IEP New Delhi, October, 2022

The National Human Rights Commission, NHRC, India, organized a function to celebrate its Foundation Day, at Dr. Ambedkar International Centre, New Delhi today on 12th October, 2022. The Commission was setup on this day in 1993. Addressing the gathering as the Chief Guest, the Vice President of India, Mr. Jagdeep Dhankhar said that serious challenges to human rights arise primarily on account of the silent and voiceless existence of the majority of our citizens, which in fact is a topic that needs to be brought into sharper focus in the public limelight. Human rights are quintessential for a flourishing democracy.

He said that human rights get compromised in the face of corruption. Poor and vulnerable are easy victims of this menace. Continual onslaughts on corruption are a bright sign in this direction and vulnerable sections are prime beneficiaries.

Appreciating the NHRC for propagating philosophy that human rights nurture and blossom in a regime where there is a rule of law and not the Law of the ruler, Mr. Dhankhar credited the Commission for its report on West Bengal Post-poll violence under a judicial fiat in shortest time underlining that the Law of the ruler not the rule of Law is the bane of human rights in the State.

The Vice President of India said that when it comes to decimation of human rights, we must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. In such a scenario, there is no option but to be pro-active and we must interfere.

He said that India fortunately has a robust and strong mechanism of human rights regulations, both at the Centre and the State level. The Covid pandemic was a grave challenge to human rights on the planet. Countries laying claim to robust health infrastructure collapsed. In our country with a vision and strategy affording all health and food this menace was commendably contained. Getting “A” status of Accreditation by the NHRC, India from the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institution, GANHRI, for the fourth consecutive term, is commendable as it also indicates our Nation’s excellent track record as regards Human Rights.

He also lauded the NHRC for its various Advisories and said that media should talk about them in high decibels to serve the cause of human rights. Protection of human rights is a shared responsibility of the society as a whole and not just of the Government or the NHRC. However, he said there is a strong need for the Commission to inspire and provide handholding support to the State Human Rights Commissions wherever it is required. He also urged every citizen to work for the protection and promotion of human rights.

Earlier, the NHRC Chairperson, Justice Mr. Arun Mishra said that we have to strike a balance between the distribution of benefits and distributive justice. More affirmative action is needed for the socio-economic and political upliftment of the marginalized sections of society. The time has come to clarify that unrepresented classes in services are provided reservation within the reserved category itself to ensure fruits of development percolate down.

Justice Mishra said that we have to achieve gender equality and equal rights for all, in particular for women. They cannot be discriminated against and deprived of civil liberties and rights under the guise of dharma or customary practices. It is desirable to move in the direction of a Uniform Civil Code as envisaged in Article 44 of the Constitution of India. Without gender equality in all respect realization of human rights would remain a distant dream.

He said that the cyberspace has invaded human rights, including individual privacy, resulting in civil and human rights infringement. 96% of dark web of cyberspace has emerged as the most potent human and sex trafficking medium in the world. Trafficking of Women and Children, Tribals and Vulnerable Sections must stop. 

Emphasizing upon the need for the urgent prison reforms to get rid of crimes in the jails, the NHRC Chairperson said that the prisons are places to reform criminals, however, unfortunately, they have become places of crimes. He also said that the Local Self Governments are duty bound to implement statutory obligations towards public. Many of them are not even arranging garbage disposal and sewage treatment plants and do not care for manholes on roads. He also said that water quality in most rivers and streams does not meet the specified parameters and also not getting clean air in several cities in the country is a grave violation of human rights. Burning of stubble (Parali) in neighboring States must stop at once as it chokes Delhi every winter.

Justice Mishra also drew attention towards the global challenges of trans-border movement of hazardous waste, degradation of the environment, global warming and scarcity of potable water. He said that no country has the right to dump waste in other country.

He said due to technological advancements, new trends for violating human rights are being noticed. Cyberspace has invaded human rights, including individuals’ privacy, resulting in the infringement of civil and human rights. Due to the advent of e-commerce, cross-border transactions take place.   Cases of fraud in e-commerce, hacking data and demand for ransom in crypto- currency multiply the difficulty of identifying and tracking offenders.

Giving a brief inside into the Commission’s activities including visits to mental health hospital, Prisons and 20 Advisories on ensuring rights of vulnerable section of society, the NHRC Chairperson said that during the last year, more than 1.21 lakh complaints were received and more than 1.28 lakh including the old and fresh cases decided. The Commission recommended a monetary relief of approximately Rs. 100 million in 250 cases. By now, in 30 years, the Commission has recommended compensation of Rs. 2.3 Billion.

The NHRC Secretary General, Mr. Devendra Kumar Singh expressed his gratitude towards all those, who attended the function and extended support in seamlessly organizing it. He appreciated the role of media in spreading awareness about human rights and the reporting of human rights violations, which help the Commission to take suo motu cognizance of such incidents.

The NHRC Members Mr. Justice M.M Kumar, Dr. D.M. Mulay and Mr. Rajiv Jain, DG(I), Mr. Manoj Yadava, Chairperson and Members of State Human Rights Commissions, members of Judiciary, diplomats, senior government officers, civil society representatives, human rights defenders, among other dignitaries, attended the function, which was followed by a dialogue for Strengthening of Bonds With State Human Right Commissions and State Government/UT Administrations

IEP Chandigarh, October 11

          Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday said that the state government is committed to safeguarding the interests of Sugarcane cultivators by assuring timely purchase and payment of their produce.

