Governors will let providers sort out thorny questions over who should be first in line.
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Sunday, December 6, 2020
Over 400 child marriages stopped during pandemic in Karnataka
Apart from illiteracy and poverty, alcoholism in rural areas, too, has been perpetrating child marriages in districts like Belagavi, Bellary and Chitradurga.
A teenager from Belgavi district of Karnataka reached out to the Child Marriage Prevention Cell as she was being forced into marriage with a man who is, at least, a decade older than her. Her grandmother wished to see the girl get married before she died. In the quest to fulfil the grandmother’s desire, her parents pressured her into getting married against her wishes in November. “She was lodged at a government shelter for children until the counselling for the girl and her family was completed. They had to be explained that child marriage is illegal and that how anyone who is involved or facilitates such a marriage will be imprisoned,” said the source from Child Marriage Prevention Cell, citing illiteracy and poverty as primary reasons for perpetuating this archaic practice. Between February and October this year, the Karnataka State District Child Protection Units (DCPU), along with Child Marriage Prevention Cell (CMPC) and local non-governmental organisations (NGOs), have intervened and managed to stop nearly 114 cases of child marriage in Belgavi district alone, officials told TNM. The districts like Bellary, Chitradurga and Bagalkote, too, saw a spike in child marriage cases during the lockdown. Bellary DCPU intervened and stopped 208 marriages, while the authorities in Chitradurga intervened in nearly 103 child marriages during the period. The district officials conduct counselling for both the girl/boy and the families when such cases come to their notice and manage to prevent them. Read: Amid COVID-19 lockdown, Telangana recorded 204 child marriages In cases where the child marriage has already taken place, the police have registered first information reports (FIRs) against the families. Under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006, solemnising marriages of children below 18 years (for girls) and below 21 years (for boys and men) is illegal. The police registered 10 FIRs in both Bellary and Chitradurga districts. “Many families get their minor children married in the dead of the night to slip under the officials’ radar. Six such cases took place in Belgavi district. FIRs have been registered against the six families,” a District Child Protection Officer (DCPO) in Belgavi told TNM. Why child marriages persist in rural areas The illegal practice of child marriage is still prevalent in certain districts of Karnataka. The enforcement of lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent closure of educational institutions facilitated a growth in the incidents of child marriage and child labour in rural Karnataka. Even though some schools are conducting classes online, many parents are likely to not consider such virtual classes as ‘actual schooling’ as opposed to children taking lessons in physical classrooms. Besides, as a source from CMPC said, children from rural areas do not have an avenue to share their agony, especially at a time when schools are shut and they cannot reach out to teachers or other faculty for help. “Parents do not have an education and dismiss their children’s pleas or suggestions, claiming they have more ‘experience’. This behaviour is encouraged in the society around them, thus, rendering them helpless.” Apart from illiteracy and poverty, alcoholism in rural areas, too, perpetrates child marriages. “In a bid to save children from the toxicity of alcoholic and violent family members, the elders think it is best to marry off the girl so that she can be ‘safe’ with her husband,” said Nishita, a member of the Concerned for Working Children (CWC), a Bengaluru-based non-profit organisation focussing on child rights. Read: Can reopening of schools reduce dropout rates? It's not that simple The patriarchal norms still prevail in many of the rural areas, where girls and women are still not seen as an individual and capable entities like males. Families conceive an uninformed notion that it is best to marry off the girls as soon as possible to whoever they find ‘suitable’ in their vicinity. “Some still don’t realise that child marriage is a crime. The awareness on a grass root level is minimal even today,” added Nishita. The Karnataka State Department for Child Welfare, CMPC and DCPUs are broadcasting videos on television and hosting awareness programmes on All India Radio. “When we intervene in a case involving child marriage, we also provide counselling to the children and the parents to prevent them from repeating the offence. We have a 24x7 helpline number where children, families and others who are aware of such cases can reach out to us and help prevent child marriages,” said the DCPO. Incidentally, the Union and state governments have been mulling over increasing the legal marriageable for girls to 21 years. “However, raising the legal marriageable age will not change much on the ground. Focussing on children’s rights, ensuring they get proper education and ensuring better employment opportunities for them or their families might help them