naxalites hold raiding foresters captive; snatch away guns, ammo (12)
Chandrapur: The armed offensive initiated by forest department to check interstate teakwood smuggling in Maharashtra-Telangana border in Gadchiroli received a serious jolt on Saturday afternoon after Naxalites took a raiding party of forest department staffers captive and looted three self-loaded rifles (SLR) and 60 live cartridges from them in Konjed forest in Dechlipetha range. The Red rebels thrashed the foresters brutally, injuring at least half a dozen staffers of the raiding party, before they were allowed to walk away traumatized in the evening. Sources said that the forest department had dispatched a raiding party into Dechlipetha forest following a tip-off about movement of bullock-carts carrying illegally fallen logs by teakwood smugglers. A joint posse of 24 forestmen, including six guards and 17 van-majors (forest labourers) from Dechlipetha and Jimalgatta, led by a round officer began search operation in the forest near Konjed village in the morning. Foresters looking for teakwood smugglers, however stumbled upon the group of armed Naxalites in the jungle in the afternoon. The three forest guards, identified as SN Rathod, RV Nimrad and CK Choudhary, were learnt to have received more of the thrashing from Naxalites. The posse of around 50 Naxalites surrounded the forest staffers' team and asked them to surrender. The entire team of 24 was then taken captive and three rifles and ammunition of 60 cartridges they were carrying were snatched away. Sources claimed that some foresters tried to confront the Naxalites and one of them even dared to level his gun at the rebels. But their trivial attempt was subdued brutally and those dared to confront were brutally thrashed. At least half a dozen members of forest department's posse sustained grievous injuries in thumping. A section of the cops have expressed surprise as to why there was no efforts in resisting the arms loot from the trained forest guard. "No a single bullet was fired," said an official expressing shock. The Naxalites reportedly warned the apprehended forestmen against carrying firearms in the forest and took their class for the failure of the department to curb rampant destruction of forests. The assaulted forestmen were allowed to walk away later in the evening. Foresters filed a complaint about the looting of firearms with Jimalgatta police station after returning to their base. They said that the Naxalites first separated the van majoors from the arm-wielding forest officials. The way the large posse of 50 armed Naxalites waylaid the foresters into the jungle smells of a well-laid plan. However, Sironcha DCF Prabhunath Shukla ruled out that it was a trap. He said that it was a mere coincidence that the forestmen met with the Naxalites. Earlier on December 5, 2009, Naxalites had captured the base camp in Somnur forest, near the confluence of Indrawati and Godavari river on the state border, where 35 forest department staffers were camping to curb cross-border teakwood smuggling. A posse of over 50 armed rebels had looted two guns and 20 cartridges from forest officers in the midnight raid at that time. (Times of India 22/12/14)
98. ISIS, Naxals kept home ministry busy in 2014 (12)
NEW DELHI: Terror outfit ISIS appeared to have emerged as a threat factor in the Indian security radar during 2014 which wrapped up on a tragic note with massacre of over 60 adivasi by Bodo rebels in Assam after witnessing unabated Naxal violence. However, there was considerable calm in Jammu & Kashmir, which witnessed a record turn out in the just-concluded largely peaceful assembly polls during the year in which over 560 incidents of communal violence came as a matter of concern. With the new government in saddle in Delhi and new minister Rajnath Singh in North Block, some occupants in Raj Bhavans nominated by the earlier UPA government, were nudged out and new ones appointed in their place. However, a few incumbents continued. The long struggle for separate statehood in Andhra Pradesh culminated in the creation of Telangana in June that become the country's 29th state. The arrest of a Bangalore-based executive, who was operating a pro-ISIS Twitter handle to propagate the ideology of the Middle-East terrorist group, climaxed some disquieting events earlier in the year. The disappearance of four Mumbai youths in Iraq-Syria and return of one of them raised concerns over how some of the Indian Muslim youths have become radicalized through social networking sites and other cyber outlets. Intelligence Bureau chief Asif Ibrahim recently said there was an imminent danger of Indian youths moving to the conflict zone (Iraq-Syria), emerging as a role model and such developments may directly or indirectly pose a threat to the country. "The threat potential is accentuated with some lower rung elements returning from conflict zone," he had said. The Indian hinterland continues to remain the prime focus of Pakistan-based terrorist outfits, particularly the Lashkar-e-Taiba and Indian Mujahideen, as the home ministry found that these groups were setting up their infrastructure in Bangladesh and using the porous Indo-Bangla border to send arms and ammunition into India. Blast in a madrassa in West Bengal's Burdwan has pointed out designs of the terrorists of the neighbouring country to set up bases in India. The home ministry oversaw the creation of Telangana in two phases — one before the Lok Sabha polls and the other after the simultaneous elections to the assembly. Maoists violence continued to be top security challenge for the Home Ministry in 10 Naxal-hit states, particularly in Jharkhand, Bihar and Chhattisgarh, where 14 CRPF personnel were killed in an ambush early this month. Altogether, nearly 200 civilians and more than 60 security personnel were killed in Left-wing violence. The home ministry says that Naxals have been extorting money to the tune of Rs 140 crore annually from contractors, businessmen and corporate houses while their front organisations are suspected to be receiving foreign funds clandestinely. The sudden unprovoked attack by Bodo tribals on adivasis in three Assam districts on Tuesday shattered the peace of northeast and caught the security establishment on the wrong foot. The massacre forced the government to adopt a tough stand when it decided to go all out against the insurgents. The home ministry deployed more than 1.2 lakh paramilitary personnel to provide security during the multi-phased Lok Sabha elections across the country and was credited with its successful completion with relative peace. During 2014, the home ministry extended the ban imposed on Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) saying if not curbed, the outfit will reorganise and "disrupt the secular fabric" of the country. The extension came as the government found that the activities of the outfit continue to be "prejudicial to the integrity and security of the country".Its five members, who had fled from a jail in Khandwa in Madhya Pradesh, have become a new headache for the security establishment as there have been multiple intelligence inputs that the SIMI operatives were out to carry out terror attacks. The unprecedented floods in Jammu and Kashmir also saw the Home Ministry deeply involved in rescue and relief operations and restoring communication network. The Union home secretary himself was camping in Srinagar for nearly a week to personally supervise the entire operation. (Times of India 25/12/14)
99. Maoist group eyes Northern Kerala (12)
NEW DELHI: The banned CPI(Maoist) is eyeing fertile ground in at least three districts of northern Kerala – Malappuram, Palakkad and Wayanad. Exploiting popular sentiment against environmental pollution caused by mining and quarrying activity, exploitation of natural resources, alleged highhandedness and misdeeds of forest and police officials and displacement of tribals due to tourism projects and wildlife sanctuaries, the Maoists have announced their arrival in Kerala with recent actions including vandalisation of a forest outpost in Wayanad, MNC-owned fast food restaurants in Palakad and a tourist resort in Wayanad. Recently, CPI(Maoist), through its mouthpiece, highlighted alleged miserable condition of tribals in Manjeri in Malappuram district and blamed it on the attitude of forest and tribal welfare departments. It claimed to have forced the state government to address problems of the affected people, including tribals. The extremist outfit has already formed an armed squad in Malappuram district. A series of recent actions undertaken by Western Ghats special zonal committee of the CPI(Maoist) in Palakkad and Wayanad over the past few days have left the Central security establishment worried over Kerala being the latest entrant to the list of LWE-hit states. For instance, suspected Maoists vandalized a forest outpost in Wayanad and a forest range office in Palakkad on December 21 and 22. Another group targeted two fast food restaurants of multi-national companies in Palakkad on December 22. Pamphlets issued by the outfit were recovered from the attack site, giving the call for intensification of "class struggle" and asserting people's right over land, water and forest resources. (Times of India 27/12/14)
