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Gujarat, MP faces flood-like situation

While seven people died in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh’s capital Bhopal received over three inches of rainfall in just four hours, which resulted in several residential colonies, streets and highways being flooded…reports Asian Lite News

It’s raining woes in Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. Flood-like situation developed in several parts of Madhya Pradesh and the western state of Gujarat on Tuesday. While seven people died in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh’s capital Bhopal received over three inches of rainfall in just four hours, which resulted in several residential colonies, streets and highways being flooded.

The weather department has issued a warning of heavy to very heavy rainfall in Gujarat with isolated extremely heavy rain in several districts for today and during the next five days.

“Seven persons died in rain-related incidents in the last 24 hours, taking the death count due to rain-related incidents like lightning, drowning, wall collapse etc in Gujarat to 63 since June 1,” state Disaster Management Minister Rajendra Trivedi said. 9,000 people were relocated and 468 rescued, he said.

Ahmedabad city received 219 mm of downpour on Sunday night, causing water-logging in many residential areas and flooding in underpasses and roads. Schools and colleges in the city remained closed on Monday.

In south Gujarat, Dang, Navsari, Tapi, and Valsad districts were affected while the rain-hit districts in Central Gujarat are Panchmahal, Chhota Udepur, and Kheda.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah have assured Gujarat of all possible help from the Centre.

Eighteen platoons each of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been deployed at strategic locations for rescue and relief operations as and when required, Mr Shah said.

The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) airlifted to safety 16 people stranded along the flooded banks of the Ambika river in the Valsad district, it said in a release.

MP-Nagpur highway closed

Meanwhile, a flood-like situation developed in several parts of Madhya Pradesh on Monday. The capital city Bhopal received over three inches of rainfall in just four hours, which resulted in several residential colonies, streets and highways being flooded.

As per reports, due to continued rain and bad weather in Bhopal, at least three Bhopal bound flights were diverted to Indore. As per the Raja Bhoj Airport authorities, flights that were diverted to Indore include the Hyderabad to Bhopal (Indigo flight), Mumbai to Bhopal (Air India) Delhi to Bhopal (Air India flight).

In Bhopal, several residential colonies were water-logged, at many places four-wheelers were seen in flood waters. Due to water-logging, many petrol pumps had to stop services for hours in the city.

Due to the unprecedented heavy downpour in the catchment areas of Kanhan river in Satpura valley and the opening of all the 16 gates of the Navegaon-Khairy reservoir, there is heavy flooding in the Kanhan river. Because of this, vehicular movement on the national highway connecting Chhindwara (Madhya Pradesh) and Nagpur (Maharashtra) was stopped early on Monday.

The Vidisha district administration has announced the closure of schools due to the heavy rain. Data received from the India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) regional official in Bhopal, the heaviest rainfall was in Chhindwara district at 9 mm.

Heavy rain lashed many districts including Morena, Chhindwara, Bhopal and Indore. Flood-like situations were witnessed in districts like Saunsar in Chhindwara, Morena and many others.

Chennai to develop sponge parks

Meanwhile, the Greater Chennai Corporation has embarked on an important project to prevent floods in the city by converting city parks into ‘Sponge Parks’.

Corporation officials said that the parks are being developed to store rainwater. A total of 50 parks have been identified to begin with, and gradually other parks too shall be developed.

The idea is to slow down the release of rain water run off into neighbouring storm water drains and limit the run off in a gradual manner, he added.

The GCC will identify two parks in each zone under the corporation and those earmarked will have harvesting structures to store run off during rains. It will also have a percolation system for natural filtering of water before it goes down the ground.

Corporation officials are engaged in detailed discussions with experts in water management regarding the structure of these parks.

Notably, Manchester in England is using Sponge parks as a flood defence mechanism. The Chennai corporation will be building 100 new parks and 50 playfields as part of ‘Singara Chennai 2.0’.

The estimated cost earmarked for the project is Rs 50 crore.

ALSO READ-Flood fury in MP: Highway closed, flights diverted

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Tribal woman beaten, paraded in Madhya Pradesh

On July 2, her in-laws came there and first beat her uncle and then dragged her out of the house and forced her to carry her husband on shoulders as punishment…reports Asian Lite News

Yet another shameful incident of atrocity against women came to light in Madhya Pradesh on Wednesday when a tribal woman in Khargone was beaten up, thrashed by her own family members and was paraded carrying her husband on shoulders.

