Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will next week resume his ‘Mahajanadesh Yatra‘, which he suspended in view of the floods battering parts of the state, a BJP functionary said on Wednesday.
Fadnavis earlier started his mass contact programme from Amravati in Vidarbha region on August 1, ahead of the state Assembly polls due in September-October.
However, he suspended it on August 6 after facing flak from the opposition for carrying on with the campaign despite rains wrecking havoc in many parts of the state.
“The chief minister will resume his campaign from August 21,” said BJP leader Sujitsingh Thakur, who is in- charge of organising the yatra.
Earlier, the first phase of the yatra, covering Vidarbha region and Nandurbar in North Maharashtra, was supposed to be completed by August 9.
As per the new plan, Kolhapur, Pune, Sangli, Satara have been omitted from Fadnavis’ campaign, Thakur said.
“The second phase of the programme was earlier supposed to start from August 17, which has now been changed to August 21,” he added.
Fadnavis earlier said his ‘Mahajanadesh Yatra (mega mandate march) is aimed at giving an account to people of the state what the BJP-led government did in last five years.
Kolhapur has been witnessing unprecedented floods since last few days following heavy rains in Konkan and western parts of the state where over 40 people have lost their lives in the deluge. The Mumbai-Bengaluru national highway which was closed since last seven days due to floods have been partially opened for traffic in the district after water receded. Continuous discharge of water from Almatti dam in Karnataka brought down the water level of the Panchganga river in Kolhapur where it was flowing above the danger mark. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that efforts are being taken to ensure speedy restoration of essential services to the flood affected district. Fadnavis also has cancelled the Janadesh Yatra after receiving flak from the opposition parties.
Congress spokesperson Hemlata Patil told Afternoon Voice’s reporter Nikhil Sagare, “The flood situation has receded. The victims who will return to their homes must be provided assistance by the government. They should be provided medicine and utensils. Volunteers must stay at the flood hit areas and distribute necessary commodities to flood affected victims. The flood affected homes must be cleaned.”
“The flood situation in Kolhapur and Sangli is grim. Tackling the floods and rescue efforts are the top priority. My entire focus is on rescue operations in Kolhapur. Girish Mahajan will oversee the rescue effort in Sangli along with guardian minister Subhash Deshmukh,” said Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Mandlik said, “Kolhapur has been battling with floods. Even though there was delay in offering assistance but NGOs, MPs and MLAs have come forward to shift people from Ambewadi, Chikli areas to safer places. The process got speeded up after NDRF teams arrived at the place. Food packets were distributed to victims of flood incidents.”
“Around three hundred houses have been damaged due to floods. Sugarcane and soyabean crops have been destroyed. A survey will be conducted to ascertain the damage occurred to property. We will appeal to the government to call this national tragedy. We also want the government to announce 100 per cent loan waiver,” he added.
Fadnavis also added that he was in close touch with the petroleum ministry to restore the supply of fuel. The current fuel of stock in Kolhapur has been reserved for the rescue teams and sale to the general public has been stopped.
The traffic movement was allowed between Kolhapur and Belgaum in Karnataka through one lane on Shiroli bridge of the six lane NH 4 where thousands of vehicles have been stuck after the busy highway was submerged in floodwaters last week.
RTI activist Anil Galgali said, “Human beings are responsible for the flood. Permission was granted to undertake construction activities in catchment areas and those places where water gets accumulated. The government has failed to offer relief and rehabilitation work.”
As per information available at the district collectorate, the Panchganga river’s water level came down by almost one foot overnight, but it was still flowing at the danger mark of 49 feet.
BJP Rajya Sabha MP Amar Sable said, “Kolhapur and Sangli have been affected due to floods. Residents of these districts should be provided assistance by the government.”
“Rains have stopped in the Panchganga’s catchment areas but some discharge is still going on from dams into the river. Once the water-level goes down further, roads in Kolhapur will be opened for vehicular movement,” an official at the collectorate said.
