WIDOWS CONTINUE TO FACE SEVERE STIGMA AND DISCRIMINATION

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December 3: – Widows and single women from India, Nepal and Sri Lanka met together with government representatives and international organizations in New Delhi to address current gaps in policies and programmes that prevent them from claiming their rights. ‘There are an estimated 245 million widows worldwide, 115 million of whom live in poverty and suffer from social stigmatization and economic deprivation largely because they have lost their husbands. However, UN Women strongly believes that we can harness the potential of widows as change agents!’ said Patricia Barandun, Deputy Representative of UN Women.

According to the UN Women study on ‘Empowering Widows: an Overview of Policies and Programmes in India, Nepal and Sri Lanka’, widows in Asia are still relegated to a status of the ‘unwanted insiders’. They often face a ‘triple burden’, in the form of stigma associated with widowhood, severe constraints on access to resources, and sexual vulnerability, which makes them one of the most marginalised and vulnerable communities in this region. This is a stark contrast to their male counterparts, who are not subject to similar socio-economic exclusion within households and society at large.

Mr. Dhana Bahadur Tamang, Secretary Ministry of Women, Children & Social Welfare, Nepal highlighted that ‘Widows are the most vulnerable group of women and they are discriminated in many ways in the South Asian society’ ‘Women lack access to resources, they face discrimination when it comes to inheritance rights, the situation is even worse for single women and widows’ said Ms. Lalitha Kumaramangalam, Chairperson, National Commission for Women, India. Ms. Chaggi Bai, a widow from Rajasthan said ‘I faced violence and discrimination as a widow but I continued to fight for my rights and the rights of widows in my community’ UN Women’s study also highlights that widows are not a homogeneous group. Their situation changes considerably, depending on age, social and cultural practices, their geographical location, educational levels and also on who their husbands were.

The different schemes in India, Nepal and Sri Lanka do not reflect this diversity. In India for instance, only widows between 40 and 60 years of age can have access to pension under the Indira Gandhi National Widow Pension Scheme (IGNWPS) introduced in 2009. In Sri Lanka, widows whose husbands were not part of the government system are excluded from the pension programme and although Nepal has an inclusive pension policy, challenges in implementation deprive many widows of their entitlements.

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South Africa’s Supreme Court makes Arcelor Mittal toe the line on transparency

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South Africa’s Supreme Court makes Arcelor Mittal toe the line on transparency about environment-related information

Dear all,

The South African Supreme Court of Appeal has recently ruled that Arcelor Mittal, that country’s steel production giant make environmental information in its custody accessible to the people. On 26 November, 2014, the Court dismissed the appeal filed by Arcelor Mittal, South Africa (AMSA)challenging the judgement of the High Court which directed it to disclose information about its compliance with environmental regulations to an NGO. Readers may recollect that Arcelor Mittal is headed by Mr. Lakshmi Mittal of Indian origin who was dubbed one of the richest men in the United Kingdom a few years ago.

What was this case all about?

In December 2011, Vaal Environmental Justice Alliance (VEJA) filed an information request with Arcelor Mittal under the Promotion of Access to Information Act, 2000 (PAIA) demanding access to their Environmental Master Plan including details of how the Vanderbijlpark site would be rehabilitated. Later in February 2012, VEJA filed a second request under PAIA demanding a wealth of information about compliance with the environmental laws and regulations relating to the Vereeniging site also known as Vaal disposal site. Under PAIA, any citizen may seek information from a private entity such as AMSA for the protection of any right recognised in law. VEJA’s lawyers explained in their request that they had a right to get all this information in order to ascertain whether the AMSA was complying with all environmental laws and regulations. They argued that the information was being sought in public interest.

AMSA’s lawyers responded late explaining that the festive season had caused the delay. Later they delayed a proper reply stating that AMSA required more time for internal consultations on whether to disclose all the said information or not. Even later they asked what was the mandate of the VEJA’s lawyers to demand information and how they could usurp the role of environmental regulatory authorities. However to its credit, AMSA, did give some copies of information such as environmental authorisations and consents that they had been given in relation to their operations.

Finally, in February, AMSA formally conveyed its refusal to part with other information sought by VEJA arguing that they had not clearly established the nature and scope of the right that was sought to be protected by disclosure of information. They also argued that VEJA had not satisfactorily shown how disclosure of such information would help in the protection of the right they had claimed, namely, the right to environment guaranteed by Article 24 of the Constitution.