It came just two days after a woman was beaten up, thrashed and was forced to carry her husband on shoulders as punishment for having an alleged extra-marital affair in Dewas district of the state.

According to police, the incident in Khargone occurred on July 2, however, it came to light on Wednesday after a video surfaced on social media which showed a woman being beaten up brutally by her own family members, and was forced to carry her husband on her shoulders.

Police said that the incident was reported in Keli village under Unn police station in Khargone district on July 2. During preliminary investigation it was revealed that a 42-year-old woman, mother of two, left her in-laws about five-month ago and came to her parents house. Instead of staying with her brothers, she started staying in her uncle’s house.

On July 2, her in-laws came there and first beat her uncle and then dragged her out of the house and forced her to carry her husband on shoulders as punishment.

The woman was married in Nalgwadi village of Barwani district. The couple were often involved in arguments over petty issues and her husband used to beat her. Upset, she left her in-laws’ house and started living with her uncle.

Khargone district police said that five persons have been arrested in this connection. Those arrested have been identified as Magan Manasya (Husband of the woman), Cashia Soyla Bhatnagar, Thawaria Lalsingh Mandloi, Kalu Chhabra and Nurla Falya, said Khargone SP Dharamveer Singh Yadav.

ALSO READ-Tired of potholes, MP residents throw party on road

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Tired of potholes, MP residents throw party on road

Setting the mood with party music, the residents could be seen having a blast, enjoying drinks and snacks…reports Asian Lite News

In an effort to draw the attention of the authorities towards the poor condition of roads ridden with potholes, the residents in Anuppur district in Madhya Pradesh have found a unique way of protest.

In a viral video filmed to highlight the poor condition of a road connecting Anuppur with Bijuri Manendragarh, the residents of the area could be seen sitting on chairs on a big crater on the road, dipping their legs in the muddy water that has accumulated after the rains to “chill”.

To add to the ambience, they also put up some disco lights with dance music playing in the background along with beach balls to play.

Setting the mood with party music, the residents could be seen having a blast, enjoying drinks and snacks.

The video also shows saplings planted in the smaller potholes around the crater as decoration.

In a similar symbolic protest last year, the residents of Jammu and Kashmir’s Budgam district planted paddy on the muddy road leading up to their village in order to highlight the poor condition of the road.

Civic polls

Amid the Madhya Pradesh local body elections, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Wednesday said that when Kamal Nath was the Chief Minister, he used to threaten police and administration and continues to do so.

While speaking at a public meeting in Raisen in Madhya Pradesh, Chouhan said, “Even when Kamal Nath was the CM, he used to threaten police and administration and is still threatening. They have understood that Congress has lost badly and that the defeat has to be blamed on someone or the other.”

Earlier in the day, Kamal Nath while speaking to the mediapersons in Bhopal, said that the Saffron party is using police, money and administration in the local body elections.

“I am getting many calls that pressure is being put on the administration, police and money. If they had public support, would they need these things? The public is fed up with the false declarations of Shivraj. Now 50 rupees have been increased on domestic gas. Recently, 5 per cent GST was increased on flour, paneer. I have faith in the people of the state,” he added.

In the first phase of local body elections, a total of 101 candidates for the post of mayor in 11 municipal corporations are in the fray. There are 2,850 candidates for councillor posts in 133 bodies. Out of these, 42 have been elected unopposed.

The elections are for the remaining 2,808 posts. A total of 11,250 candidates contested the elections and 3,296 polling stations are sensitive.

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MP govt forms panel for G-20 conference

The Principal Secretary in the Tourism Department will be the nodal officer of this committee, it was stated…reports Asian Lite News

The Madhya Pradesh government has constituted a committee comprising top officials to look after the hospitality and security for the two conferences of G-20 countries to be held in Indore and Bhopal.

Chief Secretary Iqbal Singh Bains has formed the committee of senior officials of the state administration, which includes additional chief secretaries of the general administration and home departments, besides other senior officials, an official said.

The committee, headed by the Chief Secretary, will look after the hospitality and security of the participants during the two conferences of G-20 countries, the official said in a statement. However, no dates for these events were mentioned in the statement.