instead,” said Nishita. READ: Centre looking at raising women's age of marriage to 21: Will it help? It is not just child marriage that has plagued districts of Karnataka. Since the closure of schools owing to the pandemic, there has been a surge in child labour cases as well. Resume scheme for government school students Taking a note of the increased cases of child marriage and child labour, Karnataka High Court has directed the state government to make a decision on resuming Vidyagama scheme. The scheme was launched to help children from lower socio-economic backgrounds during the pandemic, who did not have access to the internet and laptops. The Vidyagama scheme aims to provide continuous learning plan for students of government schools across the state, at their doorsteps. The teachers would go to certain places closer to the residences of the students and carry out academic activities. However, the scheme, which was started in August 2020 by the Karnataka Education Department, was halted in October amid rising concerns over contracting COVID-19. Read: Why the education system must understand that many adolescents want skills to work Giving the state government 10 days to respond, the High Court, on Friday, said that the scheme can be resumed to keep the students engaged, ensure they are not distracted and considering the COVID-19 cases in Karnataka are declining, reported Live Law. The High Court on Friday asked the state governmentto approach various companies to provide funds for laptops, computers and tablets as part of the corporates social responsibility (CSR) activities. As the division bench of Justice BV Nagarathna and Justice NS Sanjay Gowda observed, “Extraordinary situations call for extraordinary remedies.” Here is the 24x7 helpline number - 1098 - where children, families and others who are aware of such cases can reach out to us and help prevent child marriages. If you are aware of any minor facing pressure or is being forced by parents and relatives to get married or take up work, please alert the officials concerned. You can also contact organisations like the Concerned for Working Children - 080 2523 4271.
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Kolar gold mines to be revived after nearly 2 decades, but how feasible is mining?
The mining operations at Kolar Gold Fields were shut down in 2001 as the public sector mining company was incurring huge losses.
Shyamal/Wikimedia Commons
Nearly two decades after the gold mines shut down in Kolar, the Union government has decided to revive the mining operations. On Wednesday, Union Minister for Mines, Pralhad Joshi announced that the Union government has decided to revive Bharat Gold Mines Limited (BGML), the public sector company, which was in-charge of gold mining operations in Kolar Gold Fields. The Union government has charged the Minerals Exploration Corporation Limited with conducting a feasibility study, to re-evaluate whether mining operations are feasible and to analyse whether reviving the mines can be turned into a profitable venture by using new technologies. Sources with MECL said that a preliminary feasibility study was submitted to the Union Ministry of Mines in August this year. Senior officials with the Department of Mines and Geology in Karnataka said that Pralhad Joshi and Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa had discussed the issue in late August and had decided to revive the mining operations as the study had indicated profitable operations. The feasibility study Speaking to TNM, an official with the MECL said that the feasibility study was to be submitted six months ago but the process of prospecting was taking more time as many areas within KGF had been mined extensively and in these areas, it would not be feasible to extract gold ore as the cost of extraction would be higher than the profits. “A lot of water has accumulated in between and in order to drill deeper, we would have to suction the underground water, which is not only inadvisable keeping in mind the environmental factors but the cost of extracting the ore would also be higher. We have identified a few areas but we are still in the process of identifying the type of gold vein and the movement in areas where shallow mining activity had taken place,” the MECL official said. Officials with the Department of Mines and Geology said that southern and south-eastern regions like Chikkaragunta of KGF have been identified as feasible areas for mining. Shanmukha, the department official in-charge in KGF, told TNM that one of the reasons why mining operations shut down on February 28, 2001, was due to lack of adequate technology to optimise the cost of mining. Besides, the gold extracted from KGF was sold exclusively to the Reserve Bank of India at rates less than the market value, which had rendered the operations unprofitable. “The gold mining activity became unprofitable 11 years before the mines were shut down. The recurring losses and lack of technology to optimise costs was becoming a burden on the taxpayer,” he said. Will new technology help optimise costs? A senior official with MECL said that using laser mining technology, mining operations could once again begin and the Karnataka government would make profits close to Rs 1,100 crore as the technology would cut out many operational costs that existed in 