The White House is touting its proposal to voters less than a week after House Democrats passed their own, sweeping drug pricing reform plan.
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Wednesday, December 18, 2019
Apathy forced this K’taka family to live in a toilet for 7 yrs: They now face eviction
Bindu and her family of 13 were forced to shift to a public toilet in 2012 after the Mysuru Corporation razed their hutments to the ground.
The harrowing story of a family living in a public toilet due to government apathy and lack of facilities has come to light in Mysuru, Karnataka. A family of 13 people – including seven children – who were living in a public toilet in Kalpavruksha Nagar, was asked to vacate the property on Tuesday morning by the Mysuru City Corporation Councilor Pradeep. For 34-year-old Bindu, who moved into the public toilet due to dire circumstances, there is nowhere to go. The 13 people that include her parents, her two children and her sister’s family, are now fearful of being compelled to live on the streets again, without any help from the government. It all started in 2012, when Bindu, a daily wage labourer, and her family, were forced to live on the streets after the Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) razed the hutment she lived in, which was located in Kalpavriksha Nagar near the Siddappa Temple. “Seven years ago, the corporation officials had promised everyone living there that we would be given new houses near Amrutha Layout. However, people had to pay the officials Rs 25,000 in bribe to get the house. While some of them did, many did not get a house despite paying the bribe,” Bindu alleges. It was during the monsoon that this happened. After her hutment was razed to the ground, Bindu and her family were forced to live in an open space in an empty plot of land, with her belongings strewn about, and no roof over her head to provide shelter from the rain. Her daughter – then eight months old – fell ill due to the rain. So, people living in the houses near the empty plot advised Bindu to move into the public toilet temporarily so she would have a roof over her head. “The people there helped me clean up the public toilet and I moved there with my belongings. I had no money and when the officials demolished our houses, I had nowhere else to go,” Bindu tells TNM. Government response On Tuesday, Bindu says that the corporator of Rajendra Nagar, Pradeep Chandra, had come to the public toilet and asked her to vacate the premises. “They are living there illegally. She does not have any identity documents and people have to use public toilets. So, we asked her to move into a hutment nearby and vacate the public toilet,” Pradeep Chandra says. However, Bindu alleges that the hutments located near the public toilet belong to other daily wage workers, and she and her family have not been allowed to go there in the past. “Why would we want to live in a toilet if we have a hutment? We are not allowed to go and live there. People look down upon us and call us names as we have been living inside the toilet for years. The corporator does not understand our problem,” she says. On Tuesday evening, Deputy Commissioner of Mysuru, Abhiram Shankar also visited Bindu and her family members and assured her that she could stay in the public toilet until the MCC officials could get her a new house. “I have directed the MCC officials to not vacate them from the toilet. I have directed them to provide transit accommodation for the family,” DC Abhiram tells TNM. However, corporator Pradeep says that since Bindu does not have any identity documents, the corporation cannot help her avail any facilities until she obtains an Aadhaar card. But Bindu says that it is not as though she has not tried to get documents. “I have asked the corporation officials many times to help me get an Aadhaar card. I am not getting ration either because I don’t have the ID proof,” Bindu says. DC Abhiram says that he has directed the MCC officials to help Bindu and her family get Aadhaar cards so they can avail the PDS and other schemes meant for below poverty line families. “We will ensure that she gets a house,” he says. However, Bindu says that she is scared of the corporator, and the MCC officials as they have intimidated her in the past as well. “They keep telling us to move out. This is not the first time they have promised a house. Every time, it’s the same thing. Just because I am not educated, they are trying to intimidate me. I have no money. The only money I make is by working as a daily wage labourer. I help lay roads and repair potholes. I barely make Rs 4,000 per month. How can they ask me to move out on such short notice?” she questions.