“The water level has come down and Shiroli bridge can be used for vehicular traffic. So far, we have decided to open only one lane on either side of the national highway as a precautionary measure,” Kolhapur’s Superintendent of police Abhinav Deshmukh said.
Around 105 teams of the Army, Air Force, Navy, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the Coast Guard, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), police and local officials were carrying out rescue operations in the western Maharashtra region, officials said. Thousands of trucks carrying essential commodities were stranded since last week on the flood affected highway which is a vital link between Maharashtra and Karnataka.
“Initially the highway was opened for heavy vehicles, especially those carrying essential commodities like food grains, fuel, medicines and milk,” said Deshmukh. A portion of highway is still submerged upto 1.5 feet under the floodwaters but we decided to permit heavy vehicles to ply as Kolhapur has been struggling to get essential commodities,” he added.
Nearly 4.48 lakh people have been evacuated from flood hit areas across the state including 4.04 lakh from Kolhapur and Sangli. They were shifted to 372 temporary camps and shelters a senior state official said. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that each flood hit family in the state will be given Rs 5,000 cash while the remaining assistance will be deposited in their bank account.
Afternoon Voice appeals to people to come forward to provide assistance to people affected due to floods in Kolhapur. We have also started a tagline ‘De Dhakka, Kolhapur Ko Wapas Khada Karna hai. You can contact us at Afternoon Voice 425, 4th Floor, Gundecha Industrial Estate, Akurli Road, Kandivali (E), Mumbai 400101. You can also donate a small amount which will be used to help rebuild the affected areas. For more details call us on 9820199881 or 9321199881.
Water is an issue that cuts across all aspects of social and economic life in India. Compartmentalised responses are unlikely to be adequate to address the current crises. There is a need for an integrated approach which addresses source sustainability, land use management, agricultural strategies, demand management, and the distribution and pricing of water. With growing pressures due to climate change, migration and population growth, creative and imaginative governance is needed to manage this precious resource.
The death toll from a fresh spell of monsoon-driven floods in India has jumped to over 200 and affected more than a million residents. Heavy rain and landslides have also forced hundreds of thousands of people in southern and western India to take shelter in relief camps, while train services were cancelled in several flood-hit areas. This is every year, hundreds of citizens shed their lives, many migrate and some suffer entire life, the loss of beloved once is an irrecoverable injury. India’s monsoon season starts from June and lasts till September. It sees heavy rains which refill the country’s water reservoirs and are vital for agriculture but cause immense destruction and loss of life. Dozens died in floods in India every year, particularly in the eastern states of Bihar and Assam, last month, with the inundation causing heavy losses to farms, homes, and infrastructure. All because of rising deforestation, poor urban planning, and increased urbanisation as the reasons behind the rise in the intensity of the floods.
India suffers in two extreme conditions, one is heavy pour and another is drought, at least 330 mn people are likely to be affected by acute shortages of water. As the subcontinent awaits the imminent arrival of the monsoon rains, bringing relief to those who have suffered the long, dry and exceptionally warm summer, the crisis affecting India’s water resources is high on the public agenda.
Unprecedented drought demands unconventional responses and there have been some fairly unusual attempts to address this year’s shortage. Perhaps most dramatic was the deployment of railway wagons to transport 500,000 litres of water per day across the Deccan plateau, with the train traversing more than 300km to provide relief to the district of Latur in Maharashtra state. The need to shift water on this scale sheds light on the key issue that makes water planning in the Indian subcontinent so challenging. While the region gets considerable precipitation most years from the annual monsoon, the rain tends to fall in particular places – and for only a short period of time (about three months). This water needs to be stored and made to last for the entire year.
In most years, it also means that there is often too much water in some places, resulting in as much distress due to flooding as there currently is due to drought. So there is a spatial challenge as well – water from the surplus regions needs to reach those with a shortfall, and the water train deployed in Maharashtra is one attempt to achieve this.