The Principal Secretary in the Tourism Department will be the nodal officer of this committee, it was stated.

As per the statement, India will host over 190 meetings and conferences of G-20 delegates from December 1, 2022 to November 30, 2023 across the country.

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Farms in MP turn fertile with groundwater revival

With Minz’s assistance, Neelabai was able to avail a loan from the Janpad panchayat to get back her mortgaged land. She tripled the yield from her farms in a simple yet effective manner…reports MOHAMMAD ASIF SIDDIQUI

With the support of social organisations, tribal farmers of the Korku community in Indra Kheda, 55km from the Khandwa district headquarters in Madhya Pradesh, began to practice water-soil conservation, resulting in barren lands turning fertile with groundwater revival, which in turn increased yield.

Indra Kheda stands out from other villages in the same block of Vikas Khand as each house here has at least two saplings planted outside, to turn into full-fledged trees over time.

When 101/Reporters entered the village, the veranda of one house was adorned with mango leaves and two life-sized effigies on the roof, indicating a wedding. Women were singing ‘mangal geet’, and a group of men were waiting to perform the traditional Korku dance to drum beats. A celebration was underway at Neelabai’s house for her son Vinod’s wedding — though a celebration of this magnitude would have been unimaginable for her till a few years ago.

Neelabai, a farmer from Khalwa not only lost her husband two years ago, but also a large chunk of their household income. Mortgaging her uncultivable farm, she had to seasonally migrate with her son to other states for work. It was only when she got acquainted with Lakshmi Minz that she realised she could turn her barren land into a fertile one through water conservation efforts. And that is how Neelabai broke the cycle of debt.

Minz is a Khalwa local associated with the ‘SABAL’ project, run by Caritas India in partnership with Khandwa Diocesan Social Services (KDSS) in Khalwa and Jeevan Vikas Sanstha in Chikaldhara. The project aims to free the Korku tribal community in the state from acute food and nutrition insecurity through various interventions, including strengthening their sources of livelihood through water-soil conservation.

With Minz’s assistance, Neelabai was able to avail a loan from the Janpad panchayat to get back her mortgaged land. She tripled the yield from her farms in a simple yet effective manner.

In this village, Neelabai was not the only beneficiary of conservation measures.

During the lockdown, the farmers here devised a water-harvesting solution to retain the moisture in their fields: they gathered the stones spread in their fields and rammed them together to create a catchment area, to ensure that the earth retained rainwater in the soil within the field. This measure proved to be quite effective. Soon, the total water level of the wells in the region rose from 0.5ft to 3ft. In fact, the total water level in the public well of Devlikala village rose to 13.78ft in March 2021 from 10.83ft in March 2019.

“With the help of Caritas, we changed the farming practices of 3,000 Korku tribesmen by imparting scientific thinking. Thanks to this project, more than 50-hectares(ha) of land could be made crop-worthy in 15 villages,” said Father Jayan Alex, director of KDSS.

Small efforts to ensure sustainable change

Neelabai learnt how to prevent the topmost, fertile layer of soil from getting washed away through this project and now produces nearly 20 quintals(q) of wheat, paddy and maize — a considerable jump from an earlier harvest of 4 to 5q during monsoon last year.

Much alike, Shobharam Palvi, living opposite to Neelabai’s house, harvested rainwater by creating a catchment area in his fields, and is procuring twice the yield he used to.

Moreover, due to the increase in water levels in the wells, farmers like him have started sowing for winter crops, as well. Four years ago, Palvi used to work 15 to 18 hours a day as a seasonal migrant labourer, due to his rain-dependent agricultural produce. Today, he’s able to utilise his seven-acre field in Dongaliya village for two harvest seasons.

The farmers here believe that water-harvesting measures have proved to be so effective that they can now grow crops like toovar, paddy, ragi and maize even without a well. The water restricted to the farms during the monsoon using medhs (elevated mud boundary) gives life to the crops in February and March.

Women are leading the leg-work for many houses here. When SABAL approached Dhannalal Bhau about his mostly barren 10 acres, it was his wife Munnibai who got inclined to make their field fertile through suggested measures. She fashioned a check dam at the nullah flowing adjacent to their land using gunny bags. Her efforts paid off over time, when all 10 acres became cultivable.