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Karnataka’s Indira canteens may be renamed as ‘Maharishi Valmiki Anna Canteens’
This move is to assure the Valmiki Nayak community in parts of the state that the BJP is here to support them, sources say
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The Karnataka government is considering changing the name of the Indira canteens in the state. Speaking to the media on Tuesday, Revenue Minister R Ashok said that BJP MLA Rajugouda from Shorapur constituency had approached him with a request to change the name of the Indira Canteens and name it after Maharishi Valmiki, the Sanskrit sage, who according to mythology, authored the Ramayana. “Rajugouda requested me to change the name of Indira Canteens to Maharishi Valmiki Anna Canteens. If we change it, it will be in all areas outside of Bengaluru,” Minister R Ashoka said. No decision on the matter has been taken yet, and the approval of Chief Minister Yediyurappa will be required before officially changing the name. However, critics say that this move is to wrest control from Congress strongholds in the state. The Valmiki Nayak community is an ST community in northern and east-central Karnataka, specifically in Belagavi, Ballari, Yadagir, Bagalkote, and Vijaypura. They follow traditions based on the teachings of Valmiki. They also reside in other districts of North Karnataka. The community has traditionally voted for the Congress as it has several leaders from the Valmiki Nayak community. In the previous election, however, Ramesh Jarkiholi, a member of the Valmiki Nayak community from Gokak in Belagavi was able to successfully get his constituents to elect him into power through the BJP after he rebelled from the Congress. It was Ramesh Jarkiholi who sparked the MLA exodus from the Congress-JD(S) coalition. BJP sources say that the government has been wanting to change the name of the canteens ever since it assumed power in July this year. The source told TNM, "This move is to assure the Valmiki Nayak community that the BJP is here to support them. So far, the community has largely voted for the Congress and apart from bringing in Ramesh Jarkiholi, who is from the community, this is a next step to break into the Congress' vote bank," the source said. Former CM Siddaramaiah in a tweet at first condemned the move to change the name of the canteens, but in a later tweet, said that he has great respect for Valmiki. However, he added that he is upset that the BJP is changing the Indira canteen’s name for political reasons. “There is a news that the BJP wants to name Indira Canteens after Maharshi Valmiki. We have great respect for Maharishi Valmiki but it is sad that BJP is using his name for political reasons,” Siddaramaiah said. I condemn the decision of @BJP4Karnataka to change the name of #IndiraCanteen. They have to stop these kind of petty politics to divert the attention of actual issues.#SaveIndiraCanteen — Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) December 17, 2019 #IndiraGandhi fought for the rights of poor & took measures to address the issues of hunger. She is not just @INCIndia leader but a leader for the whole nation. She protected the interests of common man. This was the reason for naming the canteen after her.#SaveIndiraCanteen — Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) December 17, 2019 Maharshi Valmiki is a great poet who wrote epic Ramayana. He is an inspiration for many of us for his rise inspite of being born in tribal sect. Let the govt implement scheme that complements his achievements and name it after him. I shall welcome the same.#SaveIndiraCanteen — Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) December 17, 2019
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From upcycling to e-trade: How organisations in Bengaluru are managing e-waste
E-waste organisations have come up with many innovative solutions to help mitigate the environmental and health risks associated with its poor management.
Being the IT hub of the country, the enormous amount of e-waste generated in Bengaluru doesn’t come as a surprise. However, many users are unaware about the proper disposal of e-waste and about the consequences of mishandling e-waste. As a way to deal with this, e-waste recycling organisations in Bengaluru have come up with many innovative solutions, which help in mitigating the environmental and health risks associated with the poor management of e-waste. According to an article published by Indiatimes (link), our country generates about 2.5 million metric tonnes of e-waste annually, out of which only 1.5% gets recycled by the formal sector. It is also mentioned that the country sees an annual average growth rate of 30% in e-waste generation. The e-waste generation is expected to rise, given the change in consumer behaviour and technological advancements. E-waste needs to be disposed of and recycled in an environment-friendly manner without causing any harm to the surroundings, as it is one of the most dangerous kinds of waste produced. This is where the e-waste management organisations of Bengaluru have stepped in to make a significant contribution. Flower pots from e-waste Rashi E-waste is an e-waste management venture, which has produced the EWA (what is EWA?) flower pots, in partnership with Sanjay Jangam, a retired Navy commander. This innovation has been produced by upcycling e-waste such as unwanted electric wires and leftovers of circuit boards. They are prepared without any emission of harmful gases or byproducts and are 100% recyclable, hence making it a valuable resource for the environment. When it comes to treating e-waste, it is necessary to get authorisation from the government. But some of the licensed e-waste organisations state that more than three-fourths of the e-waste generated is being disposed of in an unscientific manner, without regard for environmental or ecological impact by the workers like e-waste pickers and aggregators, who fall under the unorganised sector. When asked about this, Sanjay said, “E-waste generation is a serious problem affecting the whole nation, both environmentally and economically. People tend to burn e-waste as a method of disposal, which is highly inadvisable. It should be recycled with maximum precision and expertise. Additionally, technological progression in terms of recycling e-waste would be of high value to our country”. On the other hand, the authorised e-waste recycling organisations are prescribed to collect, dispose and recycle e-waste according to the regulations put forth by the Karnataka Pollution Control Board and the Central Pollution Control Board. One such organisation is Eco-Birdd recycling, which is the first e-waste collection and recycling venture to fall under the formal sector of e-waste management in 2010. They have developed a sustainable model and have adopted latest technologies, in order to put e-waste to its best possible use. They also explained that their dismantling process involves the recovery of biologically active materials, hazardous metals, high grade metals, etc. The high grade metals and other metals are recovered under safe conditions and used for resale thereby reducing the overuse of mineral resources. “It is absolutely essential to regulate e-waste and that requires participation from the customers as well. We engage in the process of collecting e-waste from households too, but some of them are reluctant. They should ensure that their e-waste is disposed of correctly, without causing harm to the environment. Moreover, they are in the habit of discarding e-waste along with general degradable waste, which is dangerous,” says Sayyed, the director of Eco-Birdd Recycling. Selling e-waste by linking to e-trade Recently, many organisations have been undertaking the process of linking e-waste management to e-trade by providing accessible platforms for people to sell e-waste. Eco eMarket is an online platform which engages in e-waste management by reaching to wholesale dealers, multinational corporations and individuals. They have encouraged common people to contribute, by setting up e-waste collection centres with compliance to government’s environmental objectives at various locations. Moreover, they have developed many strategies to update people and increase their awareness on the subject of e-waste disposal.
