Shalini Nair

The report highlights that Supreme Court ruling in the SC/ST Act would make legal recourse more inaccessible for Dalit women.

While the numbers are an improvement from before, when a majority of states denied the existence of the practice, it is still a gross underestimate as it includes data from only 121 of the more than 600 districts in the country.

Union government officials state that the non-cooperation of these states could result in the Centre being held legally accountable for not covering all states as required of it under National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013.

Ramdas Athawale said police should investigate the role of Hindutva leader Sambhaji Bhide for allegedly instigating the violence against Dalits on January 1.

Thaawarchand Gehlot said the ruling will set at rest all allegations, especially in the wake of the order on the Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, that the government was trying to end reservation and other safeguards for SC/STs through courts.

Also on the CEGC member-list is Sudhir Aggarwal, a BJP member who is “founder-president, Confederation of Voluntary Organizations” and who describes himself as a “swayