Theuniversity is already providing two free seats in each college affiliated to it for poor students who are socially and economically backward…reports Asian Lite News
Madras University is planning to provide one free seat to transgenders in each college affiliated with it for Under Graduate course.
This is to promote education of transgenders. This will come into effect from academic year 2022-23.
The university is already providing two free seats in each college affiliated to it for poor students who are socially and economically backward.
S. Gowri, Vice-chancellor of Madras University while speaking to IANS said: “We are planning to allot at least one seat in each college affiliated under the University for free to people from transgender community. This is for promoting the education of transgender people.”
She said that the university is planning to get the approval of the syndicate for the proposal during its next sitting.
During the 2021-22 academic year, the university had allocated a supernumerary seat in college for postgraduate programme to transgenders but no one joined.
The university has enrolled 340 students from 131 families with poor economic backgrounds during the 2021-22 academic year. The Vice-Chancellor also said that the university will waive the fee for transgenders who will be joining the undergraduate course during this academic year.
Kalki Subramaniam, transgender activist, writer, poet, and painter who had stood for transgender rights said: “This is a welcome move of Madras University. I am happy that awareness is growing among people regarding transgender people and our situation. I have always been a votary for higher education to transgender people and the Madras University has taken a step in the right direction.”
TAHA COBURN-KUTAY: Today’s mini-budget is like giving a sugar candy to please everybody around the Chancellor. Interestingly most cuts come in around 2024 when the country goes for a general election and the Chancellor doesn’t care who bears the brunt of his policies.
In one of my articles leading up to the 2019 general elections, I had mentioned that no one is questioning the government about the net fiscal deficit and how does the government plan to fill the gap only to see today that the gap has grown further 95.6% of the GDP.
On the one hand, the Chancellor has cut fuel duty by 5p but the national insurance raised to 1.25%. If one was to do the calculations the government coffers will have more money than cutting the fuel duty loss. Most people in the UK use public transport, all train and bus fares are increasing if not increased yet. This fuel duty cut will not benefit those people but the national insurance rise will affect most of them.
The energy prices are increasing and some people have to make tough decisions whether to put food on the table or switch on the heating in their homes.
The income tax base band dropped from 20 to 19% which will take effect in 2024, I will ask people to reread this line and think how does it make sense if the conservative government couldn’t come back to the office in 2024. Who will face the problem of the government coffers receiving less tax?
For businesses, the tax rates will be cut in the autumn budget, how many businesses will even remember such a suggestion was made today.
For all the above reasons, I firmly believe this is an eyewash for the incompetence of the government. This is not a budget of the Century. The cost of living is spiraling and people will have to make tough choices when the effects of war start to show. We will see the prices of basic products like bread, eggs, and cooking oil go up as all these products directly or indirectly come from Ukraine. How does the Chancellor guarantee that this will not affect a common person like me?
(Chairman at http://UKABC.co.uk, TV Presenter, International Speaker, Community Leader)
Christine Jardine MP, Liberal Democrat Treasury Spokesperson
Responding to the Chancellor’s Spring Statement, Liberal Democrat Treasury Spokesperson Christine Jardine MP said:
“Families were looking to the Chancellor to offer them hope, instead he is adding to their pain by refusing to scrap his unfair tax rises. People seeing the biggest plunge in living standards in fifty years will see through the Chancellor’s spin.
Christine Jardine MP, Liberal Democrat Treasury Spokesperson
“Rishi Sunak has failed to introduce a windfall tax on the super profits of oil and gas producers, which could have raised billions to help people with their energy bills. And he has refused to bring in an emergency cut to VAT, as Liberal Democrats have called for, which would put £600 back into the pockets of the average family.”
Christine Jardine MP, Liberal Democrat Treasury Spokesperson
VIRENDRA SHARMA: “The Conservative’s budget is too little, too late, the current cost of living crisis is the result of 12 years of the Conservative government. Before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, inflation was already spiralling, and Tory choices had left us exposed to rising costs, the price of petrol, food and energy are still soaring, and people are worried about the future.
The Conservative Chancellor Rishi Sunak is choosing to bring in a National Insurance rise at the worst possible time and will have an enormous impact on working people and business. Rishi Sunak must halt this deeply unfair tax rise that is hitting 27 million workers. I support calls for a one-off windfall tax on oil and gas producers to cut household energy bills by up to £600. Big Energy has more money than it knows what to do with, they can help cut the cost of living and invest in our country. What we know is that we must grow our economy, to get us out of this high tax, low growth trap. With Labour’s plan to buy, make and sell more in Britain, and our Climate Investment Pledge, we’ll get our economy firing on all cylinders.”