2001. Besides, the Karnataka government is planning on not just selling the gold exclusively to RBI, but fall in line with the operations at Hatti Gold Mines, where the gold is sold to buyers at market value. “The gold prices are very good right now. A long-standing demand in KGF was to generate employment. Successive governments have not done this but reviving it will help this cause,” the senior official with the Mines and geology Department said. Dr Unnikrishnan, former Chief Finance Manager and advisor to the Union Ministry of Mines, with 39-years experience in gold mining operations, said that reopening the deep mines will not be a simple task as the essential infrastructures like hoists, winding engines, runners, underground air conditioning and the special power generation plant in the existing plant needs a complete revamp. “The cost of exhaustive repairs and the technical know-how for this has to be optimised first. Bharat Gold Mines Limited had always maintained data on proven ore reserve. At present price, much of this will be viable. Location of these mines and access points are being identified To my knowledge, using laser beam technology for extraction of gold from the ore body will ensure a 95% recovery ratio. This can minimise extraction costs,” Dr Unnikrishnan said. The history of BGML and its operations The gold mines in Kolar are located about 100 km away from Bengaluru city. When it was operational, it was the world’s second deepest gold mine with mining activity being conducted at a depth of 3,000 ft. The mines were active for 121 years and closed in February 2001. In 2001, the Board for Industrial and Financial Closure had called for shutting down the mines. However, in 2009, a single-bench judge of the Karnataka High Court issued an order permitting the sale of BGML by inviting global tenders in order to revive the company. The issue was appealed in the Supreme Court in 2013, which permitted the Union government to revive the mines itself. After its closure, in 2013, the Union government had sought to sell BGML to private entities. The Union government had then directed BGML to conduct a study of dumps and mines. In 2019, the Union government submitted to the Supreme Court that it would take nine months to complete a feasibility study, which was being conducted by MECL. In August this year, the report was submitted to the government, after which the announcement was made by the Union Minister. However, sources with the Department of Mines and geology said that optimisation of operations at BGML could occur efficiently only if the company is privatised. “Instead of using public funds to revive it, if it is privatised and the government enters into a profit-sharing agreement with the company, the government stands to benefit more as the taxpayers will not have to bear operations costs. But this too is a point of contention right now,” the senior official said.
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SpiceJet plane undershoots runway in Guwahati, 2 pilots grounded
Officials confirmed that the plane eventually landed safely and no passenger was hurt.
A SpiceJet plane undershot the runway while landing at the Guwahati Airport on Friday. No passenger or crew member was reported hurt in the incident, senior DGCA officials said. Aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation has grounded the two SpiceJet pilots who were operating the SG960 Bengaluru-Guwahati flight. "They (pilots) have been off-rostered. It (matter) is under investigation," one of the officials told PTI. Officials said that while the plane landed before the designated point on the runway, none of the passengers were affected. "However, some of the runway lights were damaged while landing the SG960 Bengaluru-Guwahati flight," an official said. The incident occurred at the Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport (LGBI) in Guwahati in Assam. SpiceJet did not respond about the incident. It was not clear how many passengers were on board the plane when the incident occurred. NDTV reported there were 155 people on-board the plane including two pilots and four cabin crew. The SpiceJet plane with the registration number VT-SLL, is fit for flying and has conducted multiple flights post the runway incident on Friday, the officials said. The Times of India reported that the pilots lost perception of altitude due to low clouds on short finals (just before landing) and this caused a high descent rate. It was the first flight of the day for the aircraft and the pilots. Fortunately, the aircraft landed safely and post inspection, there were cut marks on a main parking wheel. A detailed probe will now be conducted into the incident. It comes two weeks after a Spicejet flight made an emergency landing at the Patna airport due to a technical error in the plane's engine. Spicejet operates a fleet of Boeing 737 and Bombardier Dash 8 aircraft. It has hubs at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi and the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad.
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BJP executive committee urges Karnataka government to ban 'love jihad', cow slaughter
BJP State President Nalin Kumar Kateel said that the two bills to ban cow slaughter and 'love jihad' are likely to be placed in the legislative session from Monday.