VEJA challenged this decision before the High Court as there was no provision for an Information Commission(er) under PAIA then, to appeal such rejections. The Appeals Court upheld VEJA’s right to get copies of the information they sought. The main grounds on which the judge recognised the right of access to information are described in the attached judgement (1st attachment). Not satisfied with this decision, AMSA filed an appeal before the Supreme Court of Appeal.

How did the Court Rule?

The Supreme Court accepted the public interest argument that VEJA had put forward for seeking the information even though AMSA tried to discredit it by terming it as vague and amounting to usurping the role of the environmental regulatory authorities. It also argued that the Environmental Master Plan was obsolete and based on wrong data and had never been accepted by the company. Instead the data had plan had been revised through the commissioning of newer studies later on. It also argued that inspection reports from the envvironmental authorities had testified to the fact that it had cleared up some of the sites where pollution was found earlier. Further, AMSA argued that being a private company it cannot be made subject to the stringent requirements of PAIA like State departments and agencies covered by that law.

The Court found that AMSA had in its Annual Report of 2010 declared its intention of engaging with key stakeholders including environmental NGOs, government, community and the media in relation to its industrial operations. So, the refusal to part with information was not justified in any way. Determining the meaning and test needed to satisfy the word ‘required’ contained in Section 50(1) of PAIA, the Court ruled that it meant ‘reasonable requirement’ i.e., adducement of reasonable facts why the information was required which VEJA had adequately done so in its requests. VEJA had pointed to the past history of AMSA as a polluter in the area because of which obtaining such information was essential to ascertain further compliance. The Court noted at para #52 of its judgement that AMSA was ‘a major polluter, if not the major polluter’ in the area where it conducts its operations.

The Court noted that the constitution and other environmental laws guaranteed every person including associations of persons to come together to protect the environment, so VEJA was not usurping any regulatory role. Instead it was exercising its rights under the law of the land. In response to AMSA’s argument that they cannot be subject to stringent requirements of transparency like public authorities, the Court said: “Corporations operating within our borders, whether local or international, must be left in no doubt that in relation to the environment in circumstances such as those under discussion, there is no room for secrecy and that constitutional values will be enforced. AMSA espoused environmental sensitivity in its Annual Report but adopted an obstructive approach when it came to disclosing information that would assist a collaborative effort.” The Court held that the information sought by VEJA does not fall in the category of trivial or frivolous. Instead the Court said: “it concerns us all”. As AMSA had committed itself to dealing with environmental issues in a participatory and consultative manner, its objections to disclosure could not be justified. The appeal was dismissed as being without merit.

The South African judgement is a major victory not only for environmental activists in South Africa but also for advocates of transparency in the operations of private corporations across the world.

Right to Environmental Justice in India

In India the Courts have passed several orders requiring transparency and accountability of public and private companies companies that pollute the environment. In the case of Essar Oil Ltd. vs Halar Utkarsh Samiti and Ors. [AIR 2004 SC 1834] the Supreme Court of India declared that people’s right to know was an inseparable part of the right to life guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution (2nd attachment). The Court observed: ” Besides the citizens who have been made responsible to protect the environment have a right to know. There is also a strong link between Article 21 and the right to know particularly where secret Government decisions may affect health, life and livelihood. The role of voluntary organisations as protective watch-dogs to see that there is no unrestrained and unregulated development, cannot be overemphasised. Voluntary organisations may of course be a front for competitive interests but they cannot all be tarred with the same brush… Organisations have championed the cause of conservation and have been responsible for creating awareness of the necessity to preserve the environment so that the earth as we know it and humanity may survive.”

Arcelor Mittal has major operations in India as well. Its leading lights are often photographed in the company of ministers and lawmakers at public functions. Some think of such companies as the saviours of the economy who will bring unprecedented development under the new Government in Delhi. Whether the prosperity they bring will be equitable, whether their operations will leave the environment unharmed remains to be seen. The rush with which labour laws, environmental laws and land acquisition laws are sought to be amended and the speed with which environmental clearances are being given to corporations to set up or expand operations in India in recent months seem to make environmental justice more difficult to attain in India.

