UN human rights experts have expressed alarm over what they said were many credible reports that China had detained one million or more ethnic Uighurs in the western region of Xinjiang and forced as many as two million to submit to re-education and indoctrination. In the name of combating religious …
Read More »Monthly Archives: August 2018
Aadhaar cards of over 30,000 children under institutional care linked with Track Child Portal
Aadhaar of over 30,000 children linked to portal The Aadhaar details of over 30,000 children living in child care institutions have been linked to the TrackChild portal, a central database, following reports of many going missing from shelters, an official said. TrackChild, which has details of missing children, coordinates with …
Read More »To check corruption, cops in Una barred from carrying over Rs 200
Policemen in Una barred from carrying over Rs. 200 In a bid to curb corruption, the police chief of Himachal Pradesh’s Una district has issued a unique diktat barring police personnel manning checkpoints from keeping more than Rs. 200 with them. Una Superintendent of Police Diwakar Sharma said the decision …
Read More »No free travel insurance in trains from September 1: Railways
The Railways will stop free travel insurance for passengers from September 1, an official said on Saturday. Travellers, while booking tickets through the IRCTC website or mobile app, can opt for travel insurance or opt out. The order to charge for travel insurance will be generated in a few days.IANS …
Read More »Are the Marathas so restive?
What is the trigger? In July, while the monsoon session of the legislature was on, a group of Maratha protesters launched a sit-in against the BJP government for not fulfilling the promises made to the community, including 16% reservation. The issue, however, spilled outside the Assembly, when Chief Minister Devendra …
Read More »North Karnataka, reeling under neglect
Thirteen districts of north Karnataka recently raised a fresh cry for a separate State, pointing out that Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy’s budgetary allocations favoured only the southern districts. The crisis has blown over and Mr. Kumaraswamy has clarified that he has big plans for the development of the region. Historical …
Read More »The monsoon and its march so far
For 2018, the monsoon is past the crucial half-way mark. As of August 9, the seasonal rain, which decides the fate/extent of the kharif crop acreage, has run up a deficit of 10%. But it is not so much the deficit figure as the spatial and temporal spread (across space …
Read More »Shift mentally ill from vagrants’ homes: WBHRC
225 inmates found in six shelters The West Bengal Human Rights Commission (WBHRC) has learnt that a number of people suffering from mental illness have been placed in vagrants’ homes run by the State government, and has recommended that they be provided medical intervention. In its recommendation, the WBHRC directed …
Read More »More Assembly seats for Sikkim
Cabinet panel to take a decision soon The Home Ministry has moved the Union Cabinet to increase the number of seats in the Sikkim Assembly from 32 to 40. The State goes to the polls in 2019. A senior Ministry official said the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs, headed by …
Read More »Genetic ‘barcodes’ reveal three frogs unreported in India
Technique also points to smaller distribution of the ornate narrow-mouthed frog, which may require a protection programme Barcodes are not used in supermarkets alone. Each species can be recognised by its unique genetic ‘barcode’ and using this method, a team of scientists has identified three frog species not recorded in …
Read More »