New Delhi, Jul 30: Chief Justice of India N V Ramana Saturday termed access to justice “a tool for social emancipation” and said only a small percentage of the population can approach courts while the majority suffers in silence, lacking awareness and necessary means.
Technology has emerged as a great enabler, the chief justice of India (CJI) said and urged the judiciary “to use modern technological tools to enhance the pace of justice delivery”.
Justice Ramana was addressing the first All India District Legal Services Authorities Meet here in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged the judiciary to speed up the release of undertrials languishing in jails awaiting legal aid.
“Justice: Social, Economic and Political that is the vision of justice which our Preamble promises to every Indian. The reality is, today, only a small percentage of our population can approach the justice delivery system, when in need. A majority of the people suffer in silence, lacking awareness and necessary means, he said.
“Modern India was built around the goal of removing the disparities in society. Project democracy is about providing a space for the participation of all. Participation will not be possible without social emancipation. Access to justice is a tool for social emancipation,” the CJI said.
Echoing the prime minister’s views on providing legal aid and ensuring the release of undertrial prisoners, he said one of the most important aspects which calls for active consideration and intervention of the legal services authorities in the country is the condition of undertrials.
“The prime minister and the attorney general have also rightly flagged this issue in the recently held conference of Chief Ministers and Chief Justices. I am happy to note that NALSA (National Legal Services Authority) is actively collaborating with all stakeholders in securing the much-deserved relief for undertrials.”
Justice Ramana said India, the second most populous country in the world with an average age of 29 years, has a large workforce.
“However, skilled workers are estimated to be only three per cent of our total workforce. We need to harness the full potential of the youthful demographic profile of our country. With the western world increasingly falling short of skilled human resources, it is India’s turn to fill the gap, globally,” he said.
The CJI termed the district judiciary the backbone of the justice delivery system of the world’s largest democracy.
They are the first point of contact for much of the population and its strengthening is “the need of the hour”, he said.
“Without any doubt, the district judiciary is the driving force behind the legal aid movement in India,” he said, adding public opinion about the judiciary is primarily based on their experiences with the district judiciary.
This casts a great responsibility on the district judiciary which must undertake multi-faceted tasks and roles as they are best placed to understand people’s problems and social issues,” the BJI said.
Justice Ramana hailed the services provided by NALSA following its inception 27 years ago and said, “The fact that it is aimed at offering free legal aid to 70 per cent of our population, makes NALSA the largest legal aid provider in the world.”
Many of the objectives of NALSA have been translated to social realities and this was made possible because of the sincere effort of dedicated judges and advocates, he said.
The CJI also stressed the need for strengthening alternate dispute redressal (ADR) mechanisms like Lok Adalat, mediation and arbitration centres.
These ADR mechanisms have the potential to transform the legal landscape of India by providing millions of people a platform to settle their grievances, he said.
“Matters ranging from matrimonial and intergovernmental disputes, government contracts and land acquisition can be attempted to be resolved through mandatory ADR. This will not only reduce pendency and backlog but also will provide a much-needed speedy justice to affected parties,” Justice Ramana said.
The two-day meet, organised by NALSA, is being attended by over 1200 delegates across the nation including the principal district and sessions judge of all the judicial districts and ex officio chairpersons of DLSAs and would discuss the implementation of the Unified business process for providing effective legal aid to marginalised and poor. (Agencies)
Small percentage of population can approach courts, majority suffers in silence: CJI
Nightmare in Paradise: Hospitals remain unreachable for these Kashmir villagers
Anantnag (Jammu & Kashmir), July 30 (IANS/ 101Reporters) Poru Kalnag village in the Kokernag area of Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag district is around 40 km from the district headquarters. A remote area located on a hillock, this village has around 250 households with a population of 1,100. Overlooking the beautiful mountain range of Pir Panjal, the view here may be scenic but the village lacks even the most basic facilities, especially health care. The fact that there is no road connectivity to nearby hospitals and medical centres further compounds the situation.
“The village has witnessed the deaths of at least 10 people en route to the hospital. The government has forgotten us, and failed in delivering even basic health care. There is no proper road connectivity and patients and their attendants are forced to walk 6 km to get to the main road before they get transport to reach the sub-district hospital, which is 12 km away,” local resident Qasim Boker told 101Reporters.
This dilapidated road heading towards the village is an evidence of poor connectivity in the area, which has adversely impacted access to health facilities for the residents.
