(Eds: With more quotes of official, background of scheme) New Delhi, Apr 29 () From a daily wager in Punjab who needed ration to a man in Tripura abused on a messaging group for challenging fake news, several people are using a 2017 tele-law scheme of the government to get help and legal advice during the coronavirus-forced lockdown.The law ministry scheme was launched to help people in rural areas get pre-litigation legal advice from a panel of lawyers over phone. But now, calls are being received from people in need of assistance for other problems arising due to the curbs imposed to contain the spread of the respiratory infection.The lockdown was initially imposed from March 25 to April 14. It has now been extended till May 3.According to a top official of the law ministry, when people call up the service's local centre, they are put through the panel of lawyers who answer their queries.The department has documented eight cases where people were helped through the tele-law scheme.Prem Kumar, a resident of Punjab's Moga district, had called the local centre saying he had no money to buy ration. Panel lawyer Aksh Basra gave him the government helpline number. According to a Department of Justice official, ration was delivered at his doorstep by the local administration.People like him living nearby and facing similar problems were also provided assistance, the official said.In Tripura, offensive remarks were posted against Sanjoy Debnath after he questioned a post on a WhatsApp group which claimed that several people who flew in from Manipur were coronavirus infected, the department said.Based on the advice of a panel lawyer, Debnath approached the local police station with a complaint and printouts of the conversations. The person who posted the alleged fake news and the offensive remarks was made to apologise, the department said.The tele-law initiative was launched on April 20, 2017, with an aim to provide legal advice in villages through common services centres (CSCS). A pilot project started in 1,800 CSCs in 11 states has now been expanded to 115 aspirational districts."The scheme has been a big boon for citizens during the challenging time of COVID-19. The scheme has picked up momentum over the last few months. Its coverage has expanded from 1,800 CSCs to 29,860 centres," the official said. Over two lakh beneficiaries had enrolled for legal advice, of whom nearly 1.95 lakh beneficiaries have received counsel."Of those benefitted, 65 per cent belong to marginalised sections of the society," the official pointed out. NAB NSD

Ration to legal: Tele-law scheme extending all help during COVID-19 lockdown

New Delhi, Mar 28 () State-owned power giant NTPC Ltd on Saturday said it has has stepped up vigil against global coronavirus pandemic by converting its hospitals into dedicated Covid-19 units. NTPC has already utilised its 45 hospitals/health units to make isolation facilities and procured requisite number of equipment for the medical staff to handle such cases effectively, an NTPC statement said.According to the statement, as many as 121 beds, with all facilities, have been turned into isolation wards in these hospitals.The key medical infrastructure that has been made ready for use by state governments to tackle Covid cases includes the hospital at Badarpur in Delhi and medical college hospital of Sundergarh at Odisha, it added.Korba Hospital is also being examined for takeover by the state government, it added.The medical staff has also been trained over video calls about the use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).On 22nd March, a mock drill was conducted at all hospitals as per MOHFW (health ministry) guidelines.Further, 1,160 PPEs, 30,000 masks and 30,000 gloves have been dispatched to all the projects and stations.A total of 8 ventilators are being procured at Hazaribagh for District administration. At present, there are 7 ventilators in the project hospitals. Additionally, there are 18 Advanced Level Ambulances with ventilators, the company said.Another 10 ventilators are in the process of procurement for different hospitals. Also, efforts are being made to acquire additional PPE, sanitisers from available agencies.Among other measures, NTPC has contributed funds to the district administration of NTECL Vallur for procuring 1,000 bedsheets for a hospital.At NTPC Bhilai, funds have been reserved for support to the District Hospital to provide foods in nearby localities through NGOs and also for providing essential medicine in Primary Health Cares (PHCs).Similarly, NTPC Rihand has assured adequate funds for distribution of sanitiser and other protective equipment.Furthermore, the requirement of contractor workers has been rationalised at NTPC's projects /stations in terms of the GOI Guidelines.It has asked its agencies to treat the workers' absence in these extraordinary circumstances as on duty.As far as wages are concerned, there will be no hindrance and they will be given timely. In some cases, including advances have already been given.Accommodation, food and medical facilities for the contractor workers have been arranged at many of NTPC's projects/stations.At some locations, distribution of food packets/ daily essentials for nearby elderly/pregnant and lactating mothers / physically challenged and other marginalised sections of the society, including poor families has been taken up, it said. KKS BAL