The executive committee of BJP in Karnataka on Saturday decided to urge the state government to introduce a law to ban 'love jihad' and stringent measures to ban cow slaughter in the state as early as possible. Speaking to reporters after the state executive committee meeting in Belagavi, BJP state President Nalin Kumar Kateel said, "Keeping in view our firm commitment to protecting our culture and Indianness, the committee has passed these two resolutions unanimously." In response to a question, Nalin Kumar Kateel said that the two separate bills to ban cow slaughter and 'love jihad' are most likely to be placed in the forthcoming legislative session. A week-long legislative session is slated to start from Monday. It must be noted that the term ‘love jihad’ does not exist in the Indian laws and is a mere idea or bogey propagated by right-wing groups, claiming that men from the Muslim community are marrying women from other religious faiths, particularly Hindu women, and forcing them to convert to Islam. Nalin Kumar Kateel claimed that Hindu women are being lured in the name of love and are forced to convert to other religions. "We want this to stop. Therefore, we will bring the most stringent law to ban love jihad," he said. Incidentally, no official case has been registered in Karnataka so far. The Opposition led by former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has contended that there is no proof for the existence of 'love jihad'. In November, taking a cue from Uttar Pradesh government, several BJP ladders in Karnataka said it would introduce laws to ban ‘love jihad’, claiming that interfaith marriages resulted in forced religious conversion of the woman. Apart from Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, Karnataka Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai, Karnataka Revenue Minister R Ashoka and BJP National General Secretary and Karnataka Tourism Minister CT Ravi pushed for introducing such a law. Incidentally, a week after the law to stop unlawful conversion came into being in Uttar Pradesh, the Lucknow police stopped a wedding between a Hindu woman and a Muslim man on December 2, citing the ‘love jihad’ law. The police action was based on the complaint of the Hindu Yuva Vahini, which is a right-wing youth outfit founded by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. ‘Cannot keep eyes closed to cow slaughter’ Nalin Kumar Kateel further said that “cow is no less than a mother to the Hindus”, and the BJP “cannot keep its eyes closed” when thousands of cows are slaughtered in the state. In Karnataka, the ban on cow slaughter is currently as per the Karnataka Prevention of Cow Slaughter and Cattle Preservation, 1964. This marks certain distinctions — it allows slaughter of bulls, bullocks and male-buffaloes while it bans the slaughter and sale of cows, calves and she-buffaloes. It further allows the slaughter of female buffaloes above the age of 12 or no longer fit for breeding or cannot give milk. In 2010, when the BJP was in power in the state, the party wanted to widen the scope of this ban through a fresh bill introduced in 2010. But the Congress government led by former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah withdrew it in 2013 when it was pending before the President for assent. Siddaramaiah also termed the legislation 'draconian'. In 2019, when the BJP returned to power in Karnataka, party leaders decided to renew discussions about reintroducing the bill. On Saturday, addressing the executive committee meeting, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, too, had announced that the ruling party is ready to bring these two laws in the upcoming legislative session. He said that in his 16-month tenure as the CM, he has steadfastly tried his best to implement various programmes based on the party's ideologies. "I have remained faithful to the party's ideology and never deviated from it," he said.
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Mangaluru cops arrest two men for allegedly writing pro-terror message on wall
Mangaluru Police Commissioner Vikash Kumar described the arrested persons as "two educated but misguided youth".
The Mangaluru police on Saturday said it arrested two men in connection with the case where messages sympathetic to terror outfit Lashkar-E-Taiba and the Taliban were written on the walls of two buildings in the city. "Mangaluru City Police arrested two educated but misguided youth involved in graffiti writing on the city walls displaying support to banned terror outfits," Mangaluru Police Commissioner Vikash Kumar said. "Misguided is a serious thing in this context, not a light one," he added. The duo was identified as Mohammed Shariq (22) from Theerthahalli in Shivamogga, and Mazz Muneer Ahmed (21), a resident of the city, the Times of India reported Mohammed Shariq runs a wholesale textile business in Theerthahalli while Mazz Muneer Ahmed is an engineering student in the city and an employee of a food delivery company for the past month. Muneer also hailed from Theerthahalli and was known to Mohammed Shariq. On the morning of November 27, one day after the anniversary of the Mumbai terror attack, the Kadri Police in Mangaluru rushed to an apartment near Circuit House Road in the city after reports emerged about messages, purportedly sympathising with terror outfit Lashkar-E-Taiba, was painted on the compound wall of the apartment. “Do not force us to invite Lashkar-E-Taiba and Taliban to deal with Sanghis and Manuvadis #LashkariZindabad,” the message on the wall read. The Kadri Police had registered an FIR (first information report) against unidentified miscreants under section 153(a) (promoting enmity between two groups based on religion) of the Indian Penal Code and relevant sections of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act. Two days later, in another incident, a message was painted on the wall of an old police station outpost in Mangaluru's Court Road. “Gustak e Rasool ki ek hi saza, sar tan say juda” (only one punishment for offending Prophet - severing head from the body) was written in English script. The Mangaluru police studied the CCTV footage near both buildings and later zeroed in on Mohammed Shariq as he was allegedly present near both buildings.