Narrating an ill-fated incident, Boker said” “In 2010, Mirza Akhter, a 30-year-old mother of two daughters, died on the way to the hospital. Before that, she had led a normal life. It was a hot summer day and she began experiencing chest pain. Her family members tried to get her to the nearby hospital on a cot carried by the locals. Unfortunately, she died before even reaching the road. Had there been proper health facilities here, she might have survived.”
“In 2018, Bibi Boker (27), who was suffering from kidney failure, died on the way to the hospital. In 2021, Abdul Aziz Lone (60) and Mohammad Abdullah Bimla (70) both died on the way to the hospital due to high blood pressure,” added Boker.
“We are only being given hollow assurances”
Since Poru Kalnag village is located on hilly terrain, it also witnesses the frequent movement of wild animals. Locals find it very dangerous while treading the hilly routes in the dark, in case of medical emergencies.
“In 2019, local resident Ghulam Nabi Lone lost two children in a single incident. His sons, Arif Ahmad (22) and Sameer Ahmad Lone (19), died after they slipped into a deep gorge near the village. Their neighbours tried to ferry them to the hospital on cots but unfortunately, both of them died on the way,” Aijaz Ahmad (28), a village panchayat member, informed 101Reporters.
So grim is the situation here that the residents find themselves struggling for even the most basic facilities.
“We don’t even have a medical store here, leave alone a proper health centre. Even for basic check-ups such as blood pressure or blood sugar, we are forced to walk for miles. It gets worse during the harsh winter. School children, senior citizens and patients are the worst sufferers of this neglect by the local authorities. The government is falsely claiming to have connected all the villages with the tehsil and district headquarters,” Bokar pointed out.
“We visited several administrative offices and apprised higher officials about our grievances, but all our pleas have fallen on deaf ears as no one is taking our plight seriously. We are only being given hollow assurances,” Ahmad added.
“In case of emergencies, there is every chance of fatality”
When 101Reporters spoke to the chief medical officer (CMO) of Anantnag, Doctor Mohammad Zagoo, he called it an “administrational issue”. “I’ve heard about the lack of basic healthcare facilities in the village and I assure you that I will take it up with the Anantnag district administration. If they provide us feasibility there, we will establish a centre,” he told.
Dr Zagoo further informs us that the Government of India has launched the National Health Rural Mission (NRHM) to address the health needs of the vulnerable sections of society. He explains that under the public health umbrella, the sub-centre serves as the first level of contact with a community of 5,000 people. For a lower population of 1,000, the first responders are Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA), who provide medical aid to the needy, especially to women and children.
Maryam Bibi (45), an ASHA worker in the village, is witness to the miseries of the people. “The residents face a lot of hardship in summer as well as in winter. In the event of a snowfall, which could be three to four feet high, approaching the main road takes hours due to the slippery conditions. I mostly deal with pregnant women in this area and have so far, helped out in at least 400 deliveries at their homes. In case of medical emergencies, there is every chance of fatality as the patients do not reach the hospital on time,” Maryam informed 101Reporters.
Maryam Bibi, an ASHA worker, has facilitated over 400 deliveries in and around the village of Poru Kalnag
“In 2018, Parveena Banoo (28) a pregnant lady went into labour, and as the family was carrying her towards the hospital, she delivered twins on way. One of the babies died immediately due to the lack of proper medical attention during the delivery. There are many such horrendous tales of deaths, but who listens to the woes of such ill-fated people,” she added.
“All medical facilities available”, claims BMO
Meanwhile, Doctor Gowhar Ali, block medical officer (BMO) of Kokernag, claimed: “We treat almost every patient at the sub-hospital in Kokernag, as nearly all the facilities are available. We conduct general surgeries, deliveries, lower segment caesarean section (LSCS) and, if needed, patients are kept under observation too by admitting them into our health facility.”
Dr Ali also supervises the sub-district hospital at Kokernag.
Local politician and advocate Mohammad Saleem points out that the right to health is a fundamental right that has been granted by the Constitution of India to every citizen of this country. “As a political worker, I will raise the issue with the administration,” he promised.
Even in these modern times, people from far-flung areas are dying due to lack of basic health care. The government claims to have done a lot in terms of developing health facilities in rural areas, but in villages like Poru Kalnag, when people fall seriously ill, they’re not sure if they will even make it the hospital,” Saleem commented on the dismal state of affairs.