NTPC converts its hopitals into COVID-19 units

Noida (UP), Apr 24 () A roti-machine that makes 1,000 pieces of the flat-bread every hour has ensured that the needy here do not go hungry during the COVID-19-induced lockdown, officials said. Installed at a community kitchen in Bhangel village, the machine helps the facility, operated by the Noida Authority in Uttar Pradesh, produce 15,000 rotis in a day, they said.The machine is operated in two shifts, once in the morning and then in the evening, and it churns out equal-sized, round and fluffy rotis, which are then served in meal packets meant for the needy, the officials said. According to the officials, the machine, installed last week, is saving time in preparation and distribution of meal packets, amid rising demand for food from marginalised sections of society. It is an automated process and the machine makes a lot more rotis than what would have been made manually, they said.The nationwide lockdown restricts the movement of people to break the chain of transmission of COVID-19 and it was imposed by the government from March 25 to April 14 and then extended to May 3. In Noida, thousands of migrant workers and daily wagers got stranded or were left jobless as factories and business establishments shut operations due to the lockdown. They were left at the mercy of the government and private organisations for meals, ration and financial support. The Noida Authority is operating five community kitchens and distributing around one lakh food packets daily (lunch and dinner included), General Manager Rajeev Tyagi said. "The community kitchens are in Harola, Mamoora, Bhangel, Sorkha and at Shani Mandir, and 18, 39,780 food packets have been distributed till April 23. Besides the authority, NGOs and city residents are also helping in the effort to feed the needy," Tyagi told . While a roti-making machine has been installed at the Bhangel kitchen, efforts are on to procure more such devices to keep pace with the rising demand for meals, Noida Authority's Officer on Special Duty (OSD) Avinash Tripathi said. "The machine at Bhangel is making 7,000 to 7,500 rotis in one shift and around 15,000 daily. There is uniformity in these rotis, they are fluffy, round in shape and equal in size. The process saves time and would not have been possible manually," Tripathi told . The OSD said the food packets distributed by the authority also include dal, rice, poori and a vegetable dish, mentioning that city residents are also pooling in resources to help those in need during the pandemic. "Sector 7X societies in the city, for example, have created a 'Roti Bank' and residents are voluntarily preparing two, four or six extra rotis at their homes which are then collected by the Noida Authority and taken for distribution," Tripathi said. Uttar Pradesh's Gautam Budh Nagar district that includes Noida city has so far recorded 103 positive cases of the novel coronavirus. On the brighter side, 54 of the patients have recovered so far, leaving 49 active cases, according to official figures as on Friday afternoon. KIS ANBANB

Lockdown: Machine makes 1,000 rotis an hour for needy in Noida

New Delhi, Apr 12 () The Centre has asked all states and Union Territories to take welfare measures, including food, shelter, medicine, mobile and video call facilities, for migrant labourers living in various relief camps across the country. In a communication to the state governments and Union Territory (UT) administrations, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) highlighted the Supreme Court directions regarding welfare of migrant labourers housed at relief shelters and camps in different parts of the country. The home ministry has written to all states/UTs to take necessary action in compliance of the directions of the top court, while implementing lockdown measures to fight COVID-19 effectively, an official statement said. The Supreme Court has directed that adequate medical facilities besides proper arrangements for food, clean drinking water and sanitation be ensured for migrant workers at relief camps across the country. Further, trained counselors or community group leaders belonging to all faiths should visit the relief camps and shelter homes and deal with any consternation that the migrants might be going through. The apex court had also observed that the anxiety and fear of migrants should be understood by police and other authorities, and that they should deal with the migrants in a humane manner. Further, the state governments/UTs should endeavour to engage volunteers along with the police to supervise the welfare activities of the migrants. The home ministry communication also reiterated the directions given by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to all states to deal with psychosocial issues among migrants. The health ministry had said the migrants are less familiar in their new environment in which they temporarily live and are prone to various social, psychological and emotional trauma in such situations, emanating from fear of neglect by the local community and concerns about well being and safety of their families waiting in their native places. Migrants are forced to leave their native places in search of better opportunities and earnings, sometime leaving behind their families. In many instances, the families in native places depend partially or entirely on the money sent by the migrant earning members of the family. During the outbreak of communicable diseases such as COVID-19, and the restrictions imposed on routine activities as part of social distancing norms to prevent the spread of the disease, scores of migrant workers tend to move back to their native places. During the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic also, many migrant workers used all possible means to reach their native states. Many of them are, however, stuck at borders, including at state, district and national border areas. These are the most marginalised sections of the society who are dependent on daily wages for their living, and in times of such distress need sympathy and understanding of the society. Sometimes, they also face harassment and negative reactions of the local community. All this calls for strong social protection. As an immediate response, measures to be taken should include ensuring community shelters and kitchens, making other relief material available, emphasising on the need for social distancing, identification of suspected cases of infection and adherence to protocols for management of such cases, putting up mechanisms to enable them to reach their family through telephone, video calls etc, and ensuring their physical safety, the communication added. ACB SRY

