67 Nepali workers have been held hostage in Libya for demanding a pay-hike in Libya, Kantipur daily reported.
The workers working for a real estate and construction company in Libya had been on a strike since 18 days, when company authorities locked them up inside their common residence on Thursday.
“The company officials have padlocked the main gate of the camp we are staying in on Thursday,” said Briddhi Limbu, one of the suffering migrant workers, over the phone. “Three of us managed to escape and contact you.”
According to Limbu, the company had been paying them less than the promised salary and asked them to leave at their own cost when they demanded a pay-hike.
R. RAMAKUMAR
The UID project has both ‘security’ and ‘developmental’ dimensions. The former leads to an invasive state; the latter leaves us with a retreating state.
Is identity the “missing link” in India’s efforts to rise as an “inclusive” economic superpower? Can an identity-linked and technology-based solution change the face of governance in India? Given the euphoria around the Unique Identification (UID) project, one is tempted to believe so. However, a careful look at the project would show that the euphoria is just hyperbole; only the politically naïve can afford to ignore the far-reaching implications of this Orwellian project.
One can summarise the criticisms of the UID project under four heads. First, the project would necessarily entail the violation of privacy and civil liberties of people. Second, it remains unclear whether biometric technology — the cornerstone of the project – is capable of the gigantic task of de-duplication. The Unique Identification Authority of India’s (UIDAI) “Biometrics Standards Committee” has noted that retaining biometric efficiency for a database of more than one billion persons “has not been adequately analysed” and the problem of fingerprint quality in India “has not been studied in depth”. Third, there has been no cost-benefit analysis or feasibility report for the project till now.Finally, the purported benefits of the project in the social sector, such as in the Public Distribution System (PDS), are largely illusive. The problem of duplicate ration cards is often hugely exaggerated. Even so, some States have largely eliminated duplicate ration cards using “lower” technologies like hologram-enabled ration cards.
Shiv Sena, which is facing flak over pushing Mumbai University to withdraw Rohinton Mistry’s Booker prize-nominated book, on Tuesday opened a new front by calling for a ban on burqa (veil) worn by Muslim women. “If the burqa is used to…
Amnesty International has urged the Indian government to help end the routine torture of those held by police and prison authorities by ensuring the new Prevention of Torture Bill in India, 2010 meets international standards before adopting it.
The Bill, which is expected to be considered by the Select Committee of the Upper House (Rayja Sabha) of the Indian Parliament on 17 October, will address many forms of torture routinely employed by Indian police and prison officials. The Bill was passed by the Lower house (Lok Sabha) on 6 May 2010.
“If India is serious about its aspiration to be a regional and global power, it needs to address the issue of torture and ensure that the human rights of those it arrests and detains are protected,” said Madhu Malhotra, Amnesty International’s Asia-Pacific Deputy Programme Director.
Abusing a Dalit by his caste in private interaction is not an offence, a Delhi court has said. The court’s observation came while acquitting a principal of a government school of charges of passing some derogatory remarks against his junior, belonging to a Scheduled Caste. To drive home the guilt of the accused , such incidents should happen in full public view, it said.
“The presence of principal (accused) and the teacher (complainant) alone during the dispute resulting in any abuse, insult or humiliation by virtue of caste does not constitute ‘within public view’ within the meaning of Section 3 (i) of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes Act,” Additional Sessions Judge Dharmesh Sharma said.
By: Farooq Tariq
The recent devastating flood, affecting the lives of over 20 million in Pakistan, has once again uncovered the severe poverty that people are facing. Many hundreds of thousands fled their mud homes in a hurry, taking just a trunk, a few clothes and pottery and maybe a donkey, cow or a buffalo.
The much-touted claims of economic growth and progress by successive civilian and military governments exclude millions of people languishing in hopeless poverty. This is the situation persistent throughout all South Asian countries without exception. Under the influence of neoliberal formulations, governments no longer talk of the “abolition” of poverty or its “elimination” but only of its “alleviation.” The number of poor is increasing in all these countries.
According to the Human Development Report 2009, Afghanistan is ranked 132 out of 182 countries; Bangladesh is 112, Pakistan 101 and Nepal in 99th position. This number only indicates the “absolute poor”–those unable to meet their daily nutritional requirements calculated in calories. The number of poor would be far higher if a dignified quality of life is considered. Large sections of the population–easily the majority–are deprived of basic necessities including adequate shelter, clothing, education and health services, etc. They have almost no access to resources. Studies now indicate that the problem of poverty, even in countries like India that boasts of substantial economic growth, is persistent.
Prabhat Patnaik There are three obvious problems with the Allahabad High Court judgment on the Babri Masjid issue. Each of them in isolation is potentially damaging for the Constitutional fabric of the country; together they can cause irreparable harm.…
The jinxed Commonwealth Games could have done without this. After being troubled by brittle infrastructure, CWG 2010 has now been blamed for a jump in trafficking of women and children from the Northeast. The accusation has come from Meghalaya People’s Human Rights Council (MPHRC) general
secretary Dino D.G. Dympep. The platform he chose on Tuesday was the general debate discussion on racism, discrimination, xenophobia and other intolerance at the 15th Human Rights Council Session at the UN headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.
“The human rights situation of indigenous peoples living in Northeast India is deteriorating,” Dympep said, adding New Delhi has chose to be indifferent to human trafficking of and racial discrimination toward these indigenous groups.
The court in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, India today ruled that the site of a demolished mosque in Ayodhya, would be divided between Hindus and Muslims, the Reuters news agency reported. The court also ruled that Hindu idols…