Parties fail to reach a consensus on controversial anti-rape bill

[email protected] (CD Network)
March 18, 2013
New Delhi, Mar 18: An all-party meet to discuss the controversial anti-rape bill failed to reach a consensus Monday following differences over lowering the age of consent to 16 years, and making stalking and voyeurism punishable under the law.

Political parties will meet again at 12.30 p.m. to evolve a consensus on the issue.

rape“We had an all-party meeting in the morning on the Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill, 2013. The ordinance was brought by the government and has to be replaced by a bill,” said Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath.

“Largely there is consensus on contents of the bill, except that there are concerns about misuse and abuse of some of the provisions and parties have suggested there should be adequate measures for safeguard. And what those measures should be, we will discuss in the next few hours,” he said.

The minister said there were also differences over lowering age of consent to 16 years, from the present 18.

“There are also differences of opinion over the age of consent being (lowered to) 16 years. We will again be meeting at 12.30 p.m. and all issues will be discussed. And if required, the government will bring amendments along with the bill so that it can be put up for consideration and passing in the Lok Sabha and then Rajya Sabha,” he said.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Samajwadi Party (SP) have expressed reservations on the clause for lowering the age for consensual sex to 16 years.

Last week, the government managed to resolve the differences over the bill within the cabinet with a group of ministers debating controversial clauses threadbare.

The ministers differed on the use of word "rape" in place of "sexual assault", lowering of age of consent from 18 to 16 years and the definition of voyeurism and stalking, punishable under the bill.

The bill also proposes the death penalty in the rarest of rare cases for rape and for repeat offenders.

It also incorporated suggestions of the Justice J.S. Verma Committee, which was formed to offer suggestions on making anti-rape laws stronger.

The issue has been in sharp focus after the brutal assault and gang-rape of a 23-year-old woman in Delhi Dec 16 last year. She succumbed to her injuries Dec 29 in a Singapore hospital, where she had been airlifted for treatment.

The Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill, 2013, will replace the ordinance promulgated by President Pranab Mukherjee Feb 3.

It has to be passed by April 4, within six weeks from Feb 21, when parliament's budget session started.

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News Network
July 1,2020

New Delhi, Jul 1: Jet fuel or ATF price on Wednesday was hiked by 7.5 per cent, the third increase in a month, while petrol and diesel rates were unchanged for the second day in a row.

Aviation turbine fuel (ATF) price was hiked by Rs 2,922.94 per kilolitre (kl), or 7.48 per cent, to Rs 41,992.81 per kl in the national capital, according to a price notification by state-owned oil marketing companies.

This is the third straight increase in ATF prices in a month. Rates were hiked by a record 56.6 per cent (Rs 12,126.75 per kl) on June 1, followed by Rs 5,494.5 per kl (16.3 per cent) increase on June 16.

Simultaneously, non-subsidised cooking gas LPG rates were increased by Re 1 to Rs 594 per 14.2-kg cylinder in the national capital. Prices were up by Rs 4 in other metros mostly because of different local sales tax or VAT rate.

On the other hand, petrol and diesel prices were unchanged for the second day in a row.

This, after diesel rates scaled a new high after prices were hiked 22 times in just over three weeks.

In Delhi, a litre of petrol comes for Rs 80.43 per litre, while diesel is priced at Rs 80.53 per litre.

Rates vary from state to state depending on the incidence of local sales tax or VAT.

While the diesel price had been hiked on 22 occasions since June 7, petrol price had been raised on 21 occasions.

The cumulative increase since the oil companies started the cycle on June 7 totals to Rs 9.17 for petrol and Rs 11.14 for diesel.

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News Network
February 18,2020

New Delhi, Feb 18: Delhi Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot is the richest minister in the AAP government, according to a report released by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) on Monday.

In a statement, the NGO said, Delhi Election Watch and ADR have analysed the self-sworn affidavits of all the seven-party leaders including Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

According to the statement, the minister with the lowest declared total assets is Gopal Rai with assets worth Rs 90.01 lakh.

"The minister with the highest declared total assets is Kailash Gahlot from Najafgarh constituency with assets worth Rs 46.07 crore," it stated.

The report by ADR comes on the day Kejriwal and his six ministers took charge after the formation of the new AAP government.

Chief Minister Kejriwal and his cabinet colleagues took charge of their respective offices on Monday and asserted that they would work to fulfil the promises made in the "guarantee card", released during the poll campaign, including reduction in pollution and expansion of metro network.

Members of his Cabinet are -- Manish Sisodia, Satyendar Jain, Rajendra Pal Gautam, Imran Hussain, Gopal Rai and Kailash Gahlot.

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News Network
May 21,2020

New Delhi, May 21: The Airports Authority of India (AAI) issued a standard operating procedure (SOP) to airport operators on Wednesday for recommencement of domestic flights from May 25 onwards, saying Aarogya Setu app is not mandatory for children below 14 years of age.

"Passengers shall compulsorily walk through screening zone for thermal screening at a designated place in the city side before entering the terminal building," the AAI said in its SOP, which has been accessed by news agency.

Airport operators must make appropriate arrangements for sanitisation of a passenger's baggage before his or her entry into the terminal building, said the SOP dated May 20.

The AAI manages more than 100 airports across the country. However, major airports like Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad are managed by private companies. 

Civil Aviation Minister had announced on Wednesday that domestic flight services would resume from May 25 onwards in a calibrated manner.

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