'Regressive' bill on legal age for sex gets Cabinet nod

April 27, 2012

regressive

New Delhi, April 27: The Union Cabinet on Thursday cleared a Bill that seeks to raise the age of legal sex from 16 to 18, provoking sharp criticism from child rights activists, who called it a regressive step.

The Protection of Children against Sexual Offences Bill, 2011, says sex under the age of 18 - even if consensual - would be deemed as statutory rape and an offence that would be tried under the Juvenile Justice Act carrying a maximum punishment of three years imprisonment.

Activists are taken aback by the move as it comes at a time when sexual mores have become easier and the global trend has been one of puberty coming at an earlier age. The Bill, which sailed smoothly at the meeting, was slammed by activists and legal experts who said it was out of tune with the reality of sex ceasing to be taboo among youth.

The legislation makes India an exception among democracies that have stuck to 16 years as the age for legal sex.

While the UK has 16 as its age of consent, Canada and the US follow a nuanced approach exempting minors of the same age or close-in-age from punishment.

The Bill has dropped the term "age of consent", which, according to many, allowed for consensual sex among individuals aged 16 and above.

The change was prompted by a controversial recommendation by Parliament's standing committee on HRD. The panel said that the "age of consent" provision was inconsistent with the Indian Penal Code and the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act both of which recognize 18 as the legal age for sex, and asked for the removal of discrepancy. The committee, in other words, by inference deemed that sex outside marriage was undesirable - again a position that is held to be retrograde.

This move in the name of uniformity has activists and experts up in arms. Former Law Commission member Kirti Singh criticized it saying that this would amount to "criminalizing'' sex between young people. "The remedy to young people indulging in sexual activity is not by clamping down through law and enforcement. This will have a negative impact on the false cases of rape, kidnapping and honour killing.''

Bharti Ali of HAQ: Centre for Child Rights was equally scathing. She termed it a "ridiculous'' amendment and a statement on the Indian attitude towards sex. "We don't want to talk about sex with our children and when they want to explore, we put them behind bars. This will only be misused by police and sends a wrong signal to children,'' she added.

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Over 57.7 lakh COVID-19 tests done so far: ICMR

News Network

June 15,2020

New Delhi, Jun 15: A total of 1,15,519 samples of COVID-19 have been tested in the last 24 hours taking the total samples tested to 57,74,133 in the country, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) said.

"Total sample tested 57,74,133 and samples tested in the last 24 hours is 1,15,519," said ICMR.

With an increase of 11,502 cases in the past 24 hours, the COVID-19 count in India reached 3,32,424 on Monday, according to the Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry.

The COVID-19 count includes 1,53,106 active cases while 1,69,798 patients have been cured and discharged or migrated so far, and the toll due to COVID-19 has now reached 9,520.

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Low pressure over Arabian sea to intensify into ‘cyclonic storm’ soon, says IMD

Agencies

May 31,2020

New Delhi, May 31: A low pressure area formed over Arabian sea and Lakshadweep is likely to intensify further into a cyclonic storm and reach coastal states of Maharashtra and Gujarat next week, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Sunday.

Sunitha Devi, in charge of cyclones at IMD, said, "A low pressure area has formed over southeast and adjoining east central Arabian sea and Lakshadweep area. It is very likely to concentrate into a depression during the next 24 hours and intensify further into a cyclonic storm during subsequent 24 hours."

She added, "It is likely to move nearly northwards and reach near north Maharashtra and Gujarat coasts by 3rd June."

A low pressure area and a depression are the first two levels on the IMD's eight-category scale used to classify cyclones based on their intensity.

The weather bureau said that the sea condition will be very rough and advised fishermen not to venture into the sea till June 4.

It has forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall over south coastal Maharashtra for June 2-4, on north coast on June 2-3 and in Gujarat, Daman and Diu and Dadar and Nagar Haveli on June 3-5.

IMD said that under the influence of likely formation of a low pressure system over Arabian Sea, conditions will become favourable from June 1 for onset of monsoon over Kerala.

The arrival date for monsoon in Kerala is around June 1 every year and in Maharashtra around June 10.

On Saturday, a private forecasting agency claimed that monsoon has already hit Kerala, but the assertions were quickly rebutted by the Ministry of Earth Sciences.

"The news about monsoon onset over Kerala in Social Media is not correct. Monsoon has not arrived over Kerala. The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge a"Stephen Hawking," saidAMadhavan Rajeevan, Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences.

Kuldeep Srivastava, the head of IMD's Regional Weather Forecasting Centre said that the formation of a low pressure system in Arabian sea and its movement towards Gujarat coast will bring moisture to Delhi-NCR and North West India from June 3.

Two storms are forming over the Arabian Sea, one lies off the African coast and is likely to move over Oman and Yemen, while the other is placed close to India.

The development comes almost ten days after 'Amphan' pummeled four districts of Bengal in the fiercest cyclone in the region in a century, that left 86 people dead and rendered ten million people homeless.

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According to IMD alert appeared in some newspapers on 31 May 2020 , a cyclonic storm is brewing in the Arabian Sea , which is likely to reach coastal districts of Gujarat and Maharashtra by 3 June. It is expected that the these States would take more care and appropriate strategy well in time to combat the likely danger to the coastal districts from cyclonic storm designated as ‘Nisarga’. In this context , it may be apt to refer readers to this Vedic astrology writer’s predictive alerts in article - “ Predictions for coming year 2020 by kushal kumar” - published last year 2019 on 10 October at theindiapost.com/articles/predictions-for-coming-year-2020-by-kushal-kumar/. The related text of the predictive alert reads as follows in the said article :-

“ The next three months from April to June 2020 , appears to be a period of time testing ‘patience’ and ‘ perseverance’ , introducing several parts of the country to worrisome concerns. Coastal States of India , particularly those in the southern part , may be called upon to take more care and appropriate strategy against likely cyclones , storms , floods , coming of danger via sea , landslide and damage to crops during April-June in 2020. Such dates of month of May as 6 , 7 , 13 to 16 , 25 and 26 may be watched with care. Similarly , the dates 3 , 4 , 11 to 13 , 21 , 22 and 26 in June 2020 may be watched with care. Coastal States /UTs such as Gujarat , some parts of Maharashtra ……………………………………look to be vulnerable. It may be apt for them to take necessary precautions during May-June , 2020”.

The aforesaid details suggest that the predictive alert of this writer published last year 2019 on 10 October , is coinciding with the alert of IMD appeared near about 31 May , 2020.

Kushal kumar ,

202- GH28 , Mansarovar Apartments ,

Sector 20 , Panchkula -134116 , Haryana.

1 June , 2020.

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Amid coronavirus outbreak, Indian bans export of protective masks, clothing

News Network

February 1,2020

New Delhi, Feb 1: India on Friday banned the export of personal protection equipment such as masks and clothing amid a global coronavirus outbreak.

It did not give a reason for the ban but it reported its first case of the new coronavirus on Thursday, a woman in Kerala who was a student of Wuhan University in China.

The central Chinese city of Wuhan is the epicentre of the outbreak, and the virus has since spread to more than 9,800 people globally and killed 213 people in China.

Several Indian citizens living in Wuhan will arrive in India by plane on Saturday and be taken to a quarantine centre on the outskirts of the capital New Delhi.

India, the world’s second most heavily populated country after China, has taken measures to ensure that all people arriving from China report to health authorities.

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