MHA asks states/UTs to take welfare measures for migrant workers hit by COVID-19 lockdown

New Delhi, May 12 () Nearly 50 per cent of parents of children below five years of age have not been able to access immunisation services during the nationwide lockdown imposed in view of the COVID-19 pandemic, says child rights NGO CRY. The online perception study conducted by Child Rights and You (CRY) in 22 states and Union Territories of the country also talked about the multiple effects of the pandemic on children. The survey was conducted during the first and second phase of lockdown. It is based on responses of about 1,100 parents and primary caregivers from across the country. According to the study, access to immunisation suffered a huge setback across all regions of the country and a whopping 63 per cent of the surveyed households in northern states reported lack of access to immunisation services. Only around half (51 per cent ) of the parents who had children below five years of age were able to access immunisation services during the lockdown, the survey said. "One in every four (27 per cent) of the respondents reported non-accessibility of regular healthcare services for children during the lockdown -most reported from the North (31 per cent) followed by the South (21 per cent). In other regions, lack of access to regular healthcare facilities was experienced by less than 20 per cent of parents," it said. Even though children have not been the face of this pandemic as they have largely been spared of the direct health effects of COVID-19 so far, findings of the study indicate that they have been among its biggest victims with multiple side-effects on their physical and psycho-social well-being. If access to basic healthcare for children was at bay, their access to education was affected equally during the lockdown days, the survey said. Three in every four (77 per cent) of the respondents have reported that the lockdown has affected education and learning. This was again the highest in the North (87 per cent) and least in the West (56 per cent), it said. While 60 per cent of the parents/primary caregivers pointed out that among the regular activities for children affected were their extra-curricular opportunities; 60 per cent believed that children's friendships and social lives were affected; and almost an equal section (59 per cent) perceived that their outdoor games and recreational opportunities were majorly compromised, the survey found. More importantly, according to 37 per cent of the respondents, children's psychological well-being and happiness have definitely been affected during this phase. This was most reported from the eastern states (51 per cent), the survey said. A majority (88 per cent) of the respondents reported an increase in their children's exposure to online activities (screen time), amongst which 45 per cent reported the increase to a great extent. Region-wise, in South, North, and West, around 40 per cent of the respondents reported that the screen time for children have increased considerably, it said. Only 43 per cent of the parents reported about being able to watch their children's online activity continuously. This was the highest in the West (68 per cent), followed by East (50 per cent). More than half of the respondents (52 per cent) reported about the provision of supervised access to the Internet for their children. One in every five respondents (22 per cent) reported about taking no measures to protect their children when online. This was most reported from North (25 per cent), the survey said. The findings of the study were made public through a webinar which included a session where eminent experts shared their insightful views and valuable opinions. Explaining the objective behind the study, Puja Marwaha, CEO, CRY said, "In a country where 40 per cent of the total population are children, and the budget allocated for them is just a little over 3 per cent of the entire budget outlay, it is but obvious that they do not feature as the topmost topic of discussion while the country battles a pandemic. "However, this most vulnerable section of the society has been one of the worst affected by the side effects of COVID-19. To be able to address this, and to be better prepared to support the marginalised children of the country during and after the lockdown, we conducted the online survey in 23 states and Union Territories to understand how the 'lockdown days' have affected their physical and mental health, nutrition, education, protection and online security issues," she added. UZM SRY

Nearly 50% parents with kids below 5 yrs not able to access immunisation during lockdown, says CRY