100. Mobile towers to be set up in naxal-affected districts (12)
BHUBANESWAR: Mobile towers will come up in Berhampur, Cuttack, Keonjhar and Sambalpur districts. Telecom equipment maker VNL Limited has been identified as vendor for the project. Besides, BSNL has been asked to replace expired batteries of existing telecom towers. Left wing extremists have been consistently targeting telecom towers, which play an important role in keeping mobile phone communication intact, in southern Odisha districts like Gajapati, Malkanagiri and Rayagada. The instances of setting telecom towers on fire have come down in the recent past as towers are being installed near security establishments. After the gradual increase in deployment of security forces in naxal affected districts, extremists are finding it difficult to target towers. (The Hindu 30/12/14)
101. Man held for selling 18-year-old girl into prostitution for Rs 3 lakh (1)
Mumbai: Social Service Branch (SSB) of the city police, on Thursday, arrested a man for allegedly trying to sell an 18-year-old girl into prostitution. The accused had brought the victim, a native of Madhya Pradesh, to the city promising he would get her a job in an event management company, the police said. They have rescued the girl. According to the police, the victim is from Indore and belongs to a poor family. "The accused is known to her family. Two days ago he told her parents that he would get her a job in an event management firm in Mumbai. The family then sent the victim with the accused to Mumbai," said an SSB officer. In Mumbai, the accused was about to sell the victim to a prostitution racket and was supposed to get Rs3 lakh in the transaction. "We had received information that a woman would be sold for Rs3 lakh in a guest house at Gamdevi. Accordingly, we laid a trap and arrested the accused and rescued the girl. The accused was booked under charges of Prevention of Immoral Trafficking Act and handed over to Gamdevi police," the officer said. The accused was produced before a court which remanded him in police custody till December 24. Cops are investigating whether he has committed similar acts in the past. Police have also informed victim's parents about their daughter being rescued. They are expected to reach Mumbai in a couple of days, police said. (DNA 20/12/14)
102. 31 Assam kids among 46 trafficking victims rescued from Haryana (1)
Guwahati: Forty-six persons from a village in Bongaigaon district in western Assam – 31 of them children – have been rescued by the police from a factory in Rohtak in Haryana, with the Assam Police now asking the Haryana Police to track the culprits, both employers and traffickers, in order to check the menace. Bongaigaon additional SP Imdad Ali said these people, which included a few families too, were lured with money by a gang of traffickers from Koreya, a village under Jogighopa police station and taken to Haryana about five months ago. "While the families were taken on the promise of jobs, they were kept confined in a godown attached to a factory and were paid only a few rupees on a daily basis so that they could not save money to run away," Addl SP Ali said. "Members of two such families lodged an FIR a couple of weeks ago, following which we managed to track down the people in a factory in Rohtak district with the help of Haryana Police. But when we raided the place, the owner of the factory had already fled," the Addl SP said. The rescued persons have been brought by train to Assam and they have reached their homes on Sunday afternoon, he added. The 46 who were rescued included 31 children, several of them adolescent girls, while three women also had infants. "The adults were initially paid a salary at the end of the first month of work, but later they were only given a few rupees for daily sustenance, with the owner ensuring that they could not save money to run away," Ali said. The police are also on the look-out for three local persons – namely Rupchand Ali, Ibrahim Ali and Elahi Ali – who had allegedly lured the families to go with them to Haryana. The trio had reportedly handed over the group of people to two persons – Manoj Kumar and Tilak Kumar – in Rohtak, who in turn handed over the group to the owner of a factory that dealt in steel and iron scrap.(Indian Express 22/12/14)
103. 'Bring law to prevent human trafficking' (1)
Kolkata: At a time when trafficking of women and children continues to be a major concern for policy makers in West Bengal, activists have launched a signature campaign highlighting the need for a legislation to curb the activities of illegal placement agencies operating in the State. Activists cite instances of Chhattisgarh and Delhi where mechanism to regulate activities of placements firms have been introduced in recent past. Chhattishgarh, a State with significant tribal population, where migration and trafficking is common, has recently framed rules under the Private Placement Agencies (Regulation) Act passed by the State Assembly. In the Capital after the intervention of the Delhi High Court, a notification was issued in September 2014 which provides for compulsory registration of private placement agencies operating there within 30 days. "We urge the State Government to regulate the placement agencies operating here, form a committee to verify credentials of all placement agencies, define rights of domestic workers and ban employment of children by the placement agencies," Rishi Kanta, an activist with NGO Shakti Vahini told The Hindu. Pointing out that the campaign has been endorsed by over 4,000 people on different social networking sites, Mr. Rishi Kanta said the campaign is aimed to complement schemes like Kanyashree Prakalpa, a scholarship scheme started by the State government aimed at reducing drop out of young girls. A compilation of the signatures will be presented to the State Department of Women and Child Development, Mr. Rishi Kanta said. Vinod Kumar Tikoo, a former member of National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, also supported the initiative. Mr. Tikoo, who has worked in Chhattisgarh and Bengal, said that in certain rural areas of Chhattisgarh there were graffitis by a number of placement agencies. (The Hindu 28/12/14)
104. Bill to amend Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act tabled in LS (5)
NEW DELHI: In a bid to crack the political freeze over the appointment of Lokpal, the government on Thursday tabled in the Lok Sabha an amendment in the 2013 statute making room for Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge to join as member of the high-powered panel empowered to select the top anti-corruption ombudsman. In the existing Act, Section 4 makes only the Leader of Opposition eligible to be a member of the selection committee headed by the Prime Minister. The amendment allows the Leader of the single largest Opposition Party in the Lok Sabha to be member in case there is no "recognised" Leader of Opposition (LoP). This amendment brings the Lokpal Act in line with the Central Vigilance Act, 2003 and Right to Information Act, 2005 Further, the Amendment Bill provides that no appointment in the search committee or the proceedings of the panel would be made invalid "merely by reason of any vacancy or absence of a member" of the panel. The selection committee also has the Lok Sabha Speaker, the Chief Justice of India or a judge of the apex court nominated by him and an eminent jurist, who could be nominated by the President or any other member, besides the opposition leader. Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh introduced The Lokpal and Lokayuktas and Other Related Law (Amendment) Bill, 2014. Speaker Sumitra Mahajan had earlier rejected Congress demands for LoP status to its leader. Congress with 44 seats in the 543-member Lok Sabha has emerged as the second largest party after BJP's 282 but fell short of 10 per cent of the strength of House, a requirement to get LoP status. This Amendment Bill also provides for qualifications for appointment of Director of Prosecution in the CBI and for its functional independence. The Director of Prosecution is appointed under the provisions of the Delhi Special Police Establishment (DSPE) Act, which governs working of the CBI. (The Hindu 19/12/14)