Kolhapur is a city on the banks of the Panchganga River; water has started receding in Maharashtra’s flood-hit Kolhapur district and the Mumbai- Bengaluru national highway, which has been closed due to waterlogging for last six days. Continuous discharge of water from Almatti dam in Karnataka brought down the water level of the Panchganga River in Kolhapur where it was flowing above the danger mark. Kolhapur and Sangli districts have been battling unprecedented floods since the last eight days following heavy rains in Konkan and western parts of the state where 40 people have lost their lives in the deluge. Nearly 4.48 lakh people were so far evacuated from flood-hit areas across the state, including 4.04 lakh from Kolhapur and Sangli. They were shifted to 372 temporary camps and shelters, a senior state official said on August 11. Rescuers, including the NDRF and military personnel, received kudos from locals for the relief work.
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We all keep dreaming of birthdays, wedding anniversaries, and other special occasions. The birthday parties, graduation dinners, and wedding anniversaries are one of the special moments that we all cherish and eagerly wait for. Among youngsters and children, parents also have a right to hold special occasions to cherish their children up.
Just like Mother’s Day, which is celebrated on the second Sunday in May, Father’s Day, which is celebrated on the third Sunday in June and Children’s Day which is celebrated on November 14, Parent’s Day, which is celebrated on the fourth Sunday in July, is celebrated to honour both the parents — i.e. the father and the mother. This year, Parent’s Day is being celebrated on July 28.
Parent’s Day is dedicated to parents all over the world and is an occasion to show appreciation for the commitment to strengthen the family bond and to create an atmosphere of happiness, love, and understanding. It is the parents’ who mould their child’s/children’s personality according to their inherent strengths, talents and bequeath to them moral values and the spirit of living life wholly.
Parent’s Day acknowledges the overpowering presence of parents in the life of their children.
My parents have always remained the pillar of my life, I have never seen them crying even in the darkest moments of their life.
Parents play an important and precious role in every child’s life. Utilising this opportunity, I would especially like to thank my mother because it is only a mother who sacrifices and goes through a painful journey to raise her child up. Behind every successful person, there is a mother who is always ready to sacrifice anything just to see her child happy. A mother is a goddess who goes through a lot of pain and sacrifices her own blood to give us birth.
We all go through many ups and downs; the only people who stand by us and will stand by us are our parents. There are many relationships we have in our lives, but they are flimsy most of the times and there is only one relationship that remains till our last breath and that relationship is what we share with our parents. Parents are the only people who never step back at the time when we need them and they are always there for us does not matter how difficult the situation is.
My parents are the actual reason for my success in my career and without them, I would be nothing. It is completely unimaginable for me to think about a life without my parents but there are some people who do not have this blessing and are unaware of this love which we get from our parents. On seeing them, it feels very fortunate that I have a loving father and a caring mother. My only aim now is to provide my parents with the best of everything because they deserve the best after all such sacrifices they did for me.
It is a gesture of gratitude for the sacrifices, nurturing and care, emotional strength of parents, as they see their children grow up through a series of phases and beyond. Not just a provider of material needs, parents also take on more important roles of a guide and mentor which has a salutary effect on their child’s/children’s attitude and behaviour. This constant flow of positive energy from the parent to the child nourishes and strengthens the family bond and sustains for a lifetime. Parents have an imperative and indispensable role in starting a family, which brings with it a host of responsibilities and commitments.
May the Heavenly Father guide and protect them always.
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
T-shirts, ‘dupattas’, toys in tri-colour of our national flag are seen in shops as 15th August approaches. Shopkeepers keep such things to sell their stock and buyers also buy for children out of love. Does using such clothes and things show our real patriotism? In fact, things coloured like national flags are used anyhow, they get spoilt which is in a way abuse of national flags. At some places, cakes are baked in tri-colour and cut on this occasion. It is most shameful for Indians that cakes are made and cut in tri-colour; when for the honour of which our revolutionaries sacrificed their life and fought for protection of national flag. National flag is not a toy but it is a symbol of our national anthem and sacrifices made by our revolutionaries. Every Indian should protect national flag even more than his life. Do we become true patriots by colouring our cheeks with tri-colour? Certainly not ! Let us therefore, take care this year and see to it that our national flag is not insulted in any manner and let us be true patriotic citizens.
