DCW meet: Delhi CM Rekha Gupta calls for making women aware of rights, safety measures

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

New Delhi, Sep 11 (IANS) Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said on Friday that the safety of women and girls cannot be ensured merely by making laws; it also requires making them aware of their rights and the measures available for their protection.

Addressing a meeting of the Delhi Commission for Women, Chief Minister Gupta stressed the need to further strengthen the Commission’s online complaint system and step up the panel’s activities at the grassroots level.

The Chief Minister also emphasised the need to raise awareness among girls about POCSO and cybercrimes, ensure that eligible adolescent girls have access to information and facilities related to HPV vaccination, and make the online system for disposing of women’s complaints simpler and more effective.

The meeting, held at Janseva Sadan, was attended by Commission Chairperson Lata Gupta, members and senior officials.

Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said college-going students should be specifically made aware of ways to protect themselves from cybercrimes.

She advised the Commission to conduct campaigns in colleges to educate students about online harassment, misuse of social media, cyber fraud and other digital crimes, and to provide information on where and how to file a complaint in the event of an incident.

The Chief Minister said it was essential for girls to be aware of their rights and the legal provisions available to protect them from sexual offences.

She asked the Commission to conduct awareness campaigns in schools and colleges to increase awareness about the POCSO Act and inform girls about the assistance and complaint mechanisms available to them in cases of exploitation or harassment.

The Chief Minister stressed the need to visit and review arrangements at One Stop Centres (Sakhi), which provide assistance to women in crisis, as well as women’s shelter and care institutions run by the government and non-governmental organisations.

CM Gupta said women staying at these institutions should receive the necessary medical care, counselling, legal assistance and rehabilitation facilities effectively, along with a safe environment.

She also stressed the need to raise awareness about HPV vaccination for the prevention of cervical cancer.

The Chief Minister also stressed the need to further strengthen the Women’s Commission’s online complaint system.

She said women should have access to a simple, accessible and reliable mechanism for complaints related to domestic violence, human trafficking, sexual exploitation and harassment.

–IANS

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Kerala shipwreck: NGT seeks TN govt’s report on plastic nurdle spill as debris reaches Dhanushkodi

Chennai, June 11 (IANS) The Southern bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed the Tamil Nadu government to file a comprehensive report on the cleanup operations following a significant spill of plastic nurdles that washed ashore reaching Dhanushkodi.

The spill originated from a cargo ship that sank off the Kochi coast on May 25.

The vessel in question, MSC Elsa 3, a Liberia-flagged container ship sank, nearly 38 nautical miles southwest of Kochi.

The ship was carrying more than 600 containers, including hazardous cargo such as calcium carbide, oil and a large volume of nurdles — tiny plastic pellets used in the manufacturing of plastic products.

The NGT Principal Bench had earlier taken suo motu cognisance of the environmental threat posed by the sinking.

On Tuesday, the Southern Bench, comprising Justice Pushpa Sathyanarayana and expert member Satyagopal Korlapati, heard the matter and expressed serious concern over the environmental ramifications of the spill.

During the proceedings, the Bench questioned the Tamil Nadu government’s legal counsel on the actions taken in response to the widespread dispersion of nurdles.

“The nurdles have floated all the way to Dhanushkodi. What steps have been taken so far?” Justice Sathyanarayana asked, highlighting the urgency of mitigating further ecological damage.

The Tribunal emphasised the potential harm posed by the spill to marine biodiversity, coastal ecosystems, and water quality, particularly in sensitive ecological zones along Tamil Nadu’s coastline.

Nurdles, when ingested by marine organisms, can disrupt the food chain and have long-lasting environmental consequences.

Adding to its environmental concerns, the Bench also took note of a recent internal explosion reported on a Singapore-flagged cargo ship travelling from Colombo to Mumbai on June 9.

The explosion raised fresh alarms about the risk of oil leaks and debris entering Indian waters, further endangering marine ecosystems.

In light of these developments, the NGT has directed the Tamil Nadu government to submit a detailed status report outlining the immediate containment and cleanup measures undertaken.

The report is expected to include data on affected coastal stretches, steps to recover nurdles, and protocols implemented to prevent long-term ecological damage.

The matter will be reviewed in the next hearing, with the Tribunal closely monitoring both state and Central responses to the unfolding environmental crisis.

