Make school bags lighter

By

-

October 7, 2015

A growing number of children are developing irreversible back deformities because of the weight of the bags they carry to school. Half of all children suffer back pain by the age of 14 and doctors are reporting a rise in cases of spinal abnormalities in pupils, including disfiguring curvatures known as scoliosis. Overloaded school bags that are up to double the size of those carried ten years ago are contributing to the surge, it is feared. Pupils routinely carry bags filled with heavy books, laptops, sports kit and packed lunches, which may weigh as much as 20 kilograms. Despite the Children’s Schoolbag Act enacted in 2006 which states that the school bag should not weigh more 10 per cent of the body weight of the student, many students regularly attend school with heavy bags.

The heavy school bag which school children carry daily on their delicate shoulders puts extreme pressure on their spines and causes them severe backache and posture problems at a very young age. Children gradually lose interest in going to school due to the stress of carrying a heavy bag and their attention span also reduces. The state government had set up a committee which made 44 recommendations on how to reduce the weight of school bags and on the maximum weight limit. These were put up on the state department’s website for suggestions from the public. As textbooks constitutes a major proportion of the weight of the bag and the teacher teaches only a part of the text book (few pages) in a month, the publishers could separate the big textbook into different thin booklets, which will make the load of children carrying these books lighter. Schools could also provide lockers where the students could keep their books and thus need not carry a heavy load daily.

Students could also organize their bags daily and carry only books which are needed for the day. Let us hope the new education policy makes the school bags of children lighter. Education today is a prerequisite to the success, development and bright future of an individual and for the progress of a nation. Education means knowledge and knowledge is power. Education has transformed human lives beyond imagination and has opened the doors to career opportunities across the world. It is therefore the key to stability, prosperity, for having productive life-style and is the gateway to success.

Jubel D’Cruz

I’m single: Nick Jonas

By

Afternoon Voice

-

October 7, 2015

Singer Nick Jonas says he is not dating anyone at the moment despite rumours that he hooked up with actress Kate Hudson.

“I’m 23, single and loving life,” Nick told ET Canada, reports aceshowbiz.com.

“And in a moment, I’m just trying to have as much fun as possible…I do live a public life and for whatever reason people are interested in that. I think my life is not that interesting,” he added.

Jonas sparked dating rumours with Hudson, 36, after they were spotted having a trip together to Disney World in Orlando. He has just split from pageant queen Olivia Culpo after two years of dating while Hudson called off her engagement to Muse’s frontman Matthew Bellamy, late last year.

Kim K claims pregnancy is the ‘worst thing’ happened to her

By

Afternoon Voice

-

October 7, 2015

Kim Kardashian, who is pregnant with her second child, has recently shared her feelings about being pregnant and it looks like pregnancy is not her cup of tea.

In an article titled, “How I Really Feel About Being Pregnant,” the 34-year-old reality star wrote that pregnancy is the worst experience of her life, reports People magazine.

The mom-to-be further wrote that she does not enjoy any moment of it and can’t understand people who enjoy it, including Kris Jenner and Kourtney Kardashian.

Complaining about her increasing body size, Kanye West’s wife said that she feels like she is not in her skin which makes her feel insecure.

Kardashian is due to give birth to her second child in December.

Has Emma Watson found her love?

By

Afternoon Voice

-

October 7, 2015

Looks like Hermione’s love potion has worked on Emma Watson as she has reportedly found her true love.

According to sources, the 25-year-old actress was seen with a mystery man named Roberto Aguire, whom she met on the set of ‘Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,’ on the streets of California, reports E! Online.

The gender equality activist sported an oversized white blouse and long denim skirt while her new hunk rocked a pair of black thick-framed glasses, a baseball cap, a T-shirt and a pair of lace-up sneakers.

Insiders revealed that the duo kept their date a low key affair and went for lunch at Los Feliz.

Irrfan Khan, Kangana Ranaut to come together for film on Begum Akhtar?

By

Afternoon Voice

-

October 7, 2015

Music aficionados and Bollywood fanatics will soon witness the life and times of renowned ghazal and thumri singer Begum Akhtar on the big screen in ‘Ae Mohabbat’ and if things go as planned, actors Irrfan Khan and Kangana Ranaut could be seen together onscreen for the first time.

Shri Anup Jalota Productions and Ae Mohabbat Productions on Tuesday announced the film on the life and times of Begum Akhtar, also the recipient of Padmabhushan and an icon of Indian classical music.

Directed by noted filmmaker Ketan Mehta, the film will have actor Irrfan Khan in the main lead with Oscar winner A.R Rahman giving the music of the film. Although the female lead if yet to be finalised but Kangana might end up doing the project.