<ul><li>Former <keyword id="64190" type="POSITION" weightage="20" keywordseo="RBI-Governor">RBI governor</keyword> <keyword id="6358908" type="DEFINITION" weightage="20" keywordseo="raghuram-rajan">Raghuram Rajan</keyword> believes that the government’s top priority should be allocating financial resources towards medical supplies required to fight the <keyword id="8829783" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="coronavirus-pandemic">Coronavirus pandemic</keyword>.</li><li>He told India Today in an interview that the second priority should be providing assistance to <keyword id="6903191" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="poor-households">poor households</keyword>.</li><li>Only when those two things are taken care of should the government think about introducing a monetary or fiscal stimulus to help the economy, Rajan said.</li></ul>Former RBI governor Raghuram Rajan believes that the government’s top priority should be procuring medical supplies to fight the <keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="coronavirus">Coronavirus</keyword> pandemic. He said that no expense should be spared in its battle to control the spread of Covid-19. “We need to spend money on medical supplies, ventilators, and masks — on getting protective equipment for medical workers. This means getting resources from private, public, defence, retirement — every resource — and quickly,” Rajan said speaking to India Today. . Rajan explained that even though temporary income support would make sense, the government’s resources are already very limited. “This is not the time to discuss that,” he said about a possible economic and monetary stimulus that the economy might need. However, the finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on March 24 said that an economic stimulus package would be announced “sooner than later”. She also announced a list of compliances that have been relaxed including delaying IT return filing et cetera. As per Rajan’s list of priorities, the second step should be to address the marginalised sections of the community. Making sure that the livelihoods of poor households — both rural and urban — have enough to sustain themselves. Only when these two critical issues have been addressed, should the government allocate finances towards fixing the economy, according to Rajan. How should the government handle the Coronavirus’ impact on the <keyword id="6356076" type="DEFINITION" weightage="20" keywordseo="indian-economy">Indian economy</keyword>? According to Rajan, everyone is looking at China right now to see if their preventive measures against the spread of Coronavirus will hold. It has already reported a dip of 10% in its GDP during the first quarter. The estimates for Europe and the US also indicate a double-digit fall during the second quarter. When it comes to India, it’s important to make sure that the temporary pandemic shock on the economy doesn’t become a permanent feature, according to Rajan. The downturn of the economy leads to a slowdown in cash flow and takes away the income of workers. He points out that if this carries on for long enough, it could lead to substantial layoffs and firms closing down. “When the Coronavirus is under control, there won’t be a lot of economic activity because those businesses won’t start up again,” said Rajan. He said that even though the government can’t necessarily offer financial support — it can offer partial guarantees and incentivise banks to continue extending credit. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/finance/news/no-minimum-balance-use-any-atm-all-the-changes-for-bank-customers-in-india-amidst-coronavirus-related-lockdown/articleshow/74791418.cms">No minimum balance, use any ATM⁠— all the changes for bank customers in India amidst Coronavirus-related lockdown</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/policy/economy/finance-minister-nirmala-sitharaman-speech-highlights-and-updates/articleshow/74789836.cms">The big announcements from India's Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/coranavirus-cases-in-delhi-news-and-updates/articleshow/74773842.cms">The third stage of coronavirus spread in India can be delayed but not stopped, says ICMR</a>

Raghuram Rajan says save people before saving the economy

<ul><li>A five-member bench of India’s <keyword id="6354977" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Supreme-Court">Supreme Court</keyword>, led by outgoing chief justice Dipak Misra, upheld the constitutional validity of the Aadhar ID programme. </li><li>Enrollment in the programme has been made necessary for filing tax returns. </li><li>However, in light of the threats to an individual’s <keyword id="6355135" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Privacy">privacy</keyword>, a number of provisions of the Aadhar Act of 2016 were struck down. </li><li>Indians don’t have to hand over their <keyword id="144117" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="AADHAAR">Aadhaar</keyword> info when opening up bank accounts or getting a mobile subscription. In addition, Section 33(2) of the act, which mandates disclosure of Aadhaar details for the purposes of national security was scrapped. </li></ul>After four months and 38 days of hearings, the matter has been laid to rest. On 26 September, a five-member bench of India’s Supreme Court, led by outgoing chief justice Dipak Misra, upheld the constitutional validity of the Aadhar ID programme, voting 4-1 in favour of the scheme, and allowed its passage as a money bill. In a verdict read by Justice AK Sikri, the scheme was said to empower the marginalised sections of Indian society. The bench also found that the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), the government agency in charge of the scheme, had taken adequate measures to prevent the card from being duplicated. Enrollment in the programme was also made necessary for filing tax returns through linking with PAN cards. However, in light of the threats to an individual’s privacy, a number of provisions of the Aadhaar Act of 2016 were struck down. Section 33(2) which mandates disclosure of Aadhaar details for the purposes of national security was scrapped, as was Section 57, under which private companies are allowed to ask for a citizen’s Aadhaar details in order to provide services. This means that Indians don’t have to hand over their Aadhaar info when opening up bank accounts or getting a mobile subscription. Infact, telecom companies have been ordered to delete all the Aadhaar details of their customers. Additionally, educational institutions will not be allowed to ask for the Aadhaar details of prospective students. An expected outcome? While it may have seemed far from a foregone conclusion, there was no way that the Supreme Court could undo the world’s largest biometric identification programme and make the government start from scratch, especially in light of the scheme’s progress so far and the amount invested, which is estimated at around ₹88 billion. Despite the amount of data leaks and growing privacy concerns, the scheme has enrolled 1.2 billion Indians and allowed a lot of people to access government services. In retrospect, the scheme was always going to be modified to incorporate <keyword id="145060" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="data-security">data security</keyword> protocols and to allow citizens the option of enrolling. The modifications to the scheme also reflected a landmark decision made by the Supreme Court in August last year, when it declared that privacy was a fundamental right.