105. Vigilance Detects Scam in Horticulture Scheme (5)
ROURKELA: Vigilance sleuths have detected misappropriation to the tune of `59 lakh in implementation of a horticulture scheme at two villages of Nuagaon block in Sundargah district. They suspect that the total amount embezzled in the scheme may cross `2 crore. Welfare Extension Officer (WEO) Purna Chandra Majhi and project officer of an NGO, Public Interest & Welfare Activity Association, Simanchal Nayak (43) were arrested in this connection on Saturday and produced at Vigilance Court in Sambalpur. Cases have also been registered against incumbent Assistant Director of Horticulture, Rourkela, SP Nayak and his predecessor Sushil Seth besides Special Officer in Panposh Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA) Sushant Das. Sources said corruption occurred in the financial years of 2012-13 and 2013-14 in implementation of Integrated Vegetable Farming & Mushroom scheme. The scheme was being implemented for BPL Scheduled Tribe farmers by Horticulture wing of Agriculture Department and Panposh ITDA through the NGO. The scheme amount was `2 crore for each of three crop seasons covering 22 villages. Investigation revealed that a fraud of `38 lakh and `21 lakh was committed at Bagdega and Jhariatoli villages respectively. Vigilance sources said the total misappropriation of Government fund may exceed `2 crore on completion of investigation in the remaining villages. The fund was misappropriated by showing inflated number of beneficiaries, negligible distribution of farm inputs and massive fraudulent spending on fake awareness programmes and appointment of ghost resource persons. (New Indian Express 21/12/14)
106. Rajasthan coop official, family sentenced in graft case (5)
AJMER: The former deputy manager of Rajasthan Cooperative Dairy Federation, Surendra Sharma, and his entire family were sentenced to six years imprisonment and fined Rs. 25 lakh each on charges of corruption and amassing wealth disproportionate to their known sources of income. Surendra Sharma, his wife Aruna and two children Gaurav (26) and Garima (24) will spend one more year in jail in case of defaulting on the fine. The court also ordered the family to deposit Rs 2.5 crore and all the gold and silver recovered from them during raids in the government treasury. It is, perhaps, the first time that a court has sent family members to jail for abetting the head of the family in corruption, though the primary case was against Surender Sharma. Mr. Sharma is said to have made money by taking commission on each truck of fodder sent to the villages. (The Hindu 22/12/14)
107. 'Graft' Figures at Meet (5)
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The bribery allegations raised by a contractor against some councillors figured in the proceedings of the City Corporation council meeting here on Saturday. The allegations raised by the contractor was that certain councillors, whom the contractor did not name, had intervened in the works of contractors demanding bribe. Ambalathara ward councillor Mujeeb Rahman said that he will proceed with legal steps against the contractor for ''defaming'' the councillors. ''The whole council was defamed by the allegation raised by the contractor. If he had faced such problems, he should have named the councillors instead of accusing the whole council. He could also have approached the Vigilance court if there were any issue of corruption,'' he said. Councillors belonging to LDF, UDF and BJP together came out against the contractor's 'revelation'. They alleged that it was an attempt by contractors to shift the attention from their own failings as they fail to finish the work on time. ''If he was an honourable person, he would have revealed the name of the councillors who demanded bribe. Anyway we have to reconsider as to whether to continue works with these kind of contractors. We will seek a clarification and will inquire about this matter,'' said Mayor K Chandrika. "He could have approached the anti- corruption officials or he could have adopted measures to trap corrupt persons. If he had done that, we would have lauded him,'' the Mayor said. Meanwhile, Opposition UDF members questioned the involvement of MLAs Thomas Isaac and V Sivankutty in the Corporation's programmes. They also criticised Thomas Isaac for criticising the Corporation secretary through his facebook post. The Opposition members criticised the quality of the diary issued by the Corporation. (New Indian Express 28/12/14)
108. Bombay High Court stays FIR, probe against HDIL (5)
Mumbai: In a relief to real estate major Housing Development Infrastructure Ltd (HDIL), the Bombay high court has stayed a lower court order asking police to conduct a probe against the company with regard to alleged irregularities in a slum rehabili-tation authority (SRA) project. The anti-corruption bureau filed a first information report on December 2 against the company and SRA officials for irregularities in an SRA scheme at Motilal Nehru Nagar in suburban Bandra in 2005-06 under the Prevention of Corruption Act. The high court stayed the FIR too. HDIL had moved the high court challenging the FIR and the lower court order ordering the probe. A division bench of justices Ranjit More and Anuja Prabhudessai earlier this month granted relief pending final disposal of the petition, noting that FIR names two senior SRA officials, and in such cases, as per a Supreme Court ruling, government's sanction was necessary. The next hearing of the case will be on January 19. The FIR was registered against the principal secretary (housing) Debashish Chakrabarty, principal secretary (woman and child development) Ujjwal Uke, HDIL group chairman and the company's 10 directors. At the relevant time, Chakrabarty and Uke were with SRA. According to the complainant, though he owned a tenement in the area, he was not allotted a shop after the area was redeveloped and there were some irregularities. (Asian Age 30/12/14)
109. India remained positive, proactive in Lima: Javadekar (9)
New Delhi: India was "positive" and "proactive" in its approach to climate change negotiations that were concluded in Lima last week, Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said Friday. Unveiling a publication on climate change adaptation, he said in view of India's insistence in Lima on promoting adaptability as a measure to combat the global scourge, the publication was "timely" as it focuses on best practices to adapt to climate change in the country. A Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) publication, "Rising to the Call: Good practices of climate change adaptation in India" is a collection of case studies on climate variability that indicate the effects of climate change across India. CSE's deputy director general and the lead author of the book, Chandra Bhushan said: "Climate change has begun to hurt India. Weather extremes such as heat waves, droughts, floods, cyclones and wildfires have intensified in the recent past." The publication also discusses the local response to extreme weather trends while highlighting the best practices that people undertake to adapt to climate variability. As clean and healthy environment means serious business to the Narendra Modi government, Javadekar said the government is passionate about climate change and has earmarked Rs. 100 crore to kick start India's adaptation plan. (Zee News 19/12/14)
110. Over 70% urban slums in Rajasthan on open spaces, public parks: Report (9)