The KDSS director told 101Reporters that new experiments were being carried out in these villages to conserve water, such as the use of gully plugs, bunds and continuous contour trenches. As many as 47 water-conservation structures were constructed in the past year, 185 in total, and the use of chemical fertilisers has also completely stopped.

“I’ve completely stopped using DAP and urea in the field and use only organic manure prepared with cow urine and dung,” said Sukharam Ganja, another beneficiary of conservation efforts.

Recording success through community involvement

The water-conservation project supported farmers including Neelabai, Palvi and Sukharam after a survey conducted in 2016.

Rakesh Karole, the coordinator of the project, told 101Reporters that during the survey, they spoke to the villagers and visited their fields, finding that their biggest issue was water scarcity. The same year, they started water-soil conservation work in Dongaliya panchayat and then carried on in neighbouring villages, Sundardev and Bootighat.

“Most of the work happened during the lockdowns, as this was when many villagers who had migrated returned. We worked with farmers, who had land but could not cultivate it,” said Karole.

Under this campaign, 255 villagers spent almost a month reviving an old pond, spread over 7 ha in Devlikala village, through water harvesting. While the water in the pond would dry up in March, it’s now used to irrigate fields even in the rabi season. However, after February, farmers themselves remove irrigation motors from the pond to sustain the water levels. This specific task was part of a ‘food-for-work’ system, wherein they got ration (2kg of rice, half kg of toovar dal, half kg of oil, and 250g of spices). It also recorded 7240 person-days in exchange for cash-for-work (Rs 200 per person), wherein people worked on their farms.

Since 2020, the local SABAL team, measured water levels in the block thrice a year in March, July and November. They lowered a measuring tape with a stone tied to it till the base of the well and recorded the last point of the tape that was damp. This activity involved the community as witnesses, making them see the impact of their water-conservation efforts.

According to Karole, “Following their water-soil conservation efforts, the farmers reaped benefits in one year. The increase in groundwater level of up to 2ft to 3ft also propelled them towards this work.”

Karole was referring to the multiplied yields after this project was taken up. While every year, more than 3,000 people used to migrate from this area; the number has now dropped by 30 per cent.

“We’ve increased production on the farmlands where there was just one crop and less grain. This initiative carried forward by the tribals is not only bringing happiness to their lives, but also setting an example for other villages,”the KDSS chief added.

(The author is a Khandwa-based freelance journalist and a member of 101Reporters, a pan-India network of grassroots reporters.)

ALSO READ-MBZ visits farm research centre on environment day

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4,984 cases pending against MPs/MLAs

The apex court has been passing a slew of directions time-to-time on the petition filed by advocate Ashwini Upadhyay seeking expeditious trial of cases against MPs/MLAs, and speedy investigation by the CBI and other agencies…reports Asian Lite News

The Supreme Court was informed that despite a series of its directions and continuous monitoring, as many as 4,984 criminal cases are pending against MPs/MLAs, and direction was sought from it to permit courts dealing with cases against lawmakers to focus on these exclusively.

A report submitted by amicus curiae, senior advocate Vijay Hansaria, who is assisted by advocate Sneha Kalita, said: “It is submitted that despite a series of directions by this court and continuous monitoring, as many as 4,984 cases are pending out of which 1,899 cases are more than 5 years old. It may be noted that the total number of cases pending asofn December 2018wase 4,110; and as of October 2020 was 4,859. Even after disposal of 2,775 cases after December 4, 2018, the cases against MPs/MLAs have increased from 4,122 to 4,984.”

“This shows that more and more persons with criminal antecedents are occupying the seats in the Parliament and the State Legislative Assemblies. It is of utmost necessity that urgent and stringent steps are taken for expeditious disposal of pending criminal cases.”

The report pointed out that jurisdictional courts conduct the trial of the cases against MPs/MLAs along with discharging other rosters allocated to them, and in many of states, the same judge heads a special court under various statutes such as SC/ST Act, POCSO Act, etc.

The amicus submitted: “The courts dealing with cases against MPs/MLAs will exclusively try these cases. Other cases would be taken up only after trials of such cases are over. The trial would be conducted on a day-to-day basis in terms of section 309 CRPC. Necessary allocation of work would be made by the High Court and/or the Principal Sessions Judges of every district within two weeks.”