“We are trying to get Kangana Ranaut to play one of the stages of Begum Akhatar in the film,” Jalota told.

“We have grown up listening to and idolising Begum Akhtar. I have been wanting to intiate such project and a tie up with Ae Mohabbat Productions and associating with Rita Ganguly who knew her personally, is a real blessing,” he added.

Ganguly, who used to be student of Begum Akhtar and calls her ‘Ammi’ says that noted singer’s life, the highs and lows, the times she lived in, her personality and professional life had a cinematic quality which can be made into full-length feature film.

“It is not really a biopic but a feature film. The screenplay is ready and it will have full formula of a superhit film . We are planning to release it next year as its a period film and lot goes behind making such projects,” Ganguly said.

As Begum Akhtar hailed from Faizabad and is buried in Lucknow, the film also got the support from Uttar Pradesh government, says Jalota.

After onions, pulses prices skyrocket

By

Afternoon Voice

-

October 6, 2015

The common man who is already grappling with rising inflation now will have to shell out more money for purchasing Tur Dal.

There has been a sharp rise in the prices of pulses like Tur Dal, Moong Dal, Chana Dal, Urad Dal, Masoor Dal due to deficient monsoon in the state. Prices of Tur Dal have risen drastically and have already reached Rs 200 per kg. The common man who is already grappling with rising inflation now will have to shell out more money for purchasing Tur Dal. Thus Dal rice which is known as the poor man’s diet has become unaffordable for the common man. Rising prices of pulses is also affecting the bottomlines of hotels.

Moong Dal is selling at Rs 150 to Rs 170, Chana Dal Rs 80 to Rs 100, Urad Dal Rs 160 to Rs 170 and Masoor Dal costing Rs 100 to Rs 110 at APMC Vashi. Tur Dal is cultivated in districts like Latur, Sholapur and Marathwada region of the state. Maharashtra is the second highest producer of Tur dal in the country. Since the new crop is expected to arrive in January hence people will have to bear the brunt of rising prices of pulses. In order to address the shortfall the government will have to import pulses. If the government reduces the import duty on pulses then it will provide some relief to the common man.

Rising pulse prices continue to pinch the pocket of a common man. Last one month has seen record rise in prices of pulses. And adding to the woes and worries of citizens already burdened with inflation, traders predict further rise in pulse prices with festive season round the corner.

“The drought, coupled with recurring hailstorm had adversely hit overall food production. Production was worst hit due to climate changes and poor rainfall,” Maharashtra Agriculture Minister Eknath Khadse said.

Few months back the Maharashtra government had written to the Centre seeking assistance to keep the spiralling price of pulses, specially tur dal, under control. A letter was sent to Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh about the sharp increase in prices of cereals and pulses.

Production of pulses in Marathwada and parts of Vidarbha, areas worst hit by drought, had been already affected. The recurring unseasonal rainfall had damaged pulses and cereals like jowar, bajra in the state.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, said there was enough food grain stock though pulses were a matter of concern. He added that prices of pulses were rising across the country.

He added, “There is no reason to panic. There is adequate food grain stock. Yes, prices of pulses are going up…”

“After onions now pulses like Tur Dal, Urad Dal and Masoor Dal has become expensive. How will the common man make both ends meet? If prices continue to rise in this manner then we will have reduce the consumption of Tur Dal” said Rupali Kadam a housewife from Kandivali.

“Rising prices of pulses has become a major cause of concern for us. If an essential commodity like Tur Dal becomes dearer then it will affect our monthly budget. Why can’t the government control inflation instead of focussing on irrelevant issues? said Arpita Singh a Borivali resident.

“Continuous increase in the prices of pulses has badly affected the pockets of common man. This will definitely hit our expense plans this festive season,” said Hemant Jadhav, a resident of Malad.

“We love to eat ‘dal’ every day, but now have been replacing it with vegetables. It is always better to have two varieties of vegetables, rather going for the costly dal. Moreover, fresh vegetables are available at a very reasonable price these days,” said Malti Deshmukh a Borivali resident.

What’s up Jethmalani, why are you against Modi?

By

Vaidehi Taman

-

October 6, 2015

At this crucial juncture of Bihar elections, noted lawyer and former Union Minister Ram Jethmalani urged the people to defeat the BJP-led NDA in the Bihar Assembly elections. Jethmalani, known for his vocal stand on various issues, urged the people to vote for Nitish Kumar, the chief ministerial candidate of the alliance of the Janata Dal-United, the RJD and the Congress. Jethmalani urges Modi must be punished for his “anti-people policies”.
Anyway, even people are unhappy with the performance of Narendra Modi government at the Centre as it has failed to keep its promises on rising prices and inflation. They are not fulfilling the promises made during the Lok Sabha polls. Tall promises were made during the election campaign, raising people’s expectations on inflation and price rise. However, after one and half year issues remained the same and we have not noticed any significant change. This government is also responsible for disturbing the secular fabric in the country with its “RSS-VHP and other right wing backed communal agenda”.