JAIPUR: More than 70% of urban slums in Rajasthan are on open spaces and public parks owned by local bodies. National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) in its latest report on 'Urban Slums in India' also highlighted the dismal living condition of the people in these dwellings. In per 1,000 distribution of slums by type of ownership of land, a total of 697 are on the land belonging to local bodies in Rajasthan while all-India average is 367. Even drains and nullahs are occupied by large slums as about 235 slums out of 1,000 are in these locations. Slums along the railway lines on the contrary are lower than most other states and only 195 per 1,000 slums are found at such spots in the survey. NSSO conducted an all-India survey of rural and urban areas of the country under 69th round of NSS during July-December, 2012. The survey dwells upon drinking water, sanitation, hygiene and housing condition. The report which was released in November 2014 is being used by policy makers and researchers. The last survey of such kind was conducted in 65th round (July 2008-June2009). The report also noted that as many as 27% of all slums in Rajasthan have no electricity connection. In all other states it is 10% or less and nationally it is 7%. Most slums, 674 per 1,000 have pucca (concrete) houses while there is a significant number (268 per 1,000 slums) which are unserviceable kaccha. Urban slums that are mostly unrecognized lack basic facilities too. A total of 476 slums per 1,000 have no toilets while about 101 use dry pit. Similarly, slums with underground drainage were just 17 while most of them had open drainages and there were no drainages in 379 slums. Garbage collection which is a larger problem in all urban areas is a menace in slums. As per the survey report 443 slums out of 1,000 had absolutely no garbage disposal facilities. In 352 slum households garbage collection happens in 3 to 7 days. Apart from that, ohter benefits like school and health centres too are at a distance from urban slums in the state. Rajasthan is the only state in the country where distance of nearest primary government school from an urban slum is more than 5 kms. An estimated total of 33,150 slums existed in the urban areas of India. About 8.8 million households lived in these slums with 5.6 in notified and 3.2 in non-notified slums. Maharashtra with an estimated 7,723 slums, accounted for about 23% of all slums in urban India, followed by Andhra Pradesh (14%) and West Bengal which had a share of about 12%. (Times of India 23/12/14)
111. Farmers fear ecological threats due to tree felling (9)
Tirupur: Farmers in Merkkupathi village expressed concerns over the ecological threats looming large over the area surrounding the 90 acre irrigation tank situated in the hamlet. According to them, trees like neem and a few other varieties of plants grown in and around the tank are felled indiscriminately in the pretext of removing thorny plants. "The tank, once a perennial source of water for the farmers in its command area, over the years has now become rain-fed because of the environmental degradation happened to the surroundings over the decades that prevents water flow into the tank from jungle streams," S. Kaliappan, a farmer who raises coconut and vegetables in the area, pointed out. He further said that if the trees were felled as presently done, the entire ecological balance would get disturbed. "Once the habitats of the animals like deer and rabbit, which live in the area, goes, they will stray out into the nearby hamlets where crops were being raised and eat produces like tomato, thus, affecting the farmers' livelihood opportunities," he added. Mr. Kaliappan said that he had sought an explanation from the revenue administration under the Right to Information Act on the tree felling happening in the area, about a fortnight back. "It is understandable that replies to my queries posed under the RTI Act application might take a bit longer but at least on receipt of my application the authorities should have conducted an inquiry to stop any irregularities in the cutting of the trees," he added. The farmers expressed fear that once trees were cut in the area, it could pave way for encroachments and sand extraction too. (The Hindu 25/12/14)
112. Environment Ministry Plans Dedicated Forest Satellite (9)
NEW DELHI: The Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) would launch a dedicated forest satellite to keep an eye on the country's forest cover on a daily basis. The ministry is in talks with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to work out intricate details of the project, which would facilitate real time data of forests in the country and help the officials monitor the hotspots, check illegal chopping of trees, get details of forest fire and update the national forest inventories. The move could bring a massive change in the management and monitoring of forests in the country, besides expediting green clearances which currently get delayed because of the unavailability of accurate forest data. Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Prakash Javadekar is taking special interest in the project, especially in the wake of Prime Minister Narendra Modi issuing directions to all Central ministries to increase the use of satellite technology. The Railway Ministry has already sought the ISRO's help for containing accidents on unmanned railway crossings, while Minister of Water Resources and Ganga Rejuvenation Uma Bharti has roped in the space agency to keep a tab on the polluting industries along the banks of Ganga. A senior MoEF official, who is privy to the development, said, "Currently, we get the data from other agencies but there are a lot of discrepancies. The data from the Forest Survey of India (FSI) puts the forest cover at 22 per cent of the country's geographical area, while the ISRO has different figures. It is very embarrassing that the two government agencies have as many separate figures. Having our own satellite means we will get the raw data from the Indian Space Research Organisationand our experts can analyse forest cover." A dedicated satellite could offer the governments, businesses and communities insight into how forests in the region are changing. "The need (for a dedicated forest satellite) was felt as project clearances sometimes get delayed in the absence of accurate and up-to-date data related to pristine forest. "Several mining projects are also stuck because there is confusion over the density and quality of forest cover. While diverting forest cover for non-forest purposes, project proponents are expected to submit a detailed report of the number of trees felled. "Often, the data was found to be inaccurate. Having real time data will solve the entire problem and help in expediting green clearances," the official said. Though the cost of the satellite would be decided only after the ministry finalises the specifications and the sensors it would require, Javadekar has decided to take up the matter with the Department of Space to make it cost-effective. The MoEF has notified its requirement and specifications to the ISRO and asked it to provide a detailed report on the cost and the resources needed. Senior ministry officials have held several meetings with the ISRO to discuss the plan. Currently, the FSI brings out a report on the state of Indian forest once in two years. The Ministry of Environment and Forests has recently started using the Geographic Information System (GSI) to monitor afforestation across the country in lieu of diversion of forest land for non-forest purposes to companies for infrastructure and other projects. (New Indian Express 29/12/14)
113. Centre downplaying Maharashtra agro-crisis: VJAS (20)
Nagpur: The Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti (VJAS) which is documenting the Maharashtra agrarian crises since 1997 Saturday disputed central figures on the farmers suicides for the current year. It questioned the figures given to the Rajya Sabha by union Minister of State for Agriculture Mohan Kundaria that only 800 farmers have ended their lives in India, including 724 in Maharashtra, in this period "In Maharashtra, the Vidarbha region alone has reported 1,088 suicides and the drought-hit regions of Marathwada accounted for another 600 suicides, besides other parts of the state," VJAS president Kishore Tiwari told IANS. Claiming that the central government was downplaying the crisis, he pointed out that in 2013, the state topped the National Crime Records Bureau figures with 3,146 farmers suicides, the highest in the country. "From 1995 till date, 60,750 farmers, including many women have committed suicide due to the agrarian crises in the state, with the situation becoming worse after 2004 with an average of more than 3,500 deaths each year till now," Tiwari said. He said that Kundaria's figures display "a very casual approach" of the NDA government to the agro-crisis gripping the country, and complete apathy towards Maharashtra where it is compounded by a severe drought. Referring to the ongoing cotton farmers protest and minimum support prices situation in Gujarat, he said that the government announced a Rs.1,100 crore relief package. However, this is not a solution to the agrarian crisis which has resulted from a policy shift of the centre since 1997, the reforms under GATT, permitting free trade and lifting of quantitative restrictions on import-export of agricultural commodities which has led to these suicides, Tiwari noted. He recalled the assurance given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi of introducing renowned agro-scientist M.S. Swaminathan's formula for fixing MSP which should be considered before finalizing the Union Budget 2015-16. This could make agriculture more sustainable and ensure that no farmer is compelled to leave his traditional occupation or end his life, suggested Tiwari. (Business Standard 20/12/14)