(MrVirendra Sharma MP, Member of Parliament for Ealing Southall )
As on December 31, 2020, a total number of 14,459 posts for ST were vacant while 20,702 posts of OBCs were vacant in the various government ministries and departments, reports Asian Lite News
Over 34,000 posts for Schedule Tribes and Other Backward Class (OBC) are lying vacant in the various Ministries/Departments till December 31, 2020, the Parliament was told on Wednesday.
As on December 31, 2020, a total number of 14,459 posts for ST were vacant while 20,702 posts of OBCs were vacant in the various government ministries and departments. Personnel, Public Grievances, and Pensions Minister Jitendra Singh told the Lok Sabha in a written reply.
He also said that the government monitors the progress in respect of filling of backlog reserved vacancies for SCs, STs and OBCs in ten Ministries/Departments, which contribute more than 90 per cent of total number of employees of the Central Government.
According to the data till December 31, 2020, the highest number of posts for STs -4,405 – were vacant in the Railways while the Ministry of Home Affairs has 5,479 posts of OBCs vacant.
The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affair has the lowest number – 43 – posts for STs vacant while 181 posts were vacant in OBC category.
Singh also said in his reply that occurrence and filling of vacancies by various recruiting agencies of Central government including Union Public Service Commission and Staff Selection Commission is a continuous process on the basis of requisitioning by the respective cadre controlling authorities while the data regarding vacancies filled by State recruiting agencies is maintained by the respective state governments.
UP directed to decide on Rajbhars
The Allahabad High Court has directed the Uttar Pradesh government to take a decision within two months on the representation that seeks the inclusion of the state’s Bhar/Rajbhar community in the Scheduled Tribes (STs) list.
Till now, this community was treated as part of the Other Backward Class (OBC) in the state.
Disposing a writ petition filed by ‘Jago Rajbhar Jago Samiti’ and another, a division bench comprising Justices Siddhartha Varma and Dinesh Pathak observed that since the Central government has forwarded the petitioner’s representation to the Uttar Pradesh government, therefore, no useful purpose would be served to keep the matter pending before this court.
Earlier, Agnihotri Kumar Tripathi, the counsel for the petitioner, had contended that keeping in view the past records, the Bhar/Rajbhar community should be treated as ST, but the state government has given them the OBC status.
The members of this community have a strong presence in the eastern part of Uttar Pradesh.
The petitioner had applied the plea through a sitting MLA for inclusion in the Rajbhar community of Uttar Pradesh state in the list of Scheduled Tribes (ST). The matter reached the Centre, which had written on October 11, 2021 to the principal secretary, social welfare department, government of Uttar Pradesh, that it could not process the matter unless the proposal for including Bhar/Rajbhar community in the ST list had been processed by the state government.
After hearing all sides, the court noted that nowhere from the record, it transpired that the petitioners had approached the appropriate authority of the state government.
The communication dated October 11, 2011 of the Central government further revealed that the representations, which the petitioners had sent to the various authorities, had been forwarded to the principal secretary, social welfare department, government of Uttar Pradesh, for taking actions.
In its order dated March 11, while observing that “under these circumstances, no useful purpose would be served by keeping this writ petition pending before the high court, the division bench accordingly directed the principal secretary, social welfare department, government of Uttar Pradesh to take a decision on the representations, which have been forwarded to him by the Central Government within a period of two months in accordance with law”.
General Bajwa said that monitories in Pakistan are equal citizens and it is the job of the state is to protect them, reports Asian Lite News
Pakistan Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa visited Nagarparkar tehsil of district Tharparkar and spent the day with troops and also met local Hindu community, The News reported.
The COAS was briefed by local commander on operational readiness of the formation.
While interacting with troops, the COAS appreciated their state of morale and motivation for fulfilment of assigned mission.
He also advised all troops to remain focused on their professional obligations and training for an effective response to counter any emerging challenge.
Later on, the COAS also met with local Hindu community. He said that monitories in Pakistan are equal citizens and it is the job of the state is to protect them, the report said.
The Hindu community acknowledged Pakistan’s efforts in bringing about secure environment for minorities in the country, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said.
They pledged that the Hindu community shall contribute with full zeal towards the economic prosperity of the country.
The Karachi Corps Commander and Pakistan Rangers (Sindh) Director General also accompanied the COAS during the visit.
India’s Constitution guarantees a person the freedom to practise their religion as a fundamental right, subject to certain restrictions. In the past, the courts have held that the right to wear a hijab would fall under the protections guaranteed by the Constitution, reports Asian Lite News
For the past three weeks, six Muslim students at the government-run Pre-University College for Girls in Karnataka’s Udupi have been denied entry into their classes because they wear hijabs.
The college claims that the headscarf violates the institution’s dress code. They have asked the girls to stop wearing the hijab if they want entry into class.