The Chief Minister, while presiding over a meeting of the Sugarcane control Board, said that the state government has decided to increase the price of sugarcane to Rs. 380 per quintal from existing Rs. 360 per quintal. He said that the farmers will get an additional Rs. 20 per quintal under State Agreed Price (SAP) of sugarcane as compared to last year. Bhagwant Mann asked the private millers who were present in the meeting to assure that the farmers get full price of their produce.

The Chief Minister asked the Millers to ensure that the purchase starts at stipulated time period and the farmers get their payment on time. He said that any sort of laxity in this cause is totally unwarranted and undesirable. Bhagwant Mann said that the farmers of the state eagerly want to adopt sugarcane crop under crop diversification, but they are hesitant for it due to lack of adequate price and timely payment of the crop.

The Chief Minister said that the state government has decided to enhance the price to supplement the income of farmers to promote sugarcane cultivation in the state. He further said that the state government will soon resolve the pending issues related to payments of Phagwara sugar mill. Bhagwant Mann said that adequate steps will be taken for purchasing the sugarcane crop around the Phagwara sugar mill from the farmers adding that no farmer will face any sort of inconvenience for selling their harvest.

IEP CHANDIGARH, October 11      

     Amidst the ongoing investigations, Punjab Police on Tuesday has arrested three persons involved in facilitating the escape of Gangster Deepak Tinu from police custody in Mansa. The Police have also recovered a Black Skoda car bearing registration number PB11CJ1563, which was used in the crime, from their possession.          Those arrested have been identified as Kuldeep Singh alias Kohli, Rajveer Singh alias Kazama and Rajinder Singh alias Gora, all resident of Ludhiana. Kuldeep Kohli is a gym owner and was into the business of drugs under the garb of running a gym.          Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav said that an ongoing investigation revealed that the trio accused persons were close associates of Tinu and they had helped Tinu escape from police custody, following which the Anti Gangster Task Force(AGTF) and Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Punjab Police have arrested them from Ludhiana.          He said that the investigations revealed that on October 1, Deepak Tinu had directed Kohli, to send a woman associate, who helped in Tinu’s escape along with his allies at CIA Mansa. Rajveer Singh along with his accomplice identified as Gagandeep Khaira of Ludhiana picked a woman accomplice from Zirakpur and dropped her near CIA Mansa along with a bag of clothes provided by Kohli, he said, adding that the Police teams are on a manhunt to nab Gagandeep.          The DGP said that accused Kuldeep Kohli has remained associated with Deepak Tinu for the last two years, when they both were lodged in Kapurthala Jail. Kohli was released on bail in the year 2021, following which he along with Tinu’s other Haryana-based associates indulged in cross-border drug smuggling, he said.          Meanwhile, the four-member SIT headed by Inspector General of Police (IGP) Patiala range MS Chhina is conducting a day-to-day investigation into this case and all the culprits involved in this crime will be arrested soon. 

IEP Chandigarh

Initially conceptualized as a group of medical personnel to support the surgeon while the amputee is going through his rehabilitation process, this group has now expanded to include people from all walks of society who have chipped in to help in the rehabilitation of these disabled people. The function today Is to honour this group of people who have given their time, their Money and goodwill to help support the rehabilitation of amputees. There are many more waiting to pitch in and we are grateful to all. A foundation has been registered  Amputee support Foundation, with a section called VASS, named after the mythological warrior queen Vispala who fought with a metal limb. Vispala Apang Sahayata Samooh is focused just on the amputee rehabilitation aspect. There is planned to be a Next step also; the aim of This group and the amputee support foundation is to properly rehabilitate these persons. Many philanthropists have offered jobs to these people and one of our aims is to match amputees to available jobs in the future. Some industrialists have offered to modify assembly lines to ensure that amputees can work there; some have offered jobs like gatekeepers and gardeners and such like. Many thoughts are being generated and the aim of the newly made foundation is to empower these people in their own right An expansion beyond PGI has been conceptualized GMSH SEctor 16 and GMCH Sector 32 have amputees too and these philanthropists are willing to take them on in the mission to rehabilitate them Representatives from both these hospitals have joined this initiative. We also welcome the most celebrated amputee in India Major D P Singh. Speaking at the function Major Singh spoke out about How an am Putti with motivation could come back almost from death to becoming one of the leading athletes in the country Major Singh extolled the virtues of resolve and dedication to self so that the amputees could be motivated.Many of the philanthropists present promised significant contributions to improve the app Putti clinic .A contribution of 10 lakhs was given on the spot by Kandhari beverages. Mr Vikram Sahgal of micron industries said that an NGO would be formed within the next few weeks which would give dedicated support to all people with artificial limbs including sponsoring them and the industry for jobs The director PGI Dr Vivek Lal praised the dedication of the team of doctors and paramedical personnel led by Dr Dhillon and he said that this could be one of the biggest achievements of PGI in the recent past. He promised full support to the clinic and the doctors from neighbouring hospitals said that they would welcome the support given to their institutes by the PGI amputee support clinic