114. 'Over 46 farmers committed suicide in Anantapur' (20)
ANANTAPUR: Leaders of 10 Left parties, who visited the Anantapur district, on Saturday said more than 46 farmers committed suicide in the district while many more cases were not known.Ten left parties which went on one-day tour of the district include CPI, CPI(M), CPI(ML), CPI (ML-New Democracy), SUCI, RSP, CPI (ML-Liberation). Speaking to The Hindu , the left leaders said while tens of farmers continue to take their lives, the government seems to be least bothered to even enumerate them and release the amount of ex gratia to their kin. "This is the consecutive sixth year Anantapur was facing drought", said Jagadish, district secretary of CPI. (The Hindu 21/12/14)
115. Agricultural labourers under job scheme seek payment of wages (20)
KALABURAGI: Landless agriculture labourers who work under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) in Kalaburagi district staged a demonstration outside the office of the chief executive officer (CEO) of the zilla panchayat here on Wednesday seeking payment of wages amounting to more than Rs. 48.5 lakh. The labourers owing their allegiance to the Karnataka Prantha Krishi Koolikarara Sangha came in a procession to the office of the CEO and staged a dharna. They pointed out that in Jewargi Taluk's Harwal Gram panchayat alone, labourers were yet to get Rs 23.32 lakh as wages. In Kollur Gram Panchayat, wages amounting to Rs. 12.12 lakh were pending due to the negligence of officials. The labourers alleged that the officials were denying employment to them despite submitting applications, and were executing works under the MNREGA using machines. They alleged that in many gram panchayats, elected representatives had forcibly collected job cards from agricultural labourers and were denying them jobs. The government should direct gram panchayats to return these job cards and provide them work under the MNREGA and make timely payment of wages, they added. (The Hindu 26/12/14)
116. Kelkar panel calls for free irrigation, power to farmers' (20)
Nagpur: Despite a Rs7,000 crore package and other sops by the Maharashtra government, a spate of suicides continues to rock the state, particularly in Vidarbha and Marathwada regions. Now, highly-placed sources in the government say that the much awaited report of 'Higher level committee on balanced regional development issues in Maharashtra' has suggested 100% free irrigation and power to stop debt-ridden farmers from taking the extreme step. The BJP-led government is expected to submit the report of the panel under noted economist Vijay Kelkar at the end of the Nagpur session, probably on Wednesday. Interestingly, sources believe the panel has also recommended that if the blueprint of balanced development cannot be implemented properly, sub-state status or statehood to Vidarbha should be considered. The panel was set up by the then chief minister Prithviraj Chavan in 2011 to suggest measures to remove the regional imbalance and lay down the role of the development boards. Though Kelkar, former chairman of planning commission, had submitted his report in October 2013, the Chavan government kept it under wraps to avoid a confrontation with its ally NCP. Sources say the panel makes a host of recommendations to remove the regional imbalance. This includes decentralization of water resources, system for measuring tribal development index on annual basis, restructuring regional development boards (RDB) with CM as chairman, establishing separate regional secretariats, and directly elected mayor for metropolitan regions with defined functional jurisdiction. To boost manufacturing activity and attract private investors, the panel is believed to have recommended rebate in sales tax and reduction in interest of borrowed capital in backward regions like Vidarbha and Marathwada. It also recommended adequate compensation for land to be used for power transmission. To improve the power scenario, Kelkar advises encouraging small power plants based on renewable resources. The report also suggests regional allocation of funds, with 60% of the divisible funds to be considered as 'floor level', which should be based on parameters like population, development gap, per capita income and area. For farmers, the report recommends that those possessing less than five acres be given fixed amount of Rs2,000 per month per household for next three years. Also, there are suggestions that rural youth should be provided Rs5-10 lakh business loan for dairy farming, horticulture, sericulture, cattle farming, fisheries, and for setting up Small Scale Industries (SSI). Some sources say the panel found that regional imbalance was due to low and unstable growth rates of agriculture sector, inadequate flow of private investment, infrastructure deficit in terms of assured irrigation, connectivity and quality of power, low level of governance, lack of resource flows from public and private sector, and importantly, low Human Development Index (HDI). The panel had taken a participatory approach, based on perspectives of the people of different regions, data analysis, expert knowledge, empirical analysis derived from commissioned studies, and included all stakeholders' views. It suggested that institutional reforms were required towards capacity building for efficient use of public sector resources, reducing costs of doing business and also for promoting private investment flows. It also recommended governance reforms aimed at greater empowerment and accountability at regional and local level so as to achieve balanced development on a sustainable basis. (Times of India 22/12/14)
117. 12 farmers kill selves in 72 hrs (20)
During the last 72 hours, 12 farmers from Vidarbha region in Maharashtra had committed suicide due to crop losses, Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samittee chief Kishore Tiwari announced here on Sunday. According to a press release issued by Kishore Tiwari, 12 farmers took their lives. All the farmers belonged to the cotton-producing belt of western Vidarbha. Saiyad Ansar Ali of Chikhalvardha village, Khushal Kapase of Dahegoan village, Punaji Manvar of Mangkinhi village, Someshwar Wade of Tamba village and Maroti Rathode of Nignur village are all farmers from Yavatmal district who committed suicide. Three farmers — from Wardha district namely Madhukar Adsar of Pimpalgoan village, Vithhal Taywade of Deoli village and Maroti Gode of Pimpalgoan village — also committed suicide. Two others, Shivanand Gite of Shivani village and Sunil Rakhunde of Gavthala village of Buldhana district as well as Sanjay Dakhore of Regoan village in Washim district and Nilesh Walke of Gunji from Amaravati district also ended their lives. Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti chief Kishore Tiwari pointed out that farmers' suicide was a serious issue in the entire Vidarbha region. The government should think about increasing the minimum support price paid to cotton farmers, he said. The farmers' suicide toll this month is 52, Mr Tiwari said. Two weeks ago, an Intelligence Bureau report on farmer's suicide to the government voiced concerns over the spurt in such cases. The IB attributed "both natural and manmade factors" behind suicides. (Asian Age 29/12/14)
118. 1,300 acres of SEZ land lying vacant in Hassan (4)