–IANS

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Haryana Cabinet approves reimbursement for ‘arhityas’

Chandigarh, Feb 4 (IANS) In a major relief to ‘arhityas’ (grain commission agents), the Haryana Cabinet on Tuesday approved reimbursement to compensate for the weight loss due to moisture during the Rabi procurement of 2024-25.

The government will bear an expenditure of Rs 3,09,95,541 to compensate for losses incurred by the ‘arthiyas’.

The Cabinet meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, also approved the amendment to the Haryana Village Common Lands (Regulation) Act of 1961.

With this, a piece of land in Shamilat Deh, which was leased out before the commencement of the Punjab Village Common Lands (Regulation) Rules, 1964, by the Collector under the Haryana Utilisation of Lands Act, 1949, for 20 years has been excluded from the ambit of Shamilat Deh.

As a result, the provision related to leasing such lands has been approved for deletion. In addition, under the Act, it was previously stated that the Gram Panchayat could sell land up to 500 square yards occupied by unauthorised constructed houses at not less than the market rate.

The Cabinet has also approved that the rate at which such land can be sold will be prescribed in the rules.

Earlier, the power to grant approval in such cases was with the state government. Now it has been decided that approval in this regard will be granted by the Director Panchayats instead of the government. The Cabinet also approved the Haryana Wild Life (Protection) Rules of 2024.

Under the new rules, criteria have been established for obtaining permits related to wildlife. The Haryana Wildlife (Protection) Rules, 1974, have been repealed under the provisions of the Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972, and the Haryana Wildlife (Protection) Rules of 2024 were approved by the government, an official statement said.

Under the Haryana Wildlife (Protection) Rules of 2024, guidelines and procedures have been formulated for the public regarding the process of obtaining permits and approvals from the Department of Wildlife. The rules provide detailed procedures and prescribed formats for granting permits related to wildlife education, scientific research, or scientific management. They also outline the procedures and formats for granting permits for the conservation of specified plants for special purposes.

Also, under these rules, a detailed procedure and prescribed format have been established for individuals to conduct surveys or investigations on land within the boundaries of sanctuaries. The rules also provide for the registration process of individuals possessing arms and specify the procedure and prescribed format.

The enactment of the Haryana Wildlife (Protection) Rules of 2024 will make the process of obtaining permits from the Department of Wildlife more transparent and simplified.

–IANS

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Extensive security arrangements in place for fair conduct of NEET-UG re-test in J&K

Srinagar, June 20 (IANS) Extensive security arrangements have been made across J&K for the fair conduct of the NEET (UG) re-test scheduled on Sunday (June 21).

Authorities have made extensive arrangements across Jammu and Kashmir, including decentralising centres to reduce travel and suspending classwork in designated institutions to ensure the smooth conduct of the re-test.

Regular classwork is suspended in 60 designated higher secondary schools across the Kashmir Valley on Saturday to facilitate test preparations, while no specific statewide closures or separate school suspension announcements have been made for the Jammu division.

To limit long-distance travel, exam centres have been established across multiple districts, including Jammu, Srinagar, Anantnag, Baramulla, Budgam, Kathua, Kupwara, Pulwama, Samba, and Udhampur.

District administrations have reviewed surveillance setups, strong rooms, and mandatory CCTV/videography protocols to maintain the sanctity of the exam as per the National Testing Agency (NTA) guidelines.

Candidates have been advised to follow the reporting time mentioned on their admit cards strictly. They must bring with them the NEET Admit Card, a valid photo ID, and passport-size photographs.

Candidates must follow all NTA dress code guidelines and reach the exam centres at least one hour before the designated reporting time.

The National Testing Agency (NTA) has committed to maintaining transparency, fairness, and the integrity of the medical admission process.

The NEET UG re-examination is being conducted due to the cancellation of the original exam held on May 3, which was annulled following severe allegations of question paper leaks and examination irregularities.

Investigations revealed that candidates obtained a “guess paper” containing dozens of identical questions up to a month before the test, fundamentally compromising the exam’s integrity.

Investigations, notably by the Rajasthan Special Operations Group (SOG), found handwritten suggestion papers and digital documents circulating in coaching hubs (like Sikar) that matched over 120 questions on the actual exam.

Law enforcement agencies discovered that organised rackets were allegedly selling the leaked questions to aspirants for significant sums of money.

The NTA officially stated that the cancellation was necessary to protect the credibility and fairness of the national examination system.

The central government handed over the investigation to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to conduct a comprehensive inquiry into the paper leak and the involvement of any broader syndicates.

–IANS

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