He said that no response has been filed by the Central government in terms of the order dated August 25, 2021, as regards expeditious investigation/trial of cases, providing of infrastructure facilities to the courts, and constitution of the monitoring committee to evaluate the reasons for the delay of investigation.

“It is necessary that all the courts trying cases against MPs/MLAs are equipped with necessary infrastructure for the conduct of court proceedings through internet facility,” added the report.

“Both the prosecution and defence shall cooperate with the trial of the case and no adjournment shall be granted. In case, the public prosecutor and/or the prosecution fail to co-operate in the expeditious trial, the matter shall be reported to the Chief Secretary of the state who will take necessary remedial measures. In case, the accused delays the trial, his bail shall be cancelled,” it sought.

The amicus suggested the trial court shall send a report on each of the cases where trial has been pending for more than five years before the respective high courts, citing reasons for the delay and suggesting remedial measures.

“A Monitoring Committee may be constituted, headed by a former Judge of the Supreme Court or Chief Justice of a High Court to monitor the investigation of cases pending before the Enforcement Directorate, Central Bureau of Investigation and National Investigation Agency in terms of submission recorded in the order dated August 25, 2021,” added the report.

The apex court has been passing a slew of directions time-to-time on the petition filed by advocate Ashwini Upadhyay seeking expeditious trial of cases against MPs/MLAs, and speedy investigation by the CBI and other agencies.

The report added that the Centre should provide funds for ensuring the smooth functioning of courts through virtual mode i.e. by facilitating the availability of video conference facilities. “The High Courts shall submit a proposal to the Law Secretary of the Government of India in this regard as to the funds required, which shall be made available by the Central government within two weeks of the proposal. The funds released by the Central government will be subject to final adjustment with the state government as per sharing pattern,” it added.

Citing the top court’s order in November 2018, the report added that details furnished in terms of the said order show that 4,122 cases were pending against MPs/MLAs, including former MPs/ MLAs, as on December 2018. “Some of these cases were pending for more than three decades. 2,324 cases were against sitting legislators, and 1,675 against former legislators. In 1,991 cases, even the charges were not framed. 264 cases were pending due to stay granted by the high courts,” it added.

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Pandemic reverses gains made in girls’ education in MP

Experts fear that the social transformation that has been happening in these two decades leading to an increase in female literacy will be reversed as girls drop out of school…reports Shuchita Jha

The pandemic has resulted in millions of casualties worldwide, while in the Indian heartland it has brought death to the dreams of education nursed by thousands of children, and especially young girls.

“I do not know what to do anymore,” sobbed one former student, who at the tender age of 16, had to give up her education in exchange for childbirth and an abusive marriage.

She was a bright student who scored 85 per cent marks in her Class 10 Board exams. But the girl’s mother, a single parent, took advantage of the lockdown and the lull in her education to get her married off to a much older man last year.

“The man soon started harassing the girl, physically and sexually, and she conceived,” Archana Sahaye, director of Childline, Bhopal said.

“She is a teenager, and her body is still developing, but despite this, she was forced to have a baby, and her in-laws did not even give her food during her pregnancy. She became highly anaemic. It was then that someone informed her mother of her plight. She came to us for help but by the time we rescued the girl, she was in her seventh month of pregnancy, and very fragile. Had there been a further delay, the doctors said they wouldn’t have been able to save her,” she added.

The teenager gave birth to a daughter in July and is now trying to get her marriage annulled with the help of Childline and the Women and Child Development Department. “We have filed an application in court and the procedure has started. Had she been allowed to continue her studies, the girl would have had a brighter future,” Sahaye added, explaining that the girl’s former school principal has assured her that she will be given admission once she recovers from her delivery.

Such is the condition of many girls even in the capital city of Bhopal. The girl students have had it worse, as the parents refuse to prioritise their education for want of smartphones and an internet connection for online classes. They choose the easier option of grooming the girls for domesticity and marrying them off in order to have one less mouth to feed.

Safeena Husain, the founder of Educate Girls, explains, “With families staying at home amid economic hardships, incidences of domestic violence, drunk behaviour and child abuse have increased. If this persists, the risks of child marriage, physical and sexual exploitation of girls, trafficking, unhygienic and unhealthy lifestyle will continue to drastically surge. Stuck in this situation, girls will continue to lose confidence and feel demotivated to return to mainstream education, further pushing them into deeper vulnerability. It is now critical to have measures in place to get them back to school.”