Railway Minister is playing cheap politics: Kerala Minister
Kerala Education Minister V. Sivankutty on Friday slammed Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw for abruptly calling off a meeting with him and two of his Cabinet colleagues
“My office sought an appointment for the meeting and it was fixed for Thursday and two other cabinet colleagues of mine were also in the team to meet him. The meeting was also confirmed by our Left leaders in both the houses of parliament. But at the last minute, we were told that he will not be in a position to meet us, but if the parliament members wish they can meet him,” Sivankutty said.
Sivankutty, accompanied by state Food and Civil Supplies Minister G.R. Anil and Transport Minister Antony Raju, wanted to meet Vaishnaw to discuss about the long pending issues of the development of the Nemom railway station located at a stone’s throw from the Trivandrum Central railway station.
“We will bring this to the attention of the Prime Minister on what happened to us and that too after giving us the appointment. This is against the federal principles which are followed in a democracy,” added Sivankutty, a first-time Minister.
Sivankutty also did not spare the lone Keralite Union Minister V. Muraleedharan, whom he accused of playing a negative game.
“Each time Muraleedharan visits the state, he uses maximum time to be critical against the state government and he is out to scuttle the development of the state,” he alleged.
One reason why Sivankutty is peeved is because a day before the planned meeting of the Kerala Ministers with Vaishnaw, Muraleedharan and the local BJP leaders from the state capital district had a detailed meeting with Vaishnaw and got an in-principle approval for taking up the development works at the Nemom railway station.
India logs 20,408 fresh COVID cases, 44 deaths: Govt
New Delhi, Jul 30: India logged a single day rise of 20,408 new coronavirus infections, pushing India’s total tally of COVID-19 cases to 4,40,00,138, as the active cases declined to 1,43,384, the Union Health Ministry said on Saturday.
The death toll has climbed to 5,26,312 with 44 new fatalities, the data updated by the government at 8 am said.
The active cases comprise 0.33 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 98.48 per cent, the health ministry said.
A decrease of 604 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours.
The daily positivity rate was recorded at 5.05 per cent. The weekly positivity rate was recorded at 4.92 per cent, according to the health ministry.
The number of people who recovered from the infection surged to 4,33,30,442, and the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.20 per cent.
According to the ministry, 203.94 crore doses of COVID vaccines have been administered in the country so far under the nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive.
India’s COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 2020, and surpassed the one-crore mark on December 19.
India crossed the grim milestone of two crore on May 4, 2021, three crore on June 23, and four crore on January 25 this year.
The 44 new fatalities include six each from Maharashtra and West Bengal, four each from Haryana and Karnataka, three each from Gujarat, Punjab, and Uttar Pradesh, two each from Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jammu and Kashmir, and Madhya Pradesh and one each from Chandigarh, Delhi, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Odisha and Sikkim.
A total of 5,26,312 deaths have been reported so far in the country including 1,48,097 from Maharashtra, 70,451 from Kerala, 40,143 from Karnataka, 38,032 from Tamil Nadu, 26,308 from Delhi, 23,565 from Uttar Pradesh and 21,352 from West Bengal.
The health ministry has stressed that more than 70 per cent of the deaths occurred due to comorbidities.
“Our figures are being reconciled with the Indian Council of Medical Research,” the ministry said on its website, adding that the state-wise distribution of figures is subject to further verification and reconciliation. (Agencies)
Mortal remains of flight Lt Adivitya Bal to reach his home town Jammu today
Jammu, July 30: The mortal remains of flight Lt Advitiya Bal will arrive at Air Force station in this city of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday.
Lt Colonel, Devender Anand said: “The mortal remains of Flt Lt Advitiya Bal likely to arrive in a service aircraft at AF station Jammu by 9.15 a.m.
“There will be a wreath laying ceremony at AF station, Jammu and then around 9.45 a.m, it will be taken by road to RS Pura for the last rites”.
Wing commander, M Rana and flight Lt Adivitya Bal were killed in MIG-21 trainer aircraft crash in Rajasthan on July 28.
M. Rana belonged to Himachal Pradesh while Adivitya Bal belonged to J&K
Cloudy sky, rain at scattered places likely in Jammu and Kashmir
JAMMU, July 30: The weather department on Saturday forecast a generally cloudy sky with light to moderate rain at scattered places in Jammu and Kashmir during the next 24 hours.