The Aadhaar ID programme is here to stay but with some modifications

<ul><li>Narendra Modi government’s <keyword id="6361164" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="reservation">reservation</keyword> bill, which got approved by India's Parliament, sets aside 10% of seats for the poor including those from upper castes in private colleges. </li><li>However, the proposal does not mention reservation for the historically oppressed castes </li><li>‘Economically weaker’ will be determined based on annual family income of up to ₹800,000 (US$11,000) and other indicators like land holdings </li><li>Only minority educational institutions need not reserve seats </li></ul>India had mandated, so far, that higher educational institutions in India have a designated quota for affirmative action for its backward and scheduled castes and tribes — with the exception of private institutions. However, that is about to change. The Narendra Modi government’s reservation bill, which got approved by India’s Parliament on Wednesday (January 9), has spelt out that private colleges, whether or not they are aided by the state, will now need to reserve 10% of seats for ‘economically weaker’ sections among upper castes. But the bill does not specify any such affirmative action for the historically-oppressed castes or backward castes within the Hindu caste system. ‘Other backward castes’ (OBCs) make up about 52% of India population, according to the last count done by the Mandal Commission report in the 1980s. The historically marginalised <keyword id="390686" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Scheduled-Castes-and-Scheduled-Tribes">scheduled castes and scheduled tribes</keyword> made up about 25% of the country’s population as of the government’s <a href="http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/scs-sts-form-25--of-population-says-census-2011-data/1109988/">census</a> in 2011. Only educational institutions run by minorities will be allowed to operate without reserving seats for the poor, according to the bill. It’s unclear which minorities will be included. While the exact definition of economically weaker sections for private educational quotas for colleges is vague from the bill, it states that it will be based on family income and other indicators of economic disadvantage that will be notified by the government. Elsewhere, all other reservations sought in the bill will make eligible anyone with an annual family income up to ₹800,000 (US$11,000). Given India’s average per capita income is under $2000, that ceiling is likely to cover almost all of middle class in India. The move is expected to rile up millions of middle-class Indians who complain about lack of seats in educational institutions every year, even where there is no reservation for lower castes. But the anger may really boil over from the country’s scheduled castes and tribes, which have been at the bottom of the social pyramid for centuries. They form as much as 24% of the country’s population. Most of them have been identified as backward on almost all counts of development including their economic status. Supreme Court lawyer Karuna Nundy <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/01/india-plans-job-quotas-upper-caste-poor-election-nears-190108072534072.html">told</a> Al Jazeera that the income bracket under the reservation bill “would include the Indian upper middle class, which makes the proposal doubly ridiculous." Leaving them out of reserved access in private education may trigger political backlash, from a sizeable population, for the government that will be seeking reelection in less than five months. Perception game India’s middle class, mostly made of people with the most social privileges if not more, have historically fumed at any kind of affirmative action. But contrary to that perception, even the state-backed premier institutions like the Indian Institute of Technologies (IITs) have <a href="https://www.firstpost.com/india/number-of-unclaimed-seats-at-iit-increases-iit-bhu-reports-highest-number-of-vacancies-kanpur-and-hyderabad-the-lowest-4404441.html">struggled</a> to fill their seats reserved for lower castes. Earlier this year, government data showed that out of the nearly 11,000 seats across all the IITs in India, a whopping 274 seats went unfilled since 2013. In 2017, the IITs reported 121 vacant seats. Even in private primary schools, which are required by law to reserve admissions for poor children under the India’s Right to Education Act, as much as 7% of such reserved seats <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/education/news/7-of-seats-for-poor-in-private-schools-go-empty/articleshow/62842199.cms">go empty</a> because of lax monitoring and apathy. These numbers show that the opposition to any affirmative action in education may be based on perception than ground realities.