Experts fear that the social transformation that has been happening in these two decades leading to an increase in female literacy will be reversed as girls drop out of school. The literacy rate of women in MP had increased to 59.24 per cent in the 2011 census from 50.29 in 2001.

While the school dropout rate of girls in MP was 24.4 per cent in the year 2017-18, experts suspect a sharp rise in the dropout rate for 2020-21, as scores of girls were forced out of schools to help their families with domestic chores, sent to work for financial support, or married off as minors.

“School was a socially acceptable reason for parents from marginalised and financially weaker sections of the society to send their daughters out of the home. In the absence of this, while boys continue to be exposed by going out to play with their friends, girls are getting left behind. If this continues for longer, the progress that has happened, will get reversed as social transformation of girls will take a back-seat and maintaining the status quo will become the norm, pushing them further into illiteracy,” said Gourav Jaiswal, core team member of Shiksha Satyagrah in Seoni, Madhya Pradesh.

This is reflected in the sharp rise in the rate of child marriages in the state – to the tune of 26 per cent – in the aftermath of Covid. The Women and Child Department had stopped 196 child marriages in the 2019-20 period, while the number rose to 720 in 2020-21.

According to a report released by Child Rights and You (CRY) in October 2020, compiled with help from Census 1991, 2001 and 2011, and the latest National Family Health Survey (2015-16), as many as 11,93,171 children in MP, aged 10-19, were married off in 16 years. Of these, 8,60,332 were girls.

Starting from scratch

Haseen Ali, who works as a driver in a car dealership, revealed he has been out of work since March and had to quietly discontinue his daughter’s education. “I have no money to buy food for my family, how can I afford books and a smartphone? I myself use a second-hand keypad phone given to me by another employee,” he explained sadly.

His daughter is disheartened. “All my friends who passed Class 8 with me are now attending online classes for Class 9. I am sitting at home, doing nothing. I feel wretched,” she said. “I hope my father’s situation gets better soon. I want to study so that I can get a good job,” she added.

A 13-year-old daughter of a ragpicker enrolled in Class 1 in 2019 at the age of 11. She had just begun her studies when the pandemic struck and she was forced to quit. Her mother is worried that the stroke of luck that gave her daughter a chance at education has now run out. “My husband and I are ragpickers and our children used to beg for alms. But two years ago, the local administration started a programme ‘Khushal Naunihal’ and got all such children enrolled in school. I was happy that my daughter was going to get an education, but now just after a year, she is right back where she started. She learnt to read at the age of 11, and now at 13 she is no further,” said Mangi, her mother.

The ‘Khushal Naunihal’ programme began in 2019 under the leadership of the then Commissioner Bhopal Kalpana Shrivastav. The city administration along with seven other NGOs had identified around 400 children from six hotspots of the city where begging by children was most prevalent. They gathered these children and helped them enrol in government schools. But due to the pandemic, the initiative has run cold.

“The positive results of the programme have been reversed and since Kalpana Madam has also been transferred, we will now have to start from scratch to form a new team. The children who had been enrolled in schools have started begging again as the schools were closed for almost two years, and their parents lost their jobs. We tried to ensure continuity of their education with volunteers from the NGOs visiting designated areas and teaching the children. But ultimately all of us realised that the safety, health and food security of these children needed to be addressed immediately so most of the NGOs and the CWC Bhopal started concentrating on providing them ration and medicines,” said Kripashankar Choubey, member of the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) of Bhopal. The CWC played an important role in identifying child beggars in Bhopal under the Khushal Naunihal Programme.

“We are now planning to form a new team to start this programme again as soon as the pandemic ends,” he added.

This has been the case with others who have been trying to bring the focus back to education. They have had to confront the harsh reality of life during the pandemic and move back to square one. For example, the Madhya Pradesh Commission for Protection of Child Rights and the Childline tried to keep students in touch with the practice of learning and keep them from forgetting what they studied so far. They purchased the books and notebooks for the students and the staff, along with a few volunteers, used to teach them over short periods of time at Bhopal Childline’s TT Nagar headquarters. “We distributed books to the children who live in the nearby slums and told them to come to us if they find something difficult to understand. We just want to ensure they do not go blank when they start school again,” said Sahaye.