Hassan: The special economic zones developed by the Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board in over 1,300 acres on the outskirts of Hassan city lies deserted. While majority of the land is vacant, many units that have got land sanctioned have not started functioning. The industrial area was developed in 2007. In the last seven years, land has been allotted to 16 units. Among them, eight are functioning, two are under construction, three are in different stages of allotment and implementation and three are not functioning. The entire 250 acres of Hardware Zone have been allotted to one unit. But Opto Infrastructure Ltd., which has got the land in Hardware Zone, has only constructed a compound wall. The SEZs were developed by acquiring agricultural land. "People of the villages near Hassan gave their land away for a couple of lakhs. They thought many industries would come there and their children would get jobs. But, nothing has happened so far," said B.R. Manjunath, a resident of Hassan. Now, farmers in nearby villages have been making use of the place to dry their agricultural produce. "If the land had remained with farmers all these years, they would have cultivated potato or ginger and earned good money," said Prakash, resident of Katihalli. A.M. Kumaraswamy, Deputy Development Officer of KIADB, said the Board had issued notices to all those companies, which failed to start production within two years of allotment. "We warn them of withdrawing land if they do not start the industry," he said. However, so far, the KIADB has not been able to withdraw an acre of land allotted, as the companies move court challenging the Board's measures. (The Hindu 21/12/14)
119. infrastructural development are seen in the industrial corridor — Medha Patkar (4)
NEW DELHI — The Indian Social Institute (ISI) organised its annual Fr. Paul de La Gueriviere Third Memorial Lecture on the topic 'Corporatisation of Democracy: Challenges for Inclusive Development' on Lodi Road. The lecture was delivered by social activist and the founder member of Narmada Bachao Andolan, Medha Patkar. The Institute was honoured to have Prof. Surinder Singh Jodhka, Centre for the Study of Social Systems, School of Social Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi as the Chair of the programme. In his welcome note, Dr. Xavier, the Executive Director of the Institute, described Fr. Paul de La Gueriviere as a Great Missionary working for the upliftment and development of the marginalized section of the society and the conscience of the institute. Expressing concern about the way democracy is lived, he also strongly stated against the development that flows from the barrel of gun.
Referring to caste system, the Chairperson of the programme, Prof. Surinder Singh Jodhka, noted that the Indian society is not democratic and promotes hierarchy. He observed that exclusion is aggressively propagated in Indian society. Caste system was pointed out as the greatest fact that hinders the people from seeing the truth of oppression in society, stated Prof. Vijay Prakash. Prof. Ashish Nandi shared about various changes in Indian democracy. People's choice for heroic figure was one such observation made. He also expressed regret at the fact that homelessness and pauperisation have become necessary parts of development. Terming the topic of the lecture to be close to heart and heartburning, Medha Patkar noted that inequality had taken the toll of not only the framework and process of democracy, but also of life. She equivocally stated that the benefits of infrastructural development are seen in the industrial corridor. Observing the pattern of land grabbing by the corporates with the help of the State, she also stated that democracy and State have been corporatised. Indian Social Institute, founded in 1951, is engaged in research, training, action and advocacy in socio economic development and the promotion and protection of human rights of particularly the Scheduled Castes, the Scheduled Tribes, the most Backward Castes, the Minorities, the unorganised and landless labourers and women. (New Observer Post 22/12/14)
120. Panel will decide min rate for land acquisition in state (4)
Mumbai: With several projects stuck because of problems in compensation to private land owners, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has decided to form a committee that will come up with a formula and decide the minimum rate to pay. The panel will be headed by chief secretary Swadheen Kshatriya. The decision was taken following a discussion on Vidarbha development in the winter session of the state legislature, where several legislators pointed out the lacunae in the compensation procedure. Many projects in the state, including the Navi Mumbai airport, Delhi-Mumbai industrial corridor, and Jaitapur nuclear plant, have been stuck because of acquisition issues, which have resulted in huge cost escalations. "There was significant difference between the compensation being given if the central land acquisition policy was followed and the one given by the state. And the amount was completely different when directly negotiated by the agency. This was creating an atmosphere of mistrust among farmers giving up their land, and delaying the acquisition process," the decision taken through a government resolution (GR) dated December 24 said. According to the GR, the seven-member committee headed by Kshatriya will include additional chief secretary (ACS) planning, and ACS finance, and principal secretaries of the water resources, revenue, forest, and urban development departments. It also called for the law and judiciary department to study the 2013 central land acquisition act, and then use it for helping the committee fix a formula, so that a minimum rate can be arrived at. They have been asked to chart out a separate policy for acquisitions related to dam projects. The committee will need to ensure that all land to be acquired will follow a single formula, which will mean that all owners will get the same compensation. "According to the 2013 act, you can't pay any token compensation or advance. Also, social impact assessments need to be done. Currently, several land owners end up getting more than the market rate. The panel will have to take this into consideration," a senior government official told HT. (Hindustan Times 26/12/14)
121. Haryana revokes land acquisition (4)
GURGAON: Keeping in view the larger interest of the farmers, the Haryana Government has decided not to acquire 3,664 acres and four canals across 16 villages for setting up the Manesar-Bawal Industrial Area in Rewari district. This decision was taken by the State Cabinet at its meeting held under the chairmanship of the Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar here on Tuesday. A committee comprising Industries Minister Capt. Abhimanyu, Public Works Department Minister Rao Narbir Singh, and Minister of State for Co-operation Bikram Singh Yadav had been constituted to discuss the issue with the farmers. After detailed discussions with the land owners and representatives of the people of the area, the committee recommended that other options, including acquisition of less fertile land at other places along the (Mumbai-Delhi) Western Dedicated Freight Corridor, be explored. It is pertinent to mention here that the legislators of Ateli and Nangal Chaudhary have offered to make available more than 2,000 acres of land for this project as an alternative. According to government sources, the high compensation rate being demanded by the farmers was making the project unviable, forcing the committee to decide against acquisition of land and recommend relocation. The said project was conceived by the previous Congress government in the State and was opposed by the farmers. The farmers had resorted to large-scale violence on National Highway-8 two years ago following which the then Congress government put the land acquisition on hold and set up a committee for peaceful resolution of the matter. (The Hindu 26/12/14)
122. Farmers mull approaching court over land pooling (4)
VIJAYAWADA: Farmers, who upped the ante against the government's move to acquire their fertile lands without giving a clear picture of compensation and other aspects, are mulling legal remedies in the event of forcible acquisition of their lands. These farmers asserted that they would take to legal recourse, if the government continues to mount pressure on them for parting with their lands. A delegation of farmers organisations and civil society headed by retired High Court judge justice P. Laxman Reddy interacted with farmers of Undavalli, Penumaka, Venkatapalem and other areas notified under the Capital Region on Friday under the "Rythu Chaitanya Yatra". The delegation told the farmers that the government would not be in a position to forcibly take their lands, going by the provisions made in the Capital Region Development Authority Bill passed in the Assembly recently. If the lands were acquired without a voluntary consent of farmers, it would amount to acquisition there by attracting the provisions under the Land Acquisition Act of 2013 passed by Parliament. The delegations visit provided a platform to farmers to give vent to their strong Opposition to surrendering the lands. TThe delegation including Jana Vignana Vedika president V. Laxman Reddy, Bharatiya Kisan Morcha convenor Kumara Swamy and others visited Mandada, Uddandapalem and interacted with farmers on the issue, he added. (The Hindu 27/12/14)