“Generally cloudy sky with light to moderate rain at scattered places is likely in J&K during the next 24 hours”, a MeT department official said.
Meanwhile, Srinagar recorded 19.1 degrees Celsius, Pahalgam 14.4 and Gulmarg 9.5 as the minimum temperature this morning.
Leh in Ladakh region clocked 10.9 degrees and Kargil 17.2 as the minimum temperature.
Jammu registered 25.1 degrees, Katra 22.8, Batote 18.7, Banihal 18.8 and Bhaderwah 19.1 as the minimum temperature. (Agencies)
Speed up release of undertrial prisoners: PM Modi
Jul 30: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday urged the judiciary to speed up the release of undertrials languishing in various jails awaiting legal aid.
Addressing the first All India District Legal Services Authorities Meet here, he also said that ease of justice was as important as ease of doing business and ease of living.
“There are several undertrials in jails awaiting legal aid. Our District Legal Services Authorities can take up the responsibility of providing legal assistance to undertrials,” the prime minister said.
Modi urged district judges attending the conference to speed up the release of undertrials using their offices as chairpersons of district-level undertrial review committees.
The prime minister noted that the National Legal Services Authority has started a campaign in this matter and urged the Bar Council of India to align more lawyers with this effort. (Agencies)
CRPF Jawans Donate Blood For accident Victims in Bhadarwah
Bhadarwah July 29 : In view of frequent natural Calamities and repeated road accidents in Doda district, sleuths 33 bt CRPF volunteered themselves to donate blood especially to save the lives of accident victims in a special blood donation camp organised by National Health Mission Jammu and Kashmir in collaboration with sub district Hospital Bhadarwah.
BMO Bhadarwah Dr Shakeel Ahmed Sumbria said that 30 units of blood was collected during the day long camp which was at CRPF headquarters Sarna.
District Doda is prone to frequent natural Calamities and repeated road accidents. In a show of massive compassion towards the victims, Jawans of 33 bt CRPF made their way to Special Blood donation vain of NHM Jammu, where they volunteered to donate blood to the GMC Doda and SDH Bhadarwah hospital’s blood banks in order to facilitate better treatment for the victim in case of emergency.
Assistant Commandant 33 bt CRPF Pankaj Kumar said that this programme of CRPF will certainly help in developing better police public interface. Due to this blood donation camp, District Doda will keep the blood in Reserve which can be utilised by the Health workers during Medical emergency i.e. during Vehicle accidents/ Natural calamity etc to save the life of critically injured victims.
Bhadarwah July 29 : In view of frequent natural Calamities and repeated road accidents in Doda district, sleuths 33 bt CRPF volunteered themselves to donate blood especially to save the lives of accident victims in a special blood donation camp organised by National Health Mission Jammu and Kashmir in collaboration with sub district Hospital Bhadarwah.
BMO Bhadarwah Dr Shakeel Ahmed Sumbria said that 30 units of blood was collected during the day long camp which was at CRPF headquarters Sarna.
District Doda is prone to frequent natural Calamities and repeated road accidents. In a show of massive compassion towards the victims, Jawans of 33 bt CRPF made their way to Special Blood donation vain of NHM Jammu, where they volunteered to donate blood to the GMC Doda and SDH Bhadarwah hospital’s blood banks in order to facilitate better treatment for the victim in case of emergency.
Assistant Commandant 33 bt CRPF Pankaj Kumar said that this programme of CRPF will certainly help in developing better police public interface. Due to this blood donation camp, District Doda will keep the blood in Reserve which can be utilised by the Health workers during Medical emergency i.e. during Vehicle accidents/ Natural calamity etc to save the life of critically injured victims.
STREE SHAKTI MAHOTSAVA presented Dayawati Modi Stree Shakti Samman to Hindi eminent writer AlkaSaraogi
STREE SHAKTI MAHOTSAVA celebrated Women’s contribution in 75 years of India’s Independence. On this occasion Chief Guest Hon’ble Dr. Karan Singh was present along with Hindi eminent writer AlkaSaraogi in the presence of prominent Hindi writer ChitraMudgal along with many eminent persons.