They expected schools would reopen soon and wanted to institute a stop-gap measure. But as days passed more challenges arose and they had to start channelling their funds and resources into ensuring food security of children in slum areas and in financially weaker families. The initiative had to be sidelined.

Now that schools have started again, many of these NGOs and government bodies are having to go back to the drawing board about how to bring back the children who have once again been left behind.

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Police charge 25-year-old man with Amess’ murder

Nick Price of the Crown Prosecution Service said the murder “has a terrorist connection, namely that it had both religious and ideological motivations.”…reports Asian Lite News.

British police charged a 25-year-old man Thursday with the murder of a Conservative lawmaker, alleging that the killing was an act of terrorism by a supporter of the Islamic State group.

Prosecutors said Ali Harbi Ali, a man from London with Somali heritage, had “religious and ideological motivations” when he attacked David Amess last week in the town of Leigh-on-Sea. Prosecutors allege Ali targeted Amess because the lawmaker had voted for air strikes on Syria.

The slaying took place as Amess, who was 69, attended a routine meeting with his constituents. The slaying shook a nation accustomed to having face-to-face contact with its leaders, heightened concerns about extremism and rattled British politicians, who say they face increasing levels of vitriol and abuse as they perform their jobs.

At a briefing hearing at London’s Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, prosecutor James Cable said Ali began planning to kill a lawmaker two years ago, and initially focused on two other politicians before choosing Amess.

Ali was not asked to enter a plea at the preliminary hearing, which lasted less than 15 minutes. He smiled at his legal team as he entered the court and spoke only to confirm his name, age, and address. He was ordered detained until the next hearing.

Nick Price of the Crown Prosecution Service said the murder “has a terrorist connection, namely that it had both religious and ideological motivations.”

Matt Jukes, the Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner for Specialist Operations, said “no other arrests have been made and at this time we are not seeking anybody else in relation to this incident.”

Jukes said detectives had analyzed computers, searched several London addresses and reviewed CCTV footage as part of the investigation.

The death of Amess, who had served in Parliament for almost 40 years and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2015, escalated concerns about security among Britain’s politicians, who pride themselves on being accessible to their constituents.

The slaying came five years after Labour Party lawmaker Jo Cox was shot and stabbed to death by a far-right extremist. Cox was the first British lawmaker to be killed since a peace accord ended large-scale Northern Ireland violence almost 30 years earlier.

British politicians are protected by armed police when they are in Parliament but generally are not given such protection in their home districts.

Home Secretary Priti Patel told the House of Commons on Wednesday that intelligence officers had upgraded the threat level for politicians from “moderate” to “substantial,” though she said there was no “specific or imminent threat.”

A special session of the House of Commons on Monday resounded with appeals to force social media giants to do more to prevent the spread of online hate that has poisoned political discourse.

Amess was a social conservative who opposed abortion, campaigned for animal rights and strongly supported Britain’s exit from the European Union. He was well liked even by his political opponents for his civility, good humor and commitment to his constituents in the seaside constituency of Southend West, 40 miles (60 kilometers) east of London.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he hoped Amess’ loved ones would “get the justice they deserve as fast as possible.”

“What we must not do is be intimidated by this appalling murder into changing the way we conduct our parliamentary business or the way we work in our constituencies,” he said. “Which I think is the last thing that David Amess would’ve wanted.”

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BJP’s sets up constituency management plan for MP

The constituency management plan is part of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s preparations for the assembly polls…reports Shashi Bhushan

The BJP in Madhya Pradesh has implemented a ‘special constituency management plan’ for those assembly constituencies which the saffron party has frequently lost since 2013. There are around 35 such seats and the BJP has decided to pay special attention to these constituencies through its special management plan ahead of the next assembly election.

Party Madhya Pradesh in-charge P Murlidhar Rao told IANS that a special plan has been formulated for around 35 assembly constituencies in Madhya Pradesh which the BJP has frequently lost since 2013. “In other words, these seats are difficult ones and to win these 35 seats we have started a special constituency management plan,” Rao said.

Explaining the plan, Rao said that a separate team has been looking after party work to strengthen the organization in these constituencies. An in-charge has been appointed and workers have been identified to take the fight ahead.