123. 'India may not meet infant mortality rate target 2015' (3)
Kolkata: Going by the current pace of decline, India is unlikely to achieve its target of reducing the infant mortality rate to less than 39 per 1,000 live births by 2015-end, said a senior UNICEF official. "The current Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) of India, as per the Sample Registration System 2013, is 40 per 1,000 live births while the Under-5 Mortality Rate (U5MR) as per SRS 2012 is 52 per 1,000 live births. "At this current rate of decline it seems it will be difficult for India to reach the target of less than 39 per 1,000 live births by the end of 2015," UNICEF's Health Specialist in India, Dr Gagan Gupta said. Though India accounts for the highest burden of Under-five deaths in the world, there has been a faster decline in its reduction as compared to the global fall, he added. "Globally the U5MR reduced by 49 per cent from 90 per 1,000 live births in 1990 to 46 per 1,000 live births in 2013, while India achieved a reduction of 59 per cent in the Under-5 mortality from 126 in 1990 to 52 in 2012, which is higher than the global decline," Dr Gupta said, citing the Levels and Trends in Child Mortality Report 2014, estimates developed by the UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation. "Neo-natal deaths account for 56 per cent of Under-5 deaths in India which is much higher than the global average of 44 per cent. The progress in reduction of neo-natal mortality has been slow," he noted. In fact, four states Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan account for half of the Under-5 deaths in India. (Asian Age 22/12/14)
124. Government slashes health budget, already one of the world's lowest (3)
NEW DELHI: Government has ordered a cut of nearly 20 per cent in its 2014-15 healthcare budget due to fiscal strains, putting at risk key disease control initiatives in a country whose public spending on health is already among the lowest in the world. Two Health Ministry officials told Reuters on Tuesday that more than 60 billion rupees, or $948 million, has been slashed from their budget allocation of around $5 billion for the financial year ending on March 31. Despite rapid economic growth over the past two decades, successive governments have kept a tight rein on healthcare expenditure. India spends about 1 per cent of its gross domestic product (GDP) on public health, compared to 3 per cent in China and 8.3 per cent in the United States. But hopes were high that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was elected in May, would upgrade basic health infrastructure and make medical services more affordable for the poor. The United Nations estimates about one third of the world's 1.2 billion poorest people live in India. "We were not expecting (budget cuts) this time because of the commitments they made in the manifesto," one of the health ministry officials said, referring to Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). "No reason was given … but there is shortage of funds. It is not rocket science." The officials requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter. The finance ministry, which ordered the spending reduction and overruled objections from the Health Ministry at a recent meeting, did not respond immediately to requests for comment. The move reflects the government's struggle to achieve its 2014/15 fiscal deficit target of 4.1 per cent of GDP. Dominated by private players, India's healthcare industry is growing at an annual clip of around 15 per cent, but public spending has remained low and resulted in a dilapidated network of government hospitals and clinics, especially in rural areas. One of the Health Ministry officials said the cut could crimp efforts to control the spread of diseases. More newborns die in India than in poorer neighbours such as Bangladesh, and preventable illnesses such as diarrhoea kill more than a million children every year. The retrenchment could also derail an ambitious universal healthcare programme that Modi wants to launch in April. The plan aims to provide all citizens with free drugs and diagnostic treatments, as well as insurance benefits. The cost of that programme over the next four years had been estimated at 1.6 trillion Indian rupees ($25 billion). The Health Ministry officials had been expecting a jump in their budget for the coming year, in part to pay for this extra cost. "Even next year we don't think we'll get a huge amount of money," said one official, adding that it was now unclear how the new programme would be funded. (Times of India 23/12/14)
125. WHO's polio-free certification high point in health sector (3)
New Delhi: Eradication of polio from India was a high point in the health sector during 2014, which also saw some improvement in the country's health indices like maternal and infant mortality rate though there was a lot of ground still to be covered. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's decision in November to change Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, a practicing doctor and a former health minister of Delhi, surprised many. His replacement, J P Nadda is considered a close aide of Modi and has been rather low key compared to Vardhan's penchant for almost daily statements. Nadda is busy giving final touches to the NDA government's ambitious National Health Assurance Mission, which aims to provide free health insurance to the poor. It is likely to be rolled out next year. There were mixed signals from the new government against the use of tobacco as after hiking cigarette prices it did not enforce its earlier proposal to ban sale of loose cigarettes and make tougher anti-smoking laws. The saffron party's favourite health projects like promotion of ayurveda and yoga received official push. Government cleared National Ayush Mission (NAM) to address gaps in health services in vulnerable and far-flung areas of the country. Government has also approved setting-up of 18 new ayurveda colleges this year, against permission for only one such institution in the past three years. The Centre also came up with a proposal of opening AIIMS- like institutions in most states. India's biggest recognition in the field during the year was seen in March when the World Health Organisation gave it a polio-free certification for reporting no new cases for three years. (Business Standard 25/12/14)
126. 'Centre's health fund cut will increase privatization' (3)
MUMBAI: Calling the Union government's recent health budget cuts an "assault on the poor and working people" of India, state health activists said they feared increased privatization of healthcare. The Centre last week slashed the health budget by 20%, citing fiscal strain. Worse, the HIV/AIDS budget was reduced by a third. Public health commentators are shocked with the move as India already had the lowest government spending on health. Jan Arogya Abhiyan, a statewide health advocacy coalition of NGOs, has issued a statement, saying the decision could be disastrous. Dr Anant Phadke of the Abhiyan said the new government had initially raised expectations by promising a National Health Assurance Mission. "The most basic requirement for any form of health assurance is an increase in allocation to at least 3% of GDP in the short term, 5% of GDP in the medium and long term (from the current abysmally low 1.2%)," he said. The message, said the Abjiyan's statement, seemed to indicate there would be greater privatization of healthcare. "Experience shows privatized systems are associated with catastrophic household expenditure and impoverishment of people," said Dr Abhay Shukla of Cehat, which is part of the Abhiyan. Secondly, experts said, it would be prudent in times of financial crisis, to allocate more for social sectors such as health. (Times of India 28/12/14)
