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Indecent Representation of Women’s Act
JD(U) disapproves of ban on Jaswant’s book
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No threat to Indian print media in near future: Dua
CPM protests as Mamata flaunts TMC symbol in rly ad
CPM slams proposed food security law
Sibal wants core curriculum for math, science
I haven’t stopped any judge from disclosing assets: CJI
First Indian-built T-90 tanks roll out
Crash fallout: Sea Harriers grounded
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Indecent Representation of Women’s Act
New Delhi, August 24 The new amendment relates not just to a new definition of the term “advertisement” but also to the extended applicability of the Act to all visual media, computers and the web world. The proposed changes would cover all objectionable representations of women, be it on the MMS or Internet. For a recall - the move to change the old law started with the infamous MMS case involving a DPS student. The NCW has also included “self-regulation” in the clause of the new Act, saying bigger media houses should be allowed to sift their content to ensure the same is women-friendly. This option was much in demand, NCW officers said, adding the new recommendations had been forwarded to the Women and Child Development Ministry for consideration. Earlier, the law ministry had sent NCW’s amendments back, seeking changes. The amendments now propose a central authority to receive complaints related to the issue. The committee would be required to govern and regulate the manner in which women are represented in any document published or broadcast. “The proposed authority will have quasi-judicial powers, would subsume the existing authorities and would address the complaints swiftly,” said NCW sources. Chairperson of the commission Girija Vyas said the changes were required as the old Act was inadequate especially in context of penalties. The proposed amendments recommend for the first time offender a punishment up to two years and Rs 2,000 fine. The second time offender could face a punishment up to five years and fine up to Rs 5 lakh. As for advertisement, it would now mean any notice, circular, label, wrapper, and would include all visible representations made by means of any light, including laser, sound, smoke, gas, fibre optic, electronic or any other media. “There was a pressing demand for changes in the old laws as cases involving indecent representation of women are rising by the day,” Vyas told The Tribune.
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JD(U) disapproves of ban on Jaswant’s book
New Delhi, August 24 Speaking to mediapersons here, JD(U) president Sharad Yadav said: “We are an ally of BJP and it (Jaswant Singh's expulsion) is an internal matter of that party. They run their own party, we mind our own affairs.” Asked to comment on the ban imposed by Gujarat government on Jaswant Singh's book 'Jinnah: India, Partition, Independence', Yadav said: “I don't want to talk about any individual state government. In a democracy, there should not be a ban on any kind of writing, speech and expression. I don't approve of the ban.” When pressed further to comment on whether he approves the content of Singh's book, Yadav said: "Who am I to make judgements… can all of us agree or disagree on contents of each and every book? But I am not in favour of any kind of ban. There are so many books that have been written on partition."
— PTI
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No threat to Indian print media in near future: Dua
Hyderabad, August 24 While several crisis-ridden western media houses were folding up because of threat from digital media, the print journalism in India presented a contrasting scenario because a significant chunk of the population was still illiterate, Dua, the Editor-in-Chief of The Tribune, said here. He was delivering the 3rd CVS Sarma Memorial Lecture on “Future of Print Journalism in India” at the University of Hyderabad. “With over 30 crore people in our country being still illiterate, it will take three to four decades for people to get hooked on to the Internet and depend on the digital medium for news. The fears over survival of print media are not indigenous,” he said. However, Dua warned that the country’s print media faced threat from within rather than from new technologies. Crass commercialisation, he said, was the bane of the media. Dwelling at length on the inadequacies and ethical challenges of the media, the noted editor lamented that a majority of the newspapers were not focusing attention on pressing public issues like health, education, unemployment, criminalisation of politics and social problems. Decrying the propensity of the media, particularly the television channels, to sensationalise crime stories and highlight lifestyle related issues concerning the urban upper middle class, Dua said the media was becoming increasingly insensitive to the pain and sufferings of the rural poor. While violent attacks by Maoists are played up instantly, there is no analysis of the root causes of social unrest nor is there any serious attempt to understand the agony of unemployed and restive youth. “From this abdication of social responsibility emerges the threat to print media,” he warned. Pointing out that the people looked up to the media to serve as their voice, Dua said, “If the media also fails them, the democracy will not survive.” Voicing concern over growing tendency among the newspaper owners to treat news as commodity meant to fetch profits, he said, “You cannot give adulterated news to jack up circulation and profits. The greed for profits will not serve the cause of democracy. Only the credible newspapers with social accountability will survive in the long run.”
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CPM protests as Mamata flaunts TMC symbol in rly ad
Kolkata/New Delhi, August 24 CPM state secretary Biman Bose today alleged that the concessional monthly tickets issued to the students were carrying the TMC symbol, which had been done at the instance of Mamata. He said such blatant misusing of the government machinery for political purposes had never occurred in the past anywhere in the country. The Politburo had lodged a formal complaint with the Prime Minister in this regard against the minister. In the letter to the PM, senior Politburo member and party leader in Rajya Sabha Sitaram Yechury demanded that instructions be issued to all government departments to not promote partisan interests of any political party at the expense of public money. Back in the CPM headquarters, the issue was hammered by another Politburo member Brinda Karat, who questioned TMC’s audacity in putting government money to her political advantage. “A government of India advertisement can’t send out such political signals,” Brinda said. Yesterday, West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee had lashed out at the railway minister for not inviting the state government at the inaugural function of the metro’s extension up to Garia held on Saturday.