Manasi Joshi
TwoGreatEvents
On August 15 every year, we Catholics celebrate two great significant and related events. One is the Assumption of Our Blessed Virgin Mary and the other is Independence Day. The reason as to why these two events are related is because they are both about freedom. Independence Day is celebrated as freedom from foreign rule and domination to self-rule and governance of our country and the feast of the Assumption of Our Blessed Mother Mary may be seen as freedom from this limited and incomplete life to a bliss of eternal and perpetual life. There is indeed a happy coincidence to celebrate our Independence Day on the feast day of the Assumption of Our Blessed Mother Mary. It is to our Blessed Mother that we dedicate our country as she is our patron saint.
Jubel D’Cruz
Imran Khan worrying about demography-change in Jammu-Kashmir
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, a total failure to solve internal problems of Pakistan, is exhibiting his big concern on removal of irrelevant portions of Article 370 and 35A of Indian constitution by the Indian Parliament just to divert attention of Pakistani people from their internal problems. Now he has expressed worry on likely change in demography in Jammu-Kashmir state of India. He should first answer about minority Hindus in Pakistan having been reduced now to even less than two-percent from fifteen-percent at time of independence.
I recall once having asked the then Pakistan High Commissioner in India at a media-conclave at Hotel Oberoi (New Delhi) about whereabouts of Kashmiri Pandits in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir. His totally unbelievable reply was that there were no Kashmiri Pandits in that part of PoK at time of independence.
Madhu Agrawal
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
There is a saying about Mumbai, “Rotlo Male Pan Otlo Naa Male” which means that you get a meal in Mumbai but getting shelter is not easy. For the middle class and lower class, it is a dream to have own home in Mumbai. Property rates in Mumbai are always highest in Asia. Even a One Room Kitchen apartment in Borivali has Rs 1 crore starting price. Here house price starts with crores, not in lakhs.
People say that “Mumbai Me Koyi Bhuka Nahi Sota” (no one starves in Mumbai) but personal life sucks here as people say that this city never sleeps and it runs 24 hours a day. Yes. It is true but the truth is that your daily life becomes very hectic — a job from 9 to 5 and then travel in Mumbai locals for 2–4 hours a day. You have no time for your personal peace. Most of the time in weekends, Mumbaikars like to rest at home like cats. You will easily exhaust with your life if you don’t have any target.
Somehow if you manage accommodation in Mumbai, then the next challenge is to get a parking space. I was really surprised to know that residential buildings have parking space issue all over Mumbai. If you want a secure parking space, then pay more addition to rent/price or park your vehicle outside the building at your own risk. Space issue in the city is so critical that most of the new buildings have very less space or no space for balcony. You may find a window instead of a balcony with few space to hang your washed clothes to dry.
Moreover, you will get crazy with traffic here. In Mumbai, if you travel in peak hours, then get ready to get stuck on your way — 10 Km travelling may take 1–1:30 hours to complete. If you have your own vehicle, then you may waste your fuel cost by just being stuck in traffic. So, it is advisable to use public transport than personal. This is the city of 25000+ millionaires and 28 billionaires so you should have handsome money to get a lavish life in Mumbai. If you have limited salary, then get ready for struggles and suffering. It is advisable to have a maximum number of the working person in the home to get a comfortable life with a limited income source.
Mumbai has many of its pluses but at the same time, the city is a very annoying place too. It is crowded beyond belief, everyone is in a hurry, and everything is in chaos. The houses are too small and the rent is too much, and as for property, don’t even think about it.
Yes, there are many challenges here but the city has much more to offer. In the last 10 years, people have left Mumbai city and rushing towards the suburban Mumbai like Thane and Ghodbunder.
Here are two seasons — Monsoon and Summer — which are neither too hot nor cold at all. Even during summer, you won’t feel too much heat, you just get sweat. You would not even get tan even if you roam all day on the road. During the rain, you can face a little bit of irritation while travelling but still it can be manageable.