It might be a reason why Jethmalani urges that the BJP should be taught a lesson for breaching the trust of Indian and the armed forces. Democracy without education is hypocrisy without limitation. He was in Patna to lend his support to veterans fighting for OROP, said the BJP did nothing to bring back black money, and had it done so, it would have been able to meet the demands of ex-servicemen. Under fire from the grand secular alliance for his failure to bring back black money stashed abroad, he also said he had become a “victim of fraud” by playing into the hands of Narendra Modi and Arun Jaitley.

Jethmalani said both the UPA and Modi-led government at the Centre did nothing to bring black money from foreign tax havens and held both P Chidambaram and Arun Jaitley responsible for the failure to disclose the names of persons holding the black money. “Both P Chidambaram and Arun Jaitley should be first arrested and prosecuted if we really want to bring back black money. Jaitley…took recourse under the garb of Double Avoidance Tax Treaty (DATT),” he alleged.

He further pointed out that German government had the names of 1,400 people who have stashed their money in tax havens abroad and the German government was ready to part with the information with the Indian government free of cost but with a rider that there should be a written request from the government.

As per a BJP task force committee, there is USD 1,500 billion, which is equivalent to Rs. 90 lakh crore, lying in tax havens. Government has not been able to bring back a single dollar in the country. He feels Bihar should be the starting point to defeat BJP. They have made Ram Jethmalani fool but the people will not be fooled in Bihar.

In 1971, the same Ram Jethmalani contested as an independent candidate from Ulhasnagar supported by the Shiv Sena and Bharatiya Jan Sangh but he lost the elections. During the Emergency period of 1975–1977, he was the chairman of the Bar Association of India. He heavily criticised the then Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi. An arrest warrant was issued against him from Kerala. The Bombay High Court stayed it when over 300 lawyers led by Nani Palkhivala appeared for him. However the stay was nullified by the famous Habeas Corpus judgement (Additional District Magistrate of Jabalpur v. Shiv Kant Shukla) and Ram Jethmalani exiled himself in Canada carrying on his campaign against the Emergency. He returned 10 months later after Emergency was lifted. While in Canada, his candidature was filed from Bombay North-West constituency. He won the election and retained the seat in 1980 General Elections, but lost to Sunil Dutt of the Indian National Congress in 1985. In the 1977 general elections after the Emergency, he ousted the serving Law Minister H.R. Gokhale from Bombay in the Lok Sabha Elections and hence started his political career as a Parliamentarian. However, he was not made law minister as Morarji Desai disapproved of his lifestyle.

He became a member of Rajya Sabha in 1988. He became the Union Minister of Law, Justice and Company Affairs in 1996 in the Government of India led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee. During the second tenure of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, he was given the portfolio of Union Minister of Urban Affairs and Employment in 1998. However on 13 October 1999, he was again sworn in as the Union Minister for Law, Justice & Company Affairs. He was asked to resign by the Prime Minister following differences with the then Chief Justice of India Adarsh Sein Anand and Attorney General of India Soli Sorabjee. It is believed that Jethmalani never enjoyed the confidence of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. He was then inducted into the Cabinet on then Home Minister Lal Krishna Advani’s insistence.

He had also announced his candidature for President of India and launched his own political fronts, the Bharat Mukti Morcha, launched as a ‘mass movement’ in 1987. In 1995 he launched his own political party called Pavitra Hindustan Kazhagam, with a motto to achieve “Transparency in functioning of Indian Democracy”. In the General Elections of 2004, he contested against Atal Bihari Vajpayee from the Lucknow constituency as an independent candidate. Indian National Congress did not field their candidates in this election. However, he lost from there. Later on in 2010, Bharatiya Janta Party gave him a Rajya Sabha ticket from Rajasthan and he was elected.

In 2012, Jethmalani wrote to then Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) President Nitin Gadkari, accusing opposition BJP leaders of being “silent against the huge corruption” within the ruling UPA-II government, and stated that BJP is “sick”. Jethmalani’s letter became public on the internet, and in May 2013, BJP expelled him from the party for 6 years, for having made anti-party statements. Then his son too resigned from the party and now both father – son duo are campaigning against BJP and particularly against Narendra Modi.