Venkatesh Nayak

Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative

http://www.humanrightsinitiative.org/

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Nitin Gadkari Launch Magazine “JIA India”

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Anil Kumar Sinha the new CBI Director

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By sagarmedia on December 3, 2014 | Edit

Anil Kumar Sinha was on Tuesday appointed the new CBI Director to succeed Ranjit Sinha who retired in a glare of controversy with the Supreme Court directing him to recuse from 2G spectrum scam case probe.
Sinha, a 1979 batch IPS officer of Bihar cadrde, was the Special Director in CBI.

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, cleared the name of Anil Kumar Sinha who was among the candidates shortlisted by the search committee earier Tuesday evening.

The term of Sinha will be for two years from the date he takes charge, an official notification said.

Earlier in the day, Modi held discussions with the Chief Justice of India and leader of the main Opposition in Lok Sabha on selecting a new CBI head.

The panel discussed the names of about 40 officers shortlisted by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), sources said.

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Sharad Pawar injured, taken to Mumbai

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NCP Chief Sharad Pawar on Wednesday injured when he slipped during morning walk at his residence in New Delhi and has been taken to Mumbai by air ambulance.Pawar, 73, suffered injury in his leg and apparently in his back and will be admitted to Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai, sources said.His wife Pratibha and daughter Supriya Sule are accompanying him.Pawar slipped during his usual morning walk at his Janpath bungalow, they said, but did not elaborate further on his condition.
Pawar, who left Congress and formed Nationalist Congress Party in 1999, is currently a member of Rajya Sabha.He is a three-time chief minister of Maharashtra and a former Union Minister.

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7th ​Vibrant Gujarat Summit 2015

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Posted on December 3, 2014 by sagarmedia

7th ​Vibrant Gujarat Summit 2015 is scheduled to be held from 11^th to 13^thJanuary 2015 at Gandhinagar, Gujarat .

This Summit is an ideal convergence for other states and other countries to showcase their strengths, highlight business opportunities, facilitate knowledge dissemination etc. It also provides an attractive opportunity to its participants to understand the potential of Gujarat in various sectors. Besides, it provides platform to interact with policy makers, industry leaders, and renowned academicians from all over the world.

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Hunger Falling, But One in Nine People Still Affected

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Chronic Hunger Falling,  But One in Nine People Still Affected New Worldwatch Institute analysis examines global trends and progress in battling chronic hunger

Washington, D.C.—-Although the proportion of people experiencing chronic hunger is decreasing globally, one in nine individuals still does not get enough to eat, writes Gaelle Gourmelon, Communications and Marketing Manager at the Worldwatch Institute (www.worldwatch.org), in the latest Vital Signs Onlinearticle. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that 805 million people were living with undernourishment (chronic hunger) in 2012-14, down 209 million since 1990-92. Undernourishment is defined as an inability to take in enough calories over at least one year to meet dietary energy requirements. It can lead to undernutrition, a broader term that describes a condition caused by a deficient or imbalanced diet or by poor absorption and biological use of nutrients within the body. Undernutrition can in turn lead to impaired physical functions and has high social and economic impacts. The combined cost of undernutrition and micronutrient deficiencies is equivalent to US$1.4-2.1 trillion per year, or 2-3 percent of gross world product. Women and children are particularly vulnerable to nutritional deficiencies because of biological factors (such as pregnancy or rapid growth) and social inequities.Women’s low educational levels, unequal social status, and limited decision-making power can influence both their own nutritional status and that of their children. Globally, undernutrition contributes to more than one third of child deaths. Climate change presents an unprecedented challenge to nourishment through associated disruptions in supply chains, increases in market prices, decreases in assets and livelihood opportunities, reduced purchasing power, and threats to human health. The market sensitivity to climate change was highlighted recently by several periods of rapid increases in food prices following climate extremes-such as heat waves, droughts, floods, cyclones, and wildfires-in key producing regions. Food insecurity and the breakdown of food systems due to climate change disproportionately affect poorer populations. Because poverty is the main determinant of hunger, access to food is determined by incomes, food prices, and the ability to get social support. Food prices have fluctuated greatly, although they generally have been rising since the late 1990s. Food aid programs peaked in 2000-01. The 1999 Food Aid Convention (FAC), a multilateral donor cooperation treaty that aimed to contribute to world food security, saw a drastic drop in annual food aid shipments from 10.5 million wheat ton equivalents in 2000-01 to 5.7 million wheat ton equivalents in 2011-12. The Food Assistance Convention, which replaced the expired FAC in 2013, includes not only commodities (such as food and seeds) but also cash-based assistance. The impacts of the Food Assistance Convention remain to be seen. The hunger target of the UN’s Millennium Development Goal 1c (MDG-1c)-to halve the proportion of the population in developing countries who are hungry from the 1990 base year to the 2015 target year-is within reach. The prevalence of chronic hunger has fallen from 18.7 percent in 1990-92 to 11.3 percent in 2012-14, less than 2 percent above the MDG-1c target. The world is not on track to reach the more ambitious 1996 World Food Summit target, which aimed to reduce the actual number of hungry people to 412 million by 2015 (from a 1996 baseline of 824 million). The fundamental human right to food, which is codified by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, must be protected through social, economic, and political policies on food and health. Through investments, sound policymaking, strong legal frameworks, stakeholder involvement, and evidence-based decision making, the food security and nutrition environment can be improved to eradicate hunger worldwide. Regional Highlights: Latin America and the Caribbean has shown the greatest reduction in undernourishment, with the prevalence of chronic hunger falling by almost two thirds since the early 1990s.Economic growth, political stability, and agricultural and economic incentives have helped Latin America reach its hunger reduction target. Sub-Saharan Africa has by far the highest prevalence of undernourishment of any region. While this share has declined from 33.3 percent in 1990-92, one in four people is still chronically hungry. High poverty rates, deteriorating rural infrastructure, and slow income growth contribute to ongoing low food availability and distributional access, resulting in the greatest food security challenge worldwide. Inadequate safe drinking water and sanitation facilities have limited people’s ability to absorb and use the food that is available. In 2014, certain areas of West Africa experienced restricted trade flows and market disruptions due to the Ebola virus outbreak. The effects of Ebola on food prices are not yet clear in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, the most affected countries. Because of Asia’s large population, the region is home to two out of three of the world’s undernourished (526 million people). In West Asia, political and economic instability, due mainly to conflicts in Iraq (where the proportion of chronically hungry surged from 7.9 percent in 1990-92 to 23.5 percent in 2012-14) and Syria, have contributed to an increase in the prevalence of hunger.

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AAP condemns attempt to intimidate AAP leader Anjali Damania

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AAP condemns attempt to intimidate AAP leader Anjali Damania and salutes her courage

From: AAPMaharashtra News <News@AAPMaharashtra.org> Tue, 2 Dec ’14 10:44p

To: You and others

2nd December, 2014

Aam Aadmi Party’s volunteers and leaders have constantly fought against corruption and continue to do so. A war on corruption often involves taking on the high and mighty, and that is precisely what AAP leader Anjali Damania has done by taking on Shri Chhagan Bhujbal. Her complaint regarding Mr Bhujbal’s role in various scams has been accepted by Maharashtra Anti Corruption Bureau and Mr Bhujbal perhaps has begun to feel the heat.

Today afternoon, a lady by the name Kalpana, came to Ms Damania’s house and began asking her to “settle” in the case against Chhagan Bhujbal, offering to “get anything done” in return. Ms Damania has already put this incident on record with the police. We request the police to look into the matter and take the necessary action in this regard.

Aam Aadmi Party strongly condemns such attempts at intimidation. It is highly improper for someone associated to Mr Bhujbal to come to Ms Damania’s house in this manner. AAP salutes Ms Damania’s courage in the wake of such intimidation tactics. We hope the court takes up this matter on an urgent basis and show politicians like Mr Bhujbal that they are not above the law.

Please see attachment for Marathi version of the press release.

Also attached is 1. copy of complaint to ACB against Chhagan Bhujbal, 2. List of assets of Bhujbal family

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MoneyGram all set to charm Delhi City with the ICC World Cup Trophy Tour

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Media Invite

MoneyGram all set to charm Delhi City with the ICC World Cup Trophy Tour

It’s a privilege to invite you for the six cities tour started with Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bangalore and now in Delhi for a Fashion Event with Anusha Dandekar (Show Stopper)

Date: Friday, 5^th December 2014

Time: 1.00pm

Venue: DLF Place Mall, Saket District Centre, Press Enclave Road, Saket, New Delhi

We are proud to be associated with ICC World Cup Trophy Tour

The Fashion Event & Media briefing will start at 1.05 pm followed by Lunch.