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Bengaluru gets 8 new police stations to address cyber crime, narcotics offences
Previously, all cyber crime complaints were registered at the lone police station on Infantry Road.
New police stations to address specific cyber crime and narcotics cases were started in the offices of the eight divisions where the deputy commissioners of police (DCPs) are seated in Bengaluru on Tuesday. The police station dedicated to complaints of cyber economic offences and narcotics cases in central Bengaluru is located at the DCP Office, Central division, in Ashok Nagar in the city. The complaints from the jurisdictions of 12 stations in central Bengaluru can be filed at the newly started police stations. These stations are Halasuru Gate, Wilson Garden, Ashok Nagar, Vivek Nagar, Sheshadripuram, High Grounds, Silver Jubilee Park, Vyalikaval, Sadashiva Nagar, Cubbon Park, Vidhana Soudha and Sampangi Rama Nagar police stations. pic.twitter.com/CRzP903im3 — DCP, Central Division (@DCPCentralBCP) December 17, 2019 Similarly, the DCP offices of all eight divisions in the city will accept complaints of cases related to cyber crime and narcotic offences occurring in their jurisdictional police stations. Previously, there was just one cyber crime police station in the city located on Infantry Road and police officials admitted that cases were piling up at the station. As of September 2019, 8,495 cases were registered in the station in 2019. This number crossed 10,000 earlier this month and the station shut down after it was unable to register complaints beyond four digits. Police officials at the station admitted that this was the case because of a software issue. The police reopened the station on December 11 after the issue was resolved. There are also very few convictions in cyber crime cases. There were 36 convictions in cyber crime cases in Karnataka in the last six years and out of them only 5 convictions have occurred in cases registered in Bengaluru. Officials had called for a cyber crime station to be set up in each police division in the city and suggested that the cases pertaining to each division will be handled by the respective police stations. This would ease the burden on the lone cyber crime station that was set up in the city.
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Anti-encroachment drive in north Bengaluru: BDA says Rs 300 cr worth of land recovered
4 acre 17 guntas of land that had been kept for utilisation for formation of HBR Layout 2nd stage was encroached upon, BDA said.
The Bangalore Development Authority’s Task Force on Tuesday carried out an anti-encroachment drive in the northern part of the city. Officials said they recovered Rs 300 crore worth of land that was allegedly taken over in Nagawara. The eviction drive was carried out in the presence of BDA Commissioner GC Prakash. Officials said that Survey No. 75, Nagavara Village was acquired by BDA as per notification passed during 1985 and acquisition was made in 1988 for the formation of HBR Layout 2nd stage. The total acreage of the land was around 6 acres 3 guntas. So far, no arrest has been made in connection with the encroachment. Officials said since then, 1 acre 26 guntas was being used for Outer Ring Road and balance 4 acre 17 guntas was being kept for utilisation of formation of HBR Layout 2nd stage. This land was used illegally for building sheds and a building was also being constructed. An official said, “In today's operation, the said land was taken back into custody by the BDA. In the near future, around Rs. 5,000 crore worth of unauthorised properties that have been identified in the city will be taken back by the BDA.” He added, “The demolition operation was carried out by the BDA Task Force, under the guidance of the Superintendent of Police, BDA and Executive Engineer, North Division along with the active co-operation of the local police as per the order of the Commissioner.” This move by the BDA comes after in May, a media report pointed out that the land audit by the parastatal organisation which was due to be done by end of March was overdue till May. According to estimates, the BDA has around 12,000 acres of land that has been encroached upon. Incidentally, the flash floods in Bengaluru’s Hulimavu last month were apparently due to encroachment of the lake done by the BDA. Read: Bengaluru lake breach: BBMP blames encroachment by BDA for flooding
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Democrats say HHS stonewalling probe into Verma’s PR contracts
Lawmakers said limited documents provided so far have raised more questions about the Medicare chief.
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