Yogendra Yadav meets farmers in Maharashtra

By

Afternoon Voice

-

October 6, 2015

Expelled Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Yogendra Yadav, who has formed ‘Swaraj Abhiyan’, has started his Maharashtra visit with a farmers meeting in Nanded district.

Yadav, who began his ‘Jai Kisan Movement’ from Karnataka’s Raichur district on October 2, the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, arrived at Nanded district yesterday. In Nanded, he held talks with farmers and students who apprised him with their difficulties, a volunteer associated with Yadav said.

In June, Yadav and Prashant Bhushan, who were expelled from AAP after they challenged the leadership of Arvind Kejriwal, founded an organisation – Swaraj Abhiyaan. Maruti Bhapkar, former AAP leader and member of National Council of Swaraj Abhiyan, said, “Yadav through his Jai Kisan Movement is trying to change country’s future by addressing farmers’ hardships. He has appealed everyone to be a part of the movement to help resolve issues faced by the farmers.”

“He will be meeting farmers of Osmanabad, Tuljapur, Solapur, Aurangabad and Jalgaon and then visit Madhya Pradesh from October 9,” Bhapkar said.

“He will then meet farmers of Uttar Pradesh from October 10 to 13, Rajasthan on October 14 and the movement will culminate in Haryana on October 15,” he added.

Pakistan giving ‘independent soldier’ status to terrorists: Sena

By

Afternoon Voice

-

October 6, 2015

Hitting out at Pakistan after four jawans were killed in Kashmir, Shiv Sena today said it has accorded “independent soldiers” status to terrorists for which India is paying a heavy price and rued there’s a dearth of political will to carry out Myanmar-like strikes in PoK.

“Instead of saying that Pakistan is sponsoring terrorists, it would be better to say that these terrorists have been accorded the status of ‘independent soldiers’ by Pakistan,” an editorial in Sena mouthpiece ‘Saamana’ said. “The way our forces entered Myanmar to eliminate terrorists, we are capable of doing the same in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir as well,” it said. “Indian Air Force Chief (Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha) says the intent and decision (to strike at terror camps in PoK) will have to be taken by the political leadership. It is understood then that there is no dearth of willingness and capabilities, but there is less or no political will to do so,” the Sena said.

“What bravery is it that we keep garlanding the coffins of martyred jawans? Enter Pakistan once and eliminate terrorism from its roots,” the party said. Slamming Pakistan, it said, “Those who we kill are given the status of martyrs by them and memorials are constructed.” “We are not fighting a battle with Pakistani soldiers, but with terrorists who have been trained by the neighbouring country. Sadly, these terrorists are outweighing us,” it said. The Sena ruled that the country has to pay a heavy price while fighting with militants.

“While it is true that Indian soldiers have immense capabilities, we cannot ignore the fact that we pay a heavy price while fighting with them,” it said.

What is the need of harping on the Indian Army’s prowess If India is incapable of eliminating terrorism from its roots? it asked. The recent attacks in Gurdaspur, Udhampur and now in Kupwara make it seem that we are unable to teach Pakistan a lesson. On the contrary we need to learn lessons, the Sena opined.

Four jawans lost their lives in a fierce gunbattle with militants during an operation launched in Haphruda forest in Handwara yesterday, following information about the presence of militants there. One militant was killed in a separate encounter that broke out during an operation in Lolab area.

Indrani Mukerjea discharged from hospital, back to Byculla Jail

By

Afternoon Voice

-

October 6, 2015

Indrani Mukerjea, who is alleged to have killed her daughter Sheena Bora, was discharged from Mumbai’s JJ Hospital on Tuesday.

She is now back in Byculla Jail.

JJ Hospital Dean TP Lahane confirmed that she had been discharged after being treated for four days.

The 43-year-old was rushed to hospital on Friday after collapsing in Byculla prison after suspected overdose of anti-depressant pills.

Meanwhile, a Mumbai court reserved its order till tomorrow on a CBI plea seeking permission to interrogate in jail IndraniMukherjea and two other accused in the Sheena murder case.

Seeking permission to quiz Indrani, her former husband SanjeevKhanna and her driver ShyamRai in jail, CBI, which had moved an application, told the court that it has just taken over the investigation from Mumbai Police and interrogation of the trio was necessary.

The agency submitted that if the permission (for interrogation) is not given then it will have to rely on the investigation conducted by Mumbai Police.

On Monday, the local court had extended the trio’s judicial custody till October 19.

It had also asked JJ Hospital authorities to furnish the medical report of Indrani.

Indrani’s lawyer Gunjan Mangala told the court that she does not have any objection to her client being interrogated by CBI in jail.