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CPM slams proposed food security law
New Delhi, August 24 The government, said the CPM, would save Rs 4,000 crore against food subsidy by denying food security to so many sections. The party, on August 26, is planning a national-level convention on Right to Food, and will discuss the loopholes in UPA’s proposed food security law. Meanwhile, coming down heavily today on the government for its failure to tame relentless price rise of essential commodities, the Marxists said the UPA could not keep on blaming the states for the mess, and needed to restore the 73 per cent cuts it made in states’ quota for APL sections.
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Sibal wants core curriculum for math, science
New Delhi, August 24 That’s not to say he abandoned his reformatory agenda. He in fact “surprised” several state-board representatives by mooting another radical idea - core curriculum for science and math and a common entrance exam for all professional courses that have these two subjects as fundamentals. This could in effect mean a common entrance test to all medical and engineering colleges as well. The minister said he could not understand why there should be a difference in math and science. “Why should science and math be different?" he asked. “We have 41 boards in the country. Why should one state have four boards? We should break the walls and prepare our children for the future,” Sibal said. Interestingly, the issue of diversity was hammered equally by the HRD Minister, who had, earlier, faced a lot of flak by proposing a uniform school board for the country. The BJP was particularly opposed to the idea; even the Congress was not very comfortable with it. No wonder Sibal today ensured he celebrated the Indian diversity. “We need diversity in the teaching of subjects such as geography, history and environment, which are specific to different regions. Preserving diversity should be encouraged so that different students can bring unique experiences to the table,” Sibal told the boards, citing the need of a “melange of uniqueness.” But, he also wanted the boards to be able to offer degrees in music, mechanics and art. Vocational education, he said, was the key to growth. As such, India has the lowest percentage in the world of young persons endowed with vocations. Also, on the meeting agenda today, was Sibal’s education de-stressing agenda, with the boards being asked to evolve a grading system, “Continuous Comprehensive Evaluation
(CCE) may be tough for teachers, but it is simple for students. If CBSE schools till Class XII replace Class X boards with the
CCE, a welcome shift will be seen in how we teach,” Sibal said, cautioning the need to have a good
CCE.
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I haven’t stopped any judge from disclosing assets: CJI
New Delhi, August 24 High court judges who were willing to bring details of their assets into the public domain were free to do so and there was no bar on it, the CJI told reporters who sought his response to the steps taken and statements made by some judges. While Punjab and Haryana HC Judge K Kannan has become the first judge to openly reveal his assets, Karnataka HC Judge DV Shylendra Kumar has reportedly criticised the CJI for speaking on behalf of the entire judiciary without taking the judges into confidence. Asked whether Justice Kumar's remarks were an embarrassment to the judiciary, the CJI shot back: "How can a single judge cause embarrassment? It (judiciary) is a big institution." “Every high court judge has got the freedom to declare assets. There is no problem. As for the Supreme Court, we are trying to reach a consensus," he clarified. He also made it clear that the apex court did not give any advice to HC judges on the issue. The subject has become a major controversy ever since the Central Information Commission had asked the SC to provide assets details of its judges to a person who had sought these under the Right to Information Act. The SC had challenged the Commission's order in the Delhi High Court.
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First Indian-built T-90 tanks roll out
New Delhi, August 24 Till now only semi and fully knocked-down tanks kits imported from Russia were being assembled at the facility. The indigenisation process was set in motion in 2004 following an agreement between the Indian and Russian governments. However, the transfer of technology has had a few glitches with the Russians holding back the knowhow for the gun turrrets. The tanks will join the army’s 73 Armoured Regiment, which will run further field tests. The factory has been geared to produce 100 tanks, each of which costs about Rs 14-15 crore, per year. Recently it also rolled out the first lost of Arjun tanks. The Indian army already has around 700 of these frontline tanks in service and the target is to have at least a thousand.
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Crash fallout: Sea Harriers grounded
New Delhi, August 24 Sources today confirmed that the fleet had been grounded till the inquiry was on. The British-made sea harriers do not have a flight data recording systems on board. This means investigators will not have any clue to work on. Like what was the altitude, or what was the pilot doing. Did he get time to eject? The absence of the flight data recorder would hamper the progress of the inquiry, said the source while adding that only the wreckage of the plane could point at clues. As of now the inquiry will go by eliminating each and every possible theory. The body of the pilot has been found while two ships are working to retrieve the wreckage. Initial probe has suggested that the pilot did not get time to even eject and bail himself out. The aircraft crashed around 15 nautical miles west of Vasco. The British-made twin engine VTOL (vertical take off and landing) and STOVL (short take off and vertical landing) aircraft were purchased in the early 1980s. These usually operate from sea going aircraft carriers.
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