The constituency management plan is part of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s preparations for the assembly polls. “We have started preparing for the next assembly polls in 2023 and the 2024 general elections. We are working on territorial expansion of the party and focusing on increasing the vote share to 51 per cent. In the 2008 assembly polls, the BJP had got a 38 per cent vote share. In the last assembly polls in 2018, our vote share increased to 41 percent and now we are targeting to get 51 percent in 2023,” Rao said.

From December, the BJP Madhya Pradesh unit is launching a ‘vistarak’ campaign in which over 20,000 workers of the party state unit will collectively work for two lakh hours among the people at the booth level for organizational expansion.

“Each vistarak will work to strengthen the party at ground level by spending 10 hours per day for 10 days. In total 20,000 vistaraks will together work for two lakh hours for the party,” Rao added.

The Madhya Pradesh assembly elections will be held in November-December 2023. Since 2003, the saffron party has been in power in the state, except for 15 months between December 2018 to March 2020 when Congress leader Kamal Nath was Chief Minister.

In March 2020, Shivraj Singh Chouhan was again sworn as chief minister after the fall of the Kamal Nath led Congress government.

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MPs to vote on Johnson’s manifesto-breaking tax rise

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said it will raise £12bn a year which will be used to tackle the health backlog caused by the Covid pandemic and boost social care, reports Asian Lite Newsdesk

The House of Commons will vote later on whether to raise National Insurance to fund health and social care, a day after Prime Minister Boris Johnson unveiled the manifesto-breaking historic reform plans.

Johnson said it will raise £12bn a year which will be used to tackle the health backlog caused by the Covid pandemic and boost social care, the BBC reported.

He described the plan, which includes capping care costs in England at £86,000, as “reasonable and fair”.

From April 2022, the government will introduce a new, nation-wide 1.25 per cent Health and Social Care Levy, ringfenced for health and social care. This will be based on National Insurance contributions (NICs) and from 2023 will be legislatively separate, the government has announced.

To ensure everyone contributes fairly, all working adults, including those over the state pension age, will pay the levy and the rates of dividend tax will also increase by 1.25% to help fund this package.

Sir Keir Starmer

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer described the plan is a “sticking plaster”, while leaders in social care have warned the plan will not address current problems, BBC reported.

The government is investing £36 billion will be invested in the health and care system over the next three years, to ensure the long term resource.

Speaking in the House, Prime Minister, Boris Johnson said: “You can’t fix the Covid backlogs without giving the NHS the money it needs. You can’t fix the NHS without fixing social care, you can’t fix social care without removing the fear of losing everything to pay for it, and you can’t fix health and social care without long-term reform. The plan I am setting out today will fix all of these problems together.”

The pandemic put unprecedented pressure on the NHS. The number of patients waiting for elective surgery and routine treatment in England is now at a record high of 5.5 million. According to the government, this could reach 13 million by the end of the year if left unchecked.

Before the pandemic, nine out of ten were waiting fewer than 25 weeks in England. This has now risen to 44 weeks, it said.

To fix this, the NHS needs to be able to offer more appointments, operations, and treatments. Rather than simply plugging the gaps, new, innovative practices must be pushed forward so patients continue to receive the best possible care, it added.

The new funding is expected to fund an extra 9 million checks, scans, and operations. The NHS long term plan committed to increasing activity year on year. In recognition of pressures from Covid, this will now increase to 110% of the planned activity levels by 2023/24.

“We’re tackling the NHS backlog and taking decisive action to fix our broken social care system,” Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak said. “This significant £12bn-a-year long-term increase in public spending will improve people’s lives across the UK – but our health and social care systems cannot be rebuilt without difficult decisions.”

“The new Health and Social Care Levy is the necessary and responsible thing to do to protect the NHS, sharing the cost between businesses and individuals and ensuring those earning more pay more,” he added.

Meanwhile, Health and Social Care Secretary, Sajid Javid said: “Our nurses, doctors and care workers have worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic in our hour of need. But the pandemic has taken its toll – waiting times are longer than ever before and social care is under even greater pressure.”

He added: “This additional funding is a critical investment in our country’s future – it will give the NHS the extra capacity it needs to get back on its feet and is a vital first step in the reform of our broken care system.”

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