The students have been protesting this move. They claim that this violates their freedom of religion.
India’s Constitution guarantees a person the freedom to practise their religion as a fundamental right, subject to certain restrictions. In the past, the courts have held that the right to wear a hijab would fall under the protections guaranteed by the Constitution.
Here is what the courts have said when deciding on similar matters.
Article 25(1) of the Constitution guarantees the “freedom of conscience and the right freely to profess, practise and propagate religion”. However, like all fundamental rights, this is not absolute. The government can regulate it on grounds of public order, morality, health and other provisions in the fundamental rights chapter of the Constitution.
The Supreme Court has, over the years, held that the Constitution would only protect “essential religious practices”. Courts, after consulting religious texts and experts, determine whether a practice is essential or integral to a religion, and therefore, needs constitutional protection.
Similar cases about students wearing hijabs have already come before the Kerala High Court and the Supreme Court. Both these concerned the code for the All India Pre-Medical Entrance Test, which set a prescribed range clothing items to curb cheating prevent candidates from concealing study materials. This meant that Muslim students would not be able to wear hijabs or long-sleeve dresses.
In response, students petitioned the Kerala High Court, both in 2015 and 2016. On both occasions, the court allowed the students to take the exam while wearing hijabs.
What does the Quran say?
In 2016, the Kerala High Court examined the Quran and the Hadith (the teachings of Prophet Mohammad) to see if wearing a hijab and long-sleeved dress is essential to the faith of a Muslim woman. It held that an analysis of these texts showed that covering the head and wearing long-sleeved dress is a religious duty. Exposing the body otherwise is forbidden. Thus, this forms an “essential part of the Islamic religion”.
The court noted that this manner of dressing does not offend public order, morality or health, nor does it hamper other fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution.
The court added that since there may be legitimate concerns of cheating as a result of this manner of clothing, a female invigilator could frisk the candidates. To facilitate this, it asked the candidates wearing hijabs to arrive half an hour before the scheduled time.
The previous year, in 2015, the Kerala High Court had dealt with a similar case. It arrived at the same conclusion. It noted that in a diverse country like India, “it cannot be insisted that a particular dress code be followed failing which a student would be prohibited from sitting for the examinations”.
In 2016, the Supreme Court heard a plea by a Muslim man who wanted to wear a beard while serving in the Indian Air Force. The service regulations stated that no Armed Forces personnel are allowed to have facial hair except if their religion prohibits the cutting or shaving of hair. The court, during the hearings, asked Salman Khurshid, a senior advocate, if Islam prohibits cutting of hair or shaving of facial hair. Khurshid said that there were varying interpretations, out of which one said that it is “desirable” to have a beard.
The court did not allow the man to keep his beard, saying that no proof was placed before it to show that his religion prohibited shaving. In addition to this, the court observed that the object and purpose of regulating personal appearance is to “ensure uniformity, cohesiveness, discipline and order” which are indispensable to the armed forces.
However, this was in the context of the armed forces. The Constitution carves out a specific exception, under Article 33, which says that the Parliament can modify the application of fundamental rights to members of the armed forces to ensure proper discharge of their duties and maintain discipline among them.
Religion in schools
The courts have also dealt with cases where students have been expelled from schools for following their religious practices. In 1985, three students, belonging to the Christian sect of Jehovah’s Witnesses were expelled from school after they refused to sing the national anthem. They argued that this went against their religious faith.
The students contended that their faith did not permit them to followed any rituals except praying to God. However, they stood up to show their respect for the national anthem.
The Supreme Court held that the expulsion violated the student’s freedom of expression and their right to practise religion. The court noted that even though the beliefs of Jehovah’s Witnesses may appear unusual, “the sincerity of their beliefs is beyond question”.
Further, the court said that there was no law that mandated the singing of the national anthem. The Constitution only mentions that all Indian citizens should respect the national anthem, which the students did by standing up for it.
At Sunday’s Mass the pope installed six women and two men as lectors and three women and five men as catechists. Francis gave a bible to each lector and a crucifix to each catechist…reports Asian Lite News
Pope Francis on Sunday for the first time conferred the lay Roman Catholic ministries of lector and catechist on women, roles that previously many had carried out without institutional recognition.
He conferred the ministries at a Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica, where, in an apparent reference to resistance to change by some conservative, he criticised those who need to have rigid regulations and “more rules” in order to find God.
Last year, Francis changed Church law on the ministries of lector and acolyte, which mainly had been reserved to seminarians preparing for priesthood, saying he wanted to bring stability and public recognition to women already serving in the roles.
Lectors read from scripture, acolytes serve at Mass, and catechists teach the faith to children and adult converts.