Dayawati Modi Stree Shakti Samman (instituted in 1998) the winner for the twenty-first award is AlkaSaraogi an eminent Hindi writer. Her edited book, ‘TerahHalfaname’ a collection of short stories of prominent women writers of Independent India, published by Vani Publication was launched by Dr. Karan Singh. Here, for the first time in Hindi, stories of Anita Desai, Mahashweta Devi, QurratulainHyder, IndraGoswami, IsmatChugtai, Krishna Sobti, ChitraMudgal, VishwapriyaIyengar, Anjali Khandwala, Kamla Das, T. Janki Rani, Urmila Pawar and Vedihi are presented here.
AlkaSaraogi’s first novel ‘Kalikatha via Bypass’ won the prestigious SahityaAkademi Award in 2001 and was published by Editions Gallimard in French, InselVerlag in German, NeriPozza in Italian and Siruela in Spanish. She has six novels to her credit.
She quoted,“Each award given to her has given credential to her journey as a writer and motivated her. Women can be the epitome of Shakti in every field they venture into, and utopian harmony is only possible when society will realise this”
Dr. Karan Singh commented “Presence of Hon’ble President DraupadiMurmuji at the AmritMahotsav of Independence is a historical moment for India and a new chapter for women’s empowerment. In honor of Dayavati Modi, a strong woman of her time, this award is inspiring the society today.”
He added, in Indian culture, the respect of women is eternal, as a symbol of which the existence and presence of goddesses like Saraswati, Lakshmi, Kali etc. can be understood. There has been difficulty in the society but I have seen progress of my country and society, the most beautiful proof of which is that in this important period of the festival of independence, for the first time, the honorable DraupadiMurmuji, coming from the tribal Santhal society, is the President of our country. It is a matter of pride and inspiration for all of us. Her hard work, compassion and wisdom will give a new identity to Indianism on the world stage. I worked with all the honorable Prime Ministers and Presidents of the country after independence and it feels great to see the progress of the country.
Who is the real Author? VidusiViddyottama or MahakaviKalidas? By Dr. Kamal K Mishra, with a forward by Dr. Karan Singh, introduction by Dr. SatyavratShastri, preface by Dr. SatyavratShastri and supported by RekhaModyand English trans-creation by Dr. Shovana Narayan;the cover of this path breaking research commissioned by Stree Shakti was released. The research in Hindi and Englishwill be published by MotilalBanarsidass Publishing House in 2023.
The first Gender Influencer Award was bestowed upon young DevanshSaraf for his short film X or Y.
RekhaMody, Founder &President of Stree Shakti – The Parallel Force remarked, “Empowerment of women is the panacea for all universal ills. Women’s literature is the key to understand the concerns, challenges and ambitions of women. In the twenty first century,the works ofMahakaviKālidāsa are being looked at from a gender perspective:
Chief Justice administers oath of office to newly appointed Additional Judge of High Court
SRINAGAR, JULY 29: Chief Justice, High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, Justice Pankaj Mithal, today administered the oath of office to the newly appointed Judge, Justice Rajesh Sekhri as Additional Judge of the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, in the Chief Justice’s Court Room here.
The oath taking ceremony was attended by Justice Ali Mohammad Magrey, Justice Sanjeev Kumar, Justice Sindhu Sharma, Justice Sanjay Dhar, Justice Javed Iqbal Wani, Justice Mohammad Akram Chowdhary and Justice Moksha Khajuria Kazmi while as Justice Tashi Rabstan, Justice Rajnesh Oswal, Justice Vinod Chatterji Koul, Justice Puneet Gupta, Justice Mohan Lal, Justice Rahul Bharti and Justice Wasim Sadiq Nargal participated in ceremony through video conferencing from Jammu.
The proceedings of the oath taking ceremony were conducted by Sanjeev Gupta, Registrar General of the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, who read the contents of the notification received from Government of India, Ministry of Law & Justice, Department of Justice (Appointments Division), the Warrant of Appointment issued by the President of India and the Letter of Authorization issued by the Lieutenant Governor, Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir, authorising Chief Justice of the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, to administer the oath of office to the newly appointed Judge.
The ceremony was also attended by the former Judges of High Court, Advocate General, Additional Secretary Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, Assistant Solicitor General of India, Srinagar, Chairman/Convenor Bar Association, Srinagar, Principal District Judge and Chief Judicial Magistrate Srinagar, Judicial Officers, Officers and Staff of the Registry.
The programme was also telecasted live on Youtube Channel.
With the elevation of Justice Rajesh Sekhri as Additional Judge of the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, the strength of Judges of the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh has risen to 16 Judges including the Chief Justice against the sanctioned strength of 17.