People in the city are focused, fast, professional, helping, and hard-working. They mind their own business and are less judgemental. The best part is that people are open-minded here.
Moreover, Mumbai is the safest when compared to all other metro cities in India, especially for girls in the night also. The police always help a girl stranded at night rather than making her feel unsafe. People of Mumbai are largely broadminded and most of the time, they are so engrossed in their own schedules that they don’t even look around.
There is no moral custodian; no one is bothered here about your clothes and looks. Mumbai have been highly marketed in media, as a city where all dreams come true. Lots of people come from different parts of India daily to fulfill their dreams. The younger generation who have been born and brought up in Greater Mumbai, their parents have come to fulfill their dreams. They have a mindset that only Mumbai has opportunities and they stay here at any cost to fulfill their dreams.
Mumbai is congested and at times suffocating, those who are living for ages are fine with whatever comes their way but those who cannot deal with these challenges are moving out of Mumbai. Thane, Kalyan, and Ghatkopar areas are offering comparatively cheaper accommodations and those areas also have greenery and breathing spaces; above all, the construction has new-age touch and amenities. Perhaps this is the reason people are leaving the city and moving to the suburbs.
Cost of living is very high in the city and for those living on rent, it is too high. It is a vicious cycle. Cost of a house is such that many can’t afford and you have no choice but to pay high rents. If you buy on loan, be ready to pay EMIs for a good part of your life. With both partners working and average working hours are 10 +travelling, personal relationships are taking a toll. Dysfunctional marriages and high divorce rates are becoming the norm. Don’t forget a large number of people staying unmarried way beyond 30.
Living in Mumbai is not everyone’s cup of tea. I know a lot of people who moved to Mumbai seeing the culture and life here, but after experiencing Mumbai, they have gone back to their natives or moved to other places. Living in Mumbai requires a lot of patience and courage. Living in a small house, bearing the expenses, travelling in Local Trains, understanding Marathi, getting lost in the crowd, overcrowded places, expensive food, the local food, covering long distances and the list goes on.
(Any suggestions, comments or dispute with regards to this article send us on feedback@www.afternoonvoice.com)
Mumbai is known as India’s commercial capital and the city contributes more than 35 per cent to the nation’s GDP. The metropolis is home to 1 crore and seventy lakh population. Many people relocate to the city in search of their livelihood. Rapid urbanisation of Mumbai has taken its toll as there is dearth of open space in the city. Moreover, increase in real estate prices have forced people to migrate from the island city to suburbs.
Social activist Abhijeet Rane said, “I think that Mumbai has become overcrowded and traffic is increasing. Many companies have been closed down in Mumbai and some others are shifting to Thane and Navi Mumbai. Migration has actually happened and skilled workers have shifted to Gujarat and other states.”
Today it has become very difficult for people to buy a flat in Mumbai city. Therefore, they are relocating to suburbs like Thane, Kalyan-Dombivali, Vasai and Virar. Migration is happening within the Mumbai metropolitan region. On the other hand, suburban areas like Thane, Kalyan-Dombivali has started witnessing widespread migration of people from Mumbai. Thane’s population has gone up by 29.3 lakh between 2001 and 2011. Moreover, 1.1 lakh people migrated from the island city to Raigad.
Criminal lawyer and NCP MP MajeedMemon said, “People’s financial position has become weak and real estate rates have increased. Therefore, people are shifting from Lalbaug, Parel and Dadar to Kharghar and Navi Mumbai. It will result in savings for them. Thus, lower middle class are shifting from Mumbai to suburban areas.”
Also, housing projects in the suburban areas offer better amenities as compared to city. Hence, people are migrating to suburbs. The closure of mills in central Mumbai is another reason for people migrating to suburbs. After the closure of mills several realty projects have come up on mill lands. Both residential and commercial establishments have set up shop on mill lands. Therefore, residents are relocating to suburbs in search of cheaper housing option.
