DKMA to provide beneficiary cards to Muslim working women too

Mangaluru, June 10: The first direct repatriation flight from Damma to Mangaluru International Airport under Vande Bharat Mission will be operated on June 21.

Thousands of people from coastal districts of Karnataka are stranded without flights in different parts of Saudi Arabia after the announcement of covid lockdown in March this year. 

Even though the government of India launched Vande Bharat Mission to repatriate Indian expatriate through special flights, no flight was scheduled from Saudi Arabia to Mangaluru.

Several organisations had exerted pressure on the government of India and government of Karnataka to bring back stranded Kannadigas from Saudi Arabia.  

With the sole intention of helping the stranded Kannadigas, a few philanthropists in Saudi Arabia last month formed an NGO called Saudi Kannadigas Humanity Forum under the leadership of Zakariya Bajpe and Sheikh Expertise. 

Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 9: Kerala has sanctioned the setting up of 28 fast track courts for speedy trial in rape cases and other cases registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

State Social Justice and Women and Child Development Minister KK Shailaja said the state government has decided to set up POCSO courts to ensure that the culprits get the punishment they deserve. She said the decision has been taken in the wake of rising violence against women and children.

"The Union Law Ministry has recently sanctioned the opening of 28 POCSO fast track special courts in Kerala at the request of the state government. The project will be implemented jointly by the High Court, Law and Home Departments under the leadership of the Department of Women and Child Development," the Minister said.

The four courts are alloted in Thiruvananthapuram district, three in Thrissur and Malappuram districts, two each in Kollam, Kottayam, Idukki, Ernakulam, Palakkad, Kozhikode and Kannur districts.

The Minister informed that POCSO courts are jointly established by the central and state governments and according to the High Court data, 12,234 POCSO and rape cases are pending in the state.

In a shocking incident, a woman allegedly sold her five-day-old baby boy to two siblings in Karnataka’s Davanagere for Rs 5,000 on Tuesday (May 26) in connivance with a hospital employee, according to police.

Acting on a complaint by Honnali child development project officer Mahantesh Poojar, police booked a case against six persons in connection with the incident and arrested four of them by Tuesday night.

Police said the woman allegedly sold the baby, born on May 20 at Honnali taluk hospital, to Annesh Naik, 36, and his sister Lavanya, 39, in the early hours of Tuesday in front of the Honnali KSRTC bus stand.

The six accused have been identified as Kumar, 44, a staff nurse at Honnali hospital; Mahesh, a group ‘D’ employee at the hospital who facilitated the deal; Basavaraj, 36, a lab technician at Hirekerur hospital; Annesh; Lavanya; and the mother of the infant.