127. India to achieve complete immunisation by 2020 (3)
New Delhi: Aiming to improve India's poor immunisation coverage, the health ministry has launched "Mission Indradhanush" that seeks to give seven vaccines to every child by 2020 so that they don't fall sick to these common diseases. Every child, who is either not vaccinated or partially vaccinated, would be covered under this new initiative by steadily increasing the coverage footprint. Three decades after launching the universal immunisation programme (UIP), almost 39 per cent of kids have either not received the vaccines at all or received only some of them. During the launch of the UIP, the government set up an aim of covering the entire country for six preventable diseases by 1989-90. But a 2009 UNICEF survey showed only 61 per cent of Indian children received the shots against diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, polio, tuberculosis, measles and hepatitis B. "We have identified 201 high focus districts in the country in the first phase which have nearly 50 per cent of all unvaccinated or partially vaccinated children. These districts will be targeted by intensive efforts to improve the routine immunisation coverage," Union Health Minister J P Nadda said, launching Mission Indradhanush on December 25. Out of 201 districts, as many as 82 districts are in just four states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. Nearly 25 per cent of the unvaccinated or partially vaccinated children of India are in these four states. Between 2009-2013, immunisation coverage has increased from 61 to 65 per cent, indicating only one per cent increase in coverage every year. To accelerate, the plan is to cover five per cent and more children every year in a mission mode to achieve the target by 2020. Nadda said the systematic immunisation drive would be through a "catch-up" campaign mode where the aim is to cover all the children who have been left out or missed out for immunisation. Under Mission Indradhanush, four special vaccination campaigns will be conducted between January and June 2015. While 201 districts will be covered in the first phase, 297 will be targeted for the second phase in the year 2015. (Deccan Herald 29/12/14)
128. 'India can be AIDS-free nation by 2030' (3)
VIJAYAWADA: The United Nations envisions a world without AIDS, and it is aiming to make it a reality by eradicating the epidemic by 2030. "India can achieve the status of 'AIDS-free nation' by 2030 provided there is political will, allocation of adequate resources to fight the epidemic, introduction of legal reforms and involvement of the community," said J.V.R. Prasada Rao, UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy on HIV/AIDS for Asia-Pacific. Speaking to The Hindu on Thursday, Mr. Rao said: "The number of fresh infections has come down to less than 50 per cent compared to 2000. Andhra Pradesh is also doing well in AIDS control drive. We need to shift focus to vulnerable population like sex workers, transgenders and MSMs." He, however, added that the instance of HIV was on the rise among risk groups. "Treatment should be focused on these groups. Testing facilities should be augmented," Mr. Rao. The diminishing external aid that pour in from all directions is yet another challenge, he admitted. "Some aid agencies have completely withdrawn funding precisely because they think that middle income nations like India can fund themselves," Mr. Rao said. The government, according to him, should not wait for others to fund projects and instead should be ready with 100 per cent funding of the projects. Mr. Rao favoured striking down of Section 377 of the IPC which criminalises homosexuality. "The gay community has the right to health. It is a fundamental right. When we can give it to criminals in jails, why not these people? Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been abolishing a number of outdated laws. Striking down this law is the need of the hour," he said. On the controversy surrounding the proposal to legalise prostitution, Mr. Rao said: "India is not ready for it. Our socio-cultural background doesn't allow such a big leap. Instead, we should opt for decriminalisation. You should distinguish between child-trafficking and prostitution." Mr. Rao said Andhra Pradesh and Telangana should prioritise the social health sector. On the future scenario, he maintained that a cure or a vaccine could be a game-changer. "But, I don't see that happening at least in the next six to seven years," he added. Citing examples of countries like Thailand and Cambodia where AIDS has been integrated in the general health care system, Mr. Rao said the Indian government should follow suit "perhaps in a phased manner". Health as a priority should not be left out, he said, warning: "If you neglect it now, there could be a resurgence." (The Hindu 19/12/14)
129. No place for HIV-infected in pension scheme (3)
NALGONDA: The issuing of social security pensions to HIV-infected patients and particularly vulnerable tribal groups aged between 50 years and 65 years is being delayed as the State government did not make necessary changes in the website to allow the uploading of these applications. The district administration had also identified the dejected women – married but living alone as their husbands left them without divorcing them – for issuing the pensions, but the officials are waiting for further directions from the State government. Speaking to The Hindu , DRDA, Project Director K. Sudhakar said that they have got 5,000 applications under HIV positive and dejected women category, but yet to issue pensions to people falling under these two categories. Meanwhile, there are about 650 Chenchu families living in Nalgonda mostly in Chandampet, Peddavoora mandals. Unlike other beneficiaries under old age pension scheme, the State government has announced that they would issue pensions to vulnerable tribal groups all those who aged above 50 years, but government has failed to make appropriate changes in the website to allow the uploading these applications. A Chenchu tribal from Chandampet, Anjaneyulu said that as many as seven people aged between 50 years and 65 years were waiting for the issuance of pensions at Gannerlapally tribal habitation. The HIV positive people and vulnerable tribal groups have appealed to the State government to immediately issue pensions to them. (The Hindu 26/12/14)
130. State Leads in Prevention of New HIV Cases (3)
COIMBATORE: The efforts of the State official has paid off as Tamil Nadu tops the table in the country in prevention of fresh HIV cases, while states like Odisha, Assam and Jharkhand, which were once considered as low HIV- prevalence states, struggle to control fresh infections. Tamil Nadu has managed to reduce new infections by 57 per cent over the last seven years. The number of fresh HIV cases in 2000 was 8,380 and in 2007 it reduced to 6,378. According to a recent data released by the Tamil Nadu State AIDS Control Society (TANSACS), says that in 2013-14 only 2,738 fresh cases (-57 per cent) were registered. By comparing it with the national-level data provided by National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO), the state was progressing at a much faster rate compared to the other states. According to HIV sentinel surveillance, the prevalence in anti-natal clinic (ANC) is 0.38, which is lower than the national average. State Project Director Dr C N Maheswaran told Express that this was a result of massive awareness drive organised by TANSACS in coordination with the state government through mass media, interpersonal communication digital screens, internet, and mobile phones. Making counsellors available in all the health centres in every nook and corner of the state, promoting condom usage and providing them free of cost, specially designed awareness programmes for migrant workers and lorry drivers and free medical attention at testing centres have resulted in the reduction. The 89 Targeted Intervention (TIs) in the state implemented through NGOs and Community-based Organisations (CBO) has helped them cover 69, 961 female sex workers, 481 injection drug users and 42,481 homosexuals in the state this year. Around 3 lakh new sexually transmitted infections (STI)/reproductive tract infection (RTI) episodes have been treated at 156 designated STI/RTI clinics. The 94 NACO-supported blood banks across the state have also helped them collecting 2 lakh infection-free blood units that have helped HIV patients. (New Indian Express 27/12/14)