Modi’s bill leaves out the oppressed castes from reservation in private colleges

(Image Credit- Reuters) <ul><li>Godrej India Culture Lab, part of <keyword id="133008" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Godrej-group">Godrej Group</keyword>, is developing a manifesto for Indian companies to address issues affecting <keyword id="6358953" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Transgender">transgender</keyword> people, particularly employment opportunities. </li><li>Nearly 92% of the transgender population in India aren’t able to participate in any economic activity, according to a National Human Rights Commission Report. </li><li>While the central and state governments have introduced 249 schemes to address the issues affecting transgenders in India, only Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU GKY) has mentioned transgender people as beneficiaries. </li></ul>Indian companies have a pressing need to adopt policies that address fair employment opportunities for the LGBTQ community at workplaces, particularly the transgender population. To address this, Godrej India Culture Lab, part of the Godrej Group has launched <a href="https://indiaculturelab.org/assets/Uploads/Godrej-India-Culture-Lab-Trans-Inclusion-Manifesto-Paper.pdf">‘A Manifesto for Trans Inclusion in The Indian Workplace</a>’ to help curb the struggle faced by the transgender population in the country. The manifesto sheds light on how Indian corporates can make the working environment more conducive for transgender staff as well as the larger LGBTQ workforce. The report cited a 2016 World Bank report that found a clear link between marginalisation and loss in GDP in a study of 39 countries. As of 2016, India saw a loss of up to ₹32 billion, or 1.7% of the country’s GDP ‘only because of <keyword id="469230" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="homophobia">homophobia</keyword> and <keyword id="1058345" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Transphobia">transphobia</keyword>.’ To be sure, Many Indian companies have begun taking steps to address the issue. For instance, Tata Steel—which already has a resource group for its transgender and LGBTQ employees—launched initiatives to offer financial support for gender affirmation procedures. Not only this, but it also has single-cubicle gender-neutral washrooms, Economic Times reported earlier. India currently lacks consolidated large-scale efforts to approach the discrimination faced by transgender people, highlights the manifesto. While the central and state governments on India have introduced 249 schemes to address the issues of transgenders in India, only Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU GKY), a central government scheme mentions ‘transgenders.’ Additionally, nearly 92% of India’s transgender population find it hard to find any economic opportunity they can participate in. Moreover, less than half of them have access to education, with 62% of the half facing abuse and discrimination, said the manifesto citing National Human Rights Commission <a href="http://nhrc.nic.in/publications/annual-reports">Report. </a> Lack of awareness Even though the Indian government has put in some effort to protect the transgender community and recently introduced an amended bill, the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2018, with 27 amendments, it has attracted the ire of the community. One of the main things the bill gets wrong is the definition of the word ‘transgender’ itself, according to community members. "The amended bill, which apart from an improved definition of the term transgender, continues to be unacceptable and needs to be redrafted or withdrawn," a group of transgender community members told IANS, adding the version of the Bill criminalises trans people for organised begging, while denying any opportunities in education, employment, healthcare through reservation. The manifesto also highlighted the importance of awareness and education and the importance of not conflating transgender with intersex. Specifically, it cites a definition offered by Sampoorna, a group of trans and Intersex Indians as: ‘’Transgender persons are those individuals who are social, legally and medically categorised as being either male or female, but who assert that this is not their self-identity and/or expression. Transgender people may or may not be intersex.” With IANS inputs See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/here-are-10-pictures-from-delhis-first-pride-parade-since-indias-supreme-court-lifted-ban-on-gay-sex/articleshow/66809333.cms">Here are 10 pictures from Delhi’s first Pride parade since India’s Supreme Court lifted ban on gay sex</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/section-377-verdict-whats-next-for-india/articleshow/65716873.cms">Section 377 verdict: What’s next for India?</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/section-377-verdict-indias-top-court-decriminalises-homosexuality-in-landmark-verdict/articleshow/65697010.cms">Section 377 Verdict: India’s top court decriminalises homosexuality in landmark verdict</a>

In India, a private company has come up with a ‘manifesto’ to spur corporations into implementing transgender-friendly policies

<ul><li>According to a recent study posted by PLOS, <keyword id="3658" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="India">India</keyword> ranks number one globally for the most cases of these 11 <keyword id="916291" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="neglected-tropical-diseases">neglected tropical diseases</keyword>. </li><li>In spite of that, India has made a significant progress in the recent years towards NTD control and elimination. </li><li>Today, as the International Tropic’s Day is being celebrated globally, India has the chance to bring global focus on the solutions of the issue. </li></ul>According to a recent <a href="http://journals.plos.org/plosntds/article?id=10.1371/journal.pntd.0006038">study</a> posted by the Public Library of Science (<a href="http://journals.plos.org/plosntds/article?id=10.1371/journal.pntd.0005424">PLOS</a>), India ranks number one globally for the most number of cases when it comes to 11 neglected <keyword id="918542" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="tropical-diseases">tropical diseases</keyword> (NTD). The NTDs include Ascariasis, Hookworm disease, Trichuriasis, <keyword id="6360092" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="dengue">Dengue</keyword>, Lymphatic filariasis (LF), Trachoma, Cysticercosis, <keyword id="54776" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Leprosy">Leprosy</keyword>, Cystic echinococcosis, <keyword id="958654" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Visceral-leishmaniasis">Visceral leishmaniasis</keyword> and <keyword id="6429043" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="rabies">Rabies</keyword>. NTD’s are a diverse group of communicable diseases that prevail in tropical and subtropical conditions across 149 countries, which also includes India, according to <a href="http://www.who.int/neglected_diseases/diseases/en/">WHO</a>. A study by <a href="http://www.who.int/neglected_diseases/diseases/en/">WHO</a> affirms this in a report that suggests that India has the most number of total cases of all major NTDs excluding those that are spatially bound because of transmission through unique insects or snails (e.g., schistosomiasis, onchocerciasis, human African trypanosomiasis and Chagas disease). Looking at the figures, it is <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5863936/">possible </a>that India’s high ranking extends beyond the diseases currently considered as NTDs by WHO. Since India is the world’s second most populous nation and accounts for about 18% of the world’s population, it is expected to harbour a significant NTD burden. However, the fact these diseases are also associated with economic backwardness means that India can essentially have no excuse for topping the list. The tropical country, in spite of being the seventh largest GDP in the world spends as little as <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india-spends-just-1-2-of-its-gdp-on-healthcare-but-a-policy-can-change-that/articleshow/64665303.cms">1.2% of its GDP</a> on healthcare. The result of this neglection is that more than 50% cases of dengue, leprosy and trachoma occur in India. While the cases trichuriasis and cystic echinococcosis in India account for about 16% and 12% of the cases across the world respectively, other NTDs - ascariasis, hookworm disease, lymphatic filariasis, cysticercosis, visceral leishmaniasis and rabies - are about 18% to 45%. Moreover, the cases of NTDs in India are <a href="http://outbreaknewstoday.com/india-ranks-1-globally-11-neglected-tropical-diseases-55417/">not evenly distributed</a>, but instead are focused in sections of poverty in both, urban and rural areas. If left unchecked the diseases are expected reduce India’s economy by impairing worker productivity and intellectual growth in children. The global community’s focus on India’s NTD problem could dramatically advance the global health agenda. <div type="image" title="11 diseases" tempid="375455" msid="64781285" hostid="261"></div>

 Internally, India has made a significant progress over the recent years towards NTD control and elimination. India is achieving a mass treatment coverage for almost <a href="http://www.who.int/neglected_diseases/preventive_chemotherapy/lf/en/">400</a> million people who are at risk of lymphatic filariasis. It has also has been committed to a multidrug therapy for leprosy for years now, however, it needs to continue or expand in order to reach 100% of the population. The optimal potential of safe and clean water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) for battling NTDs also needs to be realised. India, furthermore, hosts a sophisticated and extensive network of biotechnology organisations and private companies capable of developing vaccines, drugs, and diagnostics needed to battle the diseases. However, that hasn't been done yet due to the fact that new NTD technologies are not considered profitable. On 14 December 2017, a <a href="https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/health/neglected-but-treatable/article22717612.ece">collective </a>of partners working together to defeat 10 neglected tropical diseases, released its fifth report that indicated the potential of an NTD-control programme which is community-based. The report also focused on reaching marginalised populations through well-trusted health workers and free medication to the population. As per WHO‘s 2020 roadmap to eliminate at least 10 of the NTDs, India is committed to provide the necessary resources to remove the primary risk factors for NTDs which includes poverty. WHO realises that India’s contribution is necessary for its future targets. As <a href="http://www.un.org/en/events/tropicsday/">International Tropic’s Day</a> gets celebrated globally today (28 June), India could use the opportunity to bring greater focus on the solutions of these health issues.

India has most cases of these 11 neglected tropical diseases in the world: Study

How many IDs must one have before the Indian authorities are appeased? My apologies to Bob Dylan, but the <keyword id="6354977" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="Supreme-Court">Supreme Court</keyword>’s ruling on <keyword id="6356006" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Aadhaar-card">Aadhaar Card</keyword> once again highlights how we tend to lose our vision and put in efforts where it is not needed. 
 
Only yesterday, the apex court ruled that the Aadhaar Card is not mandatory to get government benefits and services. The interim order was passed after a retired judge of the Karnataka High Court filed public interest litigation (PIL) as some of the state governments like Maharashtra are mandating the Aadhaar Card as a compulsory requirement without the Parliamentary sanction. 
 The National Identity Authority of India Bill was introduced in 2010 but it was rejected by the <keyword id="61249" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="40" keywordseo="Parliamentary-Standing-Committee">Parliamentary Standing Committee</keyword> a year later. Till date, our understanding has been that Aadhaar is voluntary in nature and has a different purpose altogether. So the sudden attempt at the Orwellian-style imposition is a bit scary. After all, many of us already have Voter ID cards, PAN cards, passports and driving licences. So why do we need yet another compulsory validation? Aadhaar should be the prerogative of the under-served India living on the edge while the rest of the country can adopt it at its own pace. The macro vision should not be lost either – we need a nationwide social security network and unique identity numbers must be generated to leverage its benefits. 
 Launched by the <keyword id="86474" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Unique-Identification-Authority-of-India">Unique Identification Authority of India</keyword> (<keyword id="6355252" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="UIDAI">UIDAI</keyword>), the chief purpose of the Aadhaar scheme is to ensure a broad <keyword id="621722" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="economic-inclusion">economic inclusion</keyword>, not enjoyed by millions. Considering the vast Indian population outside the immediate administrative radar and living below the poverty line, it makes sense to have an all-purpose identity proof – a pass key to the direct benefits transfer (DBT) scheme. According to the central government, Aadhaar has been launched to “promote inclusion and benefits of the marginalised sections of the society that has no formal identity proof” and <keyword id="1878763" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Aadhaar-enabled-service-delivery">Aadhaar-enabled service delivery</keyword> is linked to various government schemes such as scholarship, pension, janani suraksha yojana, payment of social security benefits, distribution of LPG subsidy and more. But we have not progressed very far as things can only move slowly in a vast and thickly populated country like India. Once the permanent enrolment centres come up all over the country, the ‘inclusion’ will happen fast. 
 But there is another hitch. The Supreme Court is of the opinion that the use of Aadhaar should not be made mandatory as <keyword id="109240" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="illegal-immigrants">illegal immigrants</keyword> may leverage it to legitimise their status. Here is one observation, though. Aadhaar is just an identity proof, not a citizenship proof like a <keyword id="661164" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="voter-ID-card">Voter ID card</keyword>. So when the Aadhaar mapping is completed, a second and more stringent level of scrutiny should weed out that problem. 
 
However, one must remember that the consent of an individual is indispensable for Aadhaar. Unlike a Voter ID or a PAN card, one is under no legal obligation to get an Aadhaar Card. Therefore, the sudden and forceful implementation may actually violate one’s Fundamental Rights. Also, a lot of people don’t want to opt for it as they are not too sure if their biometric data (required for Aadhaar Card) will be secure with third party service providers. So the best way ahead will be priority-based adoption and gradual inclusion of the entire country. But how long it will take to reach that goal is anybody’s guess.

You Searched For "marginalised sections" and got 11 results

Ration to legal: Tele-law scheme extending all help during COVID-19 lockdown

PTI

NTPC converts its hopitals into COVID-19 units

PTI

Lockdown: Machine makes 1,000 rotis an hour for needy in Noida

PTI

MHA asks states/UTs to take welfare measures for migrant workers hit by COVID-19 lockdown

PTI

Nearly 50% parents with kids below 5 yrs not able to access immunisation during lockdown, says CRY

PTI

Raghuram Rajan says save people before saving the economy

Prabhjote Gill

The Aadhaar ID programme is here to stay but with some modifications

Dilsher Dhillon

Modi’s bill leaves out the oppressed castes from reservation in private colleges

BI India Bureau

In India, a private company has come up with a ‘manifesto’ to spur corporations into implementing transgender-friendly policies

BI India Bureau

India has most cases of these 11 neglected tropical diseases in the world: Study

BI India Bureau

Do You Need Aadhaar Card? Govt Says Yes, Supreme Court Says No

Sanghamitra Mandal