The ministries of lector and acolyte existed before but were officially reserved to men. Francis instituted the ministry of the catechist last year.
At Sunday’s Mass the pope installed six women and two men as lectors and three women and five men as catechists. Francis gave a bible to each lector and a crucifix to each catechist.
The formalisation, including a conferral ceremony, will make it more difficult for conservative bishops to block women in their dioceses from taking on those roles.
The change will be particularly important as a recognition for women in places such as the Amazon, where some are the de facto religious leaders of remote communities hit by a severe shortage of priests.
The Vatican stressed that the roles are not a precursor to women one day being allowed to become priests. The Catholic Church teaches that only men can be priests because Jesus chose only men as his apostles.
Supporters of a female priesthood say Jesus was conforming to the customs of his times and that women played a greater role in the early Church than is commonly recognised.
Francis has appointed a number of women to senior jobs in Vatican departments previously held by men.
The transgender candidates must obtain a certificate from the district magistrate. The certificate is mandatory…reports Asian Lite News.
The Karnataka government has called for applications by transgender candidates for the recruitments in the state police department for the first time.
As per the Amendment of Karnataka Civil Services (General Recruitment) Rules, 1977 to facilitate providing one per cent jobs to transgenders, the Karnataka Police department has called for applications from transgenders for various posts.
As per the notification issued recently, four posts of special Reserve sub-inspector for Karnataka State Reserve Police (KSRP) and one post in India Reserve Battalion of the rank of special Reserve sub-inspector will be reserved for transgenders.
As per the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Rules 2020 framed by Union ministry of social justice and empowerment, the transgender candidates must obtain a certificate from the district magistrate. The certificate is mandatory.
The notification is published by the Additional Director General of Police (Recruitment). Out of the 70, five posts are kept away for transgenders. The eligible transgender candidates can apply for posts online till January 18.
In addition to this, three posts have been reserved for transgender candidates in the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) for Scene of Crime Officer (SOCO). The applications can be submitted till January 15.
The design of the crematorium building, and associated facilities, has been specifically tailored and architecturally designed to meet the needs of the Hindu community…reports Asian Lite News.
Anoopam Mission UK has received a landmark planning decision to build a state-of-the-art crematorium on its grounds in Denham, Buckinghamshire, adjacent to its existing Hindu Temple and Community Centre. This would represent the first purpose-built Hindu faith crematorium in the UK.
In its decision published on 16 December 2021, the Planning Inspectorate acknowledged the very special circumstances which justify building on green belt land. In particular, the Planning Inspector noted that for faith and cultural reasons, the Hindu community in North and West London, and the surrounding counties, are disadvantaged by being denied the opportunity to fully observe their cultural and religious beliefs and traditions for funerals and cremations.
Specifically, existing crematoria in the area do not adequately cater for all Hindu rites and rituals with an inadequate size of facilities, parking facilities and difficulties in providing a funeral when necessary and with insufficient service times. The proposals were noted for offering a quality, auspicious and fitting funeral experience for the Hindu Community that is currently not provided for in this country.
The design of the crematorium building, and associated facilities, has been specifically tailored and architecturally designed to meet the needs of the Hindu community. The proposal includes 2 waiting rooms, 2 private ritual rooms for pre-ceremony rituals, a large ceremony hall and a crematory hall. There is also a separate canteen building including dining seating and showering facilities. This would enable ritual washing and communal eating following a cremation. Ample car parking would also be provided.
Over 2,000 signatures of support were received for the proposals, with Lord Jitesh Gadhia and Bob Blackman MP speaking in favour of the application during the Appeal hearing on behalf of the Hindu Community.
Commenting on the decision, the Spiritual Leader of Anoopam Mission, Param Puya Sahebji said:
“We welcome this important decision and the opportunity for Anoopam Mission to serve the Hindu population of the UK. Observing ‘antim sanskar’ or last rites in accordance with our Hindu customs and rituals provides liberation for the departed soul and peace of mind for families during a sensitive time. Our large and tranquil grounds in Denham, with our newly built Mandir facilities, provides an ideal location for this ‘manav sewa’, or service to humanity. We look forward to working with all Hindu organisations to deliver this vision for the whole community.”
Lord Jitesh Gadhia added:
“This is a landmark moment for the Hindu Community in UK. Many of us have actively campaigned for a purpose-built Hindu Crematorium to meet the needs of our community and the provision of better facilities sensitive to our cultural and social requirements. I congratulate the Anoopam Mission UK for persevering with this planning application and appeal. The welcome judgment from the Planning Inspector recognises the very special circumstances that exist in meeting the unfulfilled needs of the Hindu community and I hope will enable other facilities to be considered in areas of high Hindu, Sikh and Jain population.”