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Saturday, December 5, 2020
Siri to Gubbi: Explore the Kannada rap scene with these five rappers
These artists showcase their diverse styles and stories through one common medium—rap.
In the past two decades, the Indian hip-hop scene has grown exponentially in popularity. In recent years especially, rap music in vernacular languages, which draws from specific cultural experiences, is making its way into the mainstream. The Kannada rap scene is no different. These five rappers prove that the Kannada rap scene is thriving, and is here to stay. Siri Siri Narayan is a multilingual rapper based in Bengaluru. One among the numbered female rappers in India, Siri began her journey by initially participating in college fests. She was first fascinated by rap when she first heard Nicki Minaj’s ‘B.o.B’; since then, she’s produced her own music in Kannada, Telugu, Hindi and English. With more than 23,000 subscribers on her YouTube channel and collaborations with seasoned artists like Sez On The Beat in her kitty, Siri is out there to conquer the world with her music. Find her latest song Yaaru here: Anup K R Who doesn’t know this viral star? Anup K R—a graphic designer by profession—sings, is a song-writer and a rapper. He recently went viral with his spin on another viral clip of union Minister Ramdas Athavale’s slogan “Go Corona Go”. To add to his list of skills, he can also beatbox and compose music. Anup brings diverse styles to his music, and one could say that his video going viral was him getting his due fame. Anup has been posting videos on his YouTube channel for five years, and has been playing music for 12. His latest song ‘Hosa Jeevana’, in collaboration with Kannada rapper MC Bijju, is a “cliched love song”. The visuals for the music video were inspired by Yakshagana, which is one of Karnataka’s oldest art forms. Watch the video here: Harish Kamble Following the work of the celebrated music group Casteless Collective, known for spreading the message of the annihilation of caste, Harish Kamble took social media by storm in 2019 with his latest single ‘Jaati’. Harish is an activist and a rapper, and ‘Jaati’ is an anti-caste rap song. He uses his poetry and art to spread awareness on the social evil of caste discrimination, and calls out the discriminatory practices of dominant castes. Harish critiques the partial, unjust and biased social system of caste in his raps. The young musician comes from a peasant family in Bidar, and was inspired by Buddha, Ambedkar and Basava who fought for a just society. Watch Harish’s powerful song ‘Jaati’ here: Brodha V There’s not much to say about Vighnesh Shiavanand, or Brodha V, that his music doesn’t speak about already. The Bengaluru-based rapper started exploring the genre in his adolescence, and used to participate in contests on Orkut. Brodha V is also a lyricist and music composer. He is a multilingual rapper, and makes songs in Kannada, Hindi, Tamil and English. His first independent mixtape ‘Death Punch’ garnered very less attention when he first released it in 2011. However, as of today, he has collaborated with musicians like Raftaar, Benny Dayal and Raghu Dixit, to name a few. Watch his song ‘Maari Kannu’, released in April 2019, here: Gubbi Karthik Sundar Gubbi, better known as his stage name Gubbi, is another multilingual rapper, who raps in Kannada, Hindi, English and, interestingly, German. What sets him apart, you ask? His employment of the vast ocean of Kannada literature in his raps. Gubbi first released a track in 2012 called ‘Munagaru’, which had over 3,000 downloads. He predominantly produces music independently; he has also lent his voice for a handful of Kannada and Tamil film songs. Listen to his song ‘Naadmaya’, released in 2016, which is a tribute to the legendary Kannada actor Dr Rajkumar.
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