News Round-up
Seminar in Delhi on women security by Drishti
Pune based Drishti Stree Adhyayan Evam Prabodhan Kendra organised a seminar in Delhi on May 10 to discuss women security policy for the country. For this objective, Drishti wants to work on two fronts—strict implementation of the rules and sensitisation of the society. Apart from some leading women voices, the seminar also witnessed the presence of the parents of brave Nirbhaya who succumbed to the assault on her last year.
RSS Akhil Bharatiya Mahila Samanvya Pramukh Sushri Geetatai Gunde stressed the need on value education and said until the moral values are followed in practical life the problems would not be resolved. She said the people should not ignore the good work being done by many people in the society while expressing concern over negative incidents.
Referring to Baba Saheb Ambedkar she said the country could not give the much rights to women in the Constitution, as were available to them during the Vedic era.
Rajya Sabha MP and noted television actress Smriti Irani started her speech by paying respect to the parents of Nirbhaya. She stressed on changing the mindset towards women. She said the impact of the rules or the laws cannot be witnessed on ground until we stir the administrative set up. Citing the example of Domestic Violence Act, she said the Act was passed in 2005 but not a single penny has been provided for its implementation. She said the government needs to work on wider aspects of the problem to achieve desired results.
Dr Kiran Bedi, first IPS officer of the country, unfolded her ‘Six Ps’ plan to curb sexual assaults on women. She said the Six Ps (People, Police, Politicians, Prosecution, Pictures i.e. Media, film, advertisement, and Prisons) have to work together. She stressed the need that the national crime prevention project should be monitored by the Prime Minister himself, as it requires coordination between different ministries. She also said to take this scheme to State, district and village level.
Supreme Court advocate Smt Madhvi Diwan attracted the attention towards no law to curb honour killing. Dr Shobha Vijendra, demanded that May 10 be declared as Women Security Day. Mother of Nirbhaya called upon the audience to pledge for helping everyone in need. In the beginning, Dr Anjali Deshpande spoke about the activities of Drishti. Supreme Court lawyer Manika Arora answered the queries of the audience.
—Bureau Report
Feel proud to be a woman
Arunachal Vikas Parishad Mahila Sammelan
A three-day Mahila Sammelan of Arunachal Vikas Parishad was organised from May 9 to 11 at Singpho Heritage Center, Bardumsa. About 275 women delegates from 28 villages and 9 circles of Tirap, Changlang, Lohit and Lower Dibang Valley districts attended the Sammelan.
Speaking on the occasion Smt Komoli Mossang, former Minister, said the women should feel proud to be a woman as she is the backbone of the family and society. She asked the delegates to be alert and careful about children, as in the name of modernity, vulgarity is taking place rapidly in new generation.
Shri Atul Jog, joint organising secretary of the Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram elaborated the services of AVP in Arunachal Pradesh in the field of health, education, youth awareness and women empowerment, etc. He explained how the women of Pasighat worked hard to eradicate drug addiction from the area.
—Bureau Report
NOBW opposes SBI outsourcing to Reliance
National Organisation of Bank Workers (NOBW) vehemently opposed the move by State Bank of India Management to handover regular banking services to Reliance Money Infrastructure Ltd. (RMIL). Since Reliance Capital could not get the Banking licence, Reliance group RMIL managed through agreement with SBI to identify the borrowers; collect, process and submit loan applications; and promote credit groups; take-up post sanction monitoring, follow-up and recovery. As the service provider, RMIL can also collect small value deposits; sale micro insurance, mutual funds and pension products; and receive and deliver MALL value remittances opening of no frill savings bank through kiosk banking model, home loans, loans against property, auto loans, gold loans, SME loans; general purpose credit cards; kisan cards; current account, savings bank accounts other than no frill accounts; fixed terms deposits; and current deposits.
NOBW termed it as a shocking deal between the SBI and the RMIL, which was signed in February 2014 with retrospective effect from October last. It urged both the SBI management and Government to inform the general public as to why this has been kept as secret.
—Bureau Report
Workshop for developing youth leadership
Viveka Yogam 2014, a four-day residential workshop for youth in Kerala was held from May 1 to 4. The unique workshop was inaugurated by Swami Atmashraddhananda Maharaj, editor of Vedanta Kesari. Swami Bhadhreshananda Maharaj, head RK Math, Vyttila, Kochi, Shri Ajith Kumar CV, Finance Director – Sports and Youth Affairs Department, Government of Kerala, Shri Joby Balakrishnan, president of Ramakrishna Vivekananda Seva Samiti also attended the function.
The event was hosted jointly by Ramakrishna Math, Vyttila, Kochi, Ramakrishna Vivekananda Seva Samiti, Kochi and Sports & Youth Affairs Dept, Government of Kerala. The main speakers at the workshop were Shri R Hari, eminent writer and former All India Bauddhik Pramukh of RSS, Shri Pramod Kumar M, Asst. Professor—Amrita University, Coimbatore.
—Bureau Report
Sita Navami celebrated in Mithilanchal
Exactly a month after Ram Navmi, Sita Navmi finds a mention in the Hindu calendar. The grand scale and magnitude on which the former is celebrated nationwide is not generally replicated in the case of latter. Ijot and other group of organisations celebrated Sita Navmi in the name of Kishori Dai Utsav (Sita Mata is commonly referred to as Kishori Dai in the local dialect Maithili) in Darbhanga, Bihar.
The three-day programme comprised of Kanya Pujan, Stri Vimarsha and Ashtajaam Sankeertan. It is an attempt to institutionalise the celebration of the birth anniversary of Sita Mata. Since Mithilanchal is believed to be the birth place of Sita, this celebration has a special relevance for Sita Mata.
After the rituals on first day, the second day of the event was graced by the presence of Guru Radha Vallabh Das (Gouriya Sampraday, Ratanpur muth), Shri Ram Madhav, Smt Usha Kiran Khan, religious leaders and academicians from various departments of universities in Bihar. Dr Sanjay Paswan introducing the subject underscored the ignominious fact that female foeticides, crime against women and malnutrition deaths are rising in the land of Sita.
Shri Ram Madhav effectively drew an interface between India and Sri Lanka (the two places have special significance for Sita Mata).
—Guru Prakash
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