Aneel Murarka,Managing Director of Mirachem Industries said, “Basically Mumbai is getting more populated. On the other side, it is more of green environment right now. Commuting in Thane is fast as compared to Mumbai. Therefore, people are shifting from Mumbai to Thane and other suburbs.”
The emergence of Thane as the most crowded railway station over Churchgate or Dadar is yet another indicator that the city’s population is gradually shifted from municipal limits of Greater Mumbai to far-flung suburban pockets. The northward movement of people was earlier established by the 2011 census which showed Mumbaikars were largely moving out of Greater Mumbai. South Mumbai recorded a 5.75 per cent drop in population between 2001 to 2011 the sharpest decline in a century while suburban Mumbai grew by 8 per cent. While there was 44 per cent population increase in the municipal limits of Thane in 2001 to 2011 other suburban pockets like Vasai-Virar (135.25 per cent), Badlapur (79.19 per cent) and Mira-Bhayander (56.5 per cent) too witnessed exponential growth.
Prateeksha Deshpande, a Sion resident said, “I saw an advertisement pertaining to sale of 2BHK flat in Thane. Initially, we had brought the flat for investment purposes. Later on, we decided to shift to Thane which has better amenities and good transportation network.”
Demographers also feel that Mumbai has reached a saturation point adding that population density is 20,925 per sq km in the suburbs and 20,038 in the island city in contrast to Thane district which has the population density of 1,157 per sq km.
Just after the scrapping of Article 370 and 35A by the central government, the social media started to purchase plots in Jammu and Kashmir and dream to bring beautiful girls from the territory as their life partners. Over-excited with the party’s success to fulfill its old manifesto point, the BJP-led Haryana Government’s Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar also had a tongue slip and made a controversial remark by saying “Our minister OP Dhankhar used to say that he will bring a ‘bahu‘ (daughter-in-law) from Bihar. Nowadays, people are saying that the path to Kashmir has been cleared, so now we will bring girls from Kashmir.” He was speaking at a state-level function in Fatehabad and was commenting on the success of the Centre’s flagship Beti Bachao Beti Padhao program.
However, Mr. Khattar, in his same speech had told his statement just a joke, but this speech video had got viral and attracted severe reactions from all corners. Congress party made it an issue and its leaders from different pillars and posts raised their voice condemning Khattar.
Even former Congress president Rahul Gandhi reacted, “Haryana CM, Khattar’s comment on Kashmiri women is despicable and shows what years of RSS training does to the mind of a weak, insecure and pathetic man. Women are not assets to be owned by men.”
Haryana CM, Khattar’s comment on Kashmiri women is despicable and shows what years of RSS training does to the mind of a weak, insecure and pathetic man. Women are not assets to be owned by men. https://t.co/G0QM1LMuM9
Khattar replied Gandhi in the same tune, “Weak, insecure and pathetic” are adjectives people use for the President of the Congress Party. Manufacturing statements & subsequently destroying their own party does not work in the long term.”
Former MP and son of late Chaudhary Bhajan Lal, Kuldeep Bishnoi said in his tweet, “I strongly condemn this insensitive, disrespectful and irresponsible statement by Khattar. The head of the state should be judicious in his thoughts and choice of words.”
I strongly condemn this insensitive, disrespectful and irresponsible statement by Khattar. The head of the state should be judicious in his thoughts and choice of words. https://t.co/2AuoTC1Blc
National President of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh Mayawati tweeted, “BSP condemns the narrow-minded and indecent statement of Haryana Chief Minister issued after scrapping of Article 370 about the daughters of Kashmir. BJP’s top leadership immediately should take strict action on these anti-women activities.”
हरियाणा के सीएम धारा 370 की समाप्ति के बाद कश्मीरी बहन-बेटियों के बारे में जो ओछी मानसिकता वाली अभद्रता कर रहे हैं उसकी बीएसपी कड़े शब्दों में निन्दा व तीव्र भर्त्सना करती है। बीजेपी शीर्ष नेतृत्व महिला विरोधी इन हरकतों का संज्ञान लेकर तत्काल सख्त कार्रवाई करे।
Haryana is already infamous for its abysmal sex ratio and concerns about the killing of girl children and its crime rate against women. Here even the protectors have become the looters. A recent incident of rape by the policeman should open the eyes of the government operators. A woman was allegedly raped by an inspector rank police official in Jind. Pushpa, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Jind said that a case has been registered and the accused has been arrested. Medicals of both the accused and the victim have been done and further investigation is underway.
However, the Haryana Government is claiming its overwhelming success in increasing sex ratio through its girl safety measures. In a government press release of August 8, 2019, wherein the Project Director, Chief Minister’s Good Governance Associates Programme, Dr. Rakesh Gupta has been quoted, “As a result of the successful implementation of Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao campaign by the Haryana Government, for the first time in history, the birth rate of girls in the state has reached 918 per 1,000 boys. Thus, it is expected that by the end of the year the figure will reach 920. In the year 2014, the number of girls per 1000 boys was 871, 876 in 2015, 900 in 2016, 914 in 2017-18 whereas the number is 918 till June 2019.”
The meeting was held under the chairmanship of Project Director, Chief Minister’s Good Governance Associates Programme, Dr. Rakesh Gupta to review the progress of various schemes with the Deputy Commissioners through video conferencing. Projects such as Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PC-PNDT) Act, Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act, Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and CM Window, Social Media Grievance Tracker, Haryana Vision Zero, Antyodaya Saral Project and Saksham Haryana.
Statistics tabled in the state assembly indicate that the number of rape cases registered by the police from September 2014 to September 2015 were 961. The number increased to 1,026 in 2015-2016, was up to 1,193 in 2016-17 and 1,413 in 2017-2018.
Similarly, the number of cases pertaining to the kidnapping of women and girls was 1,664 between September 2014-August 2015. They increased to 2,330 in 2015-16, 3,055 in 2016-17 and were 3,494 in 2017-18. There has also been a steady increase in molestation cases in the state – from 1,833 in 2014-15 to 2,320 in 2017-18.”
The Chief Minister claimed in the same speech at Fatehabad, “Haryana was infamous due to the low birth rate of daughters. The government launched Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao campaign, due to which the number of girls born per 1,000 boys has increased from 850 to 933. We have to take this number to 1,000.”
After having a sight on the above the government-given crime data, can we undoubtedly conclude how far the government’s so claimed success of the Centre’s flagship Beti Bachao Beti Padhao program is really successful?
By Jag Mohan Thaken
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed within this article are the personal opinions of the author. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of AFTERNOON VOICE and AFTERNOON VOICE does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.
We all are aware that the Lok Sabha holds a very important place in the political hierarchy of India and plays a major part in mapping out how our country functions and progresses. Recently, I have been continuously watching the almost all session of proceedings of Lok sabha. Red salute to our LS speaker Om Birla for handling the house in a very nice and planned manner! Really, he is an amiable speaker and has an excellent ability to make connections and control the members in Lok sabha. We have seen him maintaining the discipline and the order in the Lok Sabha and he also acts as a mediator in case of any nasty arguments. He is performing his duties as the Speaker in Lok Sabha as a non-partisan speaker and according to the morals and traditions; a speaker cannot be included in a party or cannot be bounded by any party’s guidelines. Birla had promised to run the House in an impartial manner and to safeguard the interests of the members irrespective of the strength of their parties in the House and he is fulfilling his promise. In his speech, he assures the members that they would be “heard” and that the house responds them. The Speaker is the constitutional and ceremonial head of the House. He is the principal spokesperson of the House. PM Modi deserves a big applause and our country and the members of Lok Sabha are having such a distinguished personality as the Speaker of the House. Om Birla is the product of student politics, who also served as state president of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha.
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, one of the chief architects of India’s freedom and a moving force behind its Constitution, placed the office of the Speaker in India in the proper context and he rightly said,”The Speaker represents the House. He/she represents the dignity of the House, the freedom of the House and because the House represents the nation, in a particular way, the Speaker becomes a symbol of nation’s freedom and liberty. Therefore, that should be an honoured position, a free position and should be occupied always by persons of outstanding ability and impartiality.” This is true for Om Birla which he deserves while watching his contribution to the smooth conduct of every session.
Om Birla has been in public life for years, starting as a student leader and has been continuously serving the society. He had played a very vital role in the transformation and overall development of Kota in Rajasthan. Om Birla is a member of the Standing Committee on Energy in Parliament, member of Committee on Petitions and Consultative Committee for Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. Birla has been associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh since he was a student in school. His public life had started with the post of President of the Students Association in the Gumanpura Senior Secondary School. He later became the joint secretary at the Rajasthan College of Commerce, Kota. He was BJYM Kota district president for over four years. He went on to become the BJYM state president for over six years and then the National Vice President of BJYM for over six years. He is well known in Rajasthan for his welfare and charity initiatives. Birla had also started the project of ‘Rain Basera’ (night shelters) in Kota where the poor and homeless are provided shelter, mattress and blankets for the night during winters.
Our PM Modi has also remembered his long association with the newly elected Speaker. He underlined Om Birla’s dedication to service and his contributions towards the rebuilding efforts in Kutch after the earthquake and Kedarnath after the floods. Modi also assured the Speaker that he would receive full cooperation of the members in conducting the proceedings of the House successfully.
People of India had also expected Om Birla to be “more responsible and answerable in the House” and that what we see today.
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
With rains subsiding in many parts of Kerala, search operations are underway in landslide hit areas of Kavalappara and Puthumala in Malappuram and Wayanad, even as the toll in the monsoon fury climbed to 76 and 2.87 lakh persons have sought refuge in relief camps.
Fifty eight persons are still missing, of whom 50 are in Malappuram, where the toll is 24, the highest in the state.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who is in Kerala to take stock of the flood situation, this morning visited a relief camp at the hill town of Thiruvambady, part of Wayanad constituency, which he represents in the Lok Sabha.
“In this tragedy we all are standing with you”, he said, addressing the people in the camp and wanted Congress and UDF workers to provide all help those affected by the deluge.
“I have come here with sadness. There is tremendous tragedy in Wayanad. I also know today is a festival. Though it is not a happy occasion, I still wish you for Id”, he said.
In many camps, people observed a low key Id festival with well wishers bringing in food and new clothes for the inmates.
There was no red alert in any of the 14 districts on Monday.
An official update at 11 AM said 2,87,585 people have taken shelter in 1,654 relief centres in the state.
With the recovery of more bodies, including 24 from Malappuram, 17 from Kozhikode and 12 from Wayanad since August 8, the toll has gone up to 76.
A massive landslide had wrecked havoc in Kavalappara, a 10 acre settlement near Nilambur in Malappuram on August 8 and according to local people at least 50 people are still missing.
In Puthumala in Wayanad, another landslide had wrecked havoc the area. Ten bodies have been recovered and seven people are said to be missing.
Efforts are on to reach relief materials– clothes, medicines and cleaning materials to people who have been displaced and collection centres have come up across Kerala.
Four trains were fully cancelled on Monday– Okha Ernakulam express, Barauni Ernakulam Raptisagar, the Thiruvananthapuram-Ahilyanagari express and the KochuveliHyderabad special trains, a Southern Railways press release said this morning.
Meanwhile, the Kerala University has postponed all its examinations to be held for August 13, a release said.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will next week resume his ‘Mahajanadesh Yatra‘, which he suspended in view of the floods battering parts of the state, a BJP functionary said on Wednesday.
We all keep dreaming of birthdays, wedding anniversaries, and other special occasions. The birthday parties, graduation dinners, and wedding anniversaries are one of the special moments that we all cherish and eagerly wait for. Among youngsters and children, parents also have a right to hold special occasions to cherish their children up.
Let us maintain honour of national flag
Mumbai
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With rains subsiding in many parts of Kerala, search operations are underway in landslide hit areas of Kavalappara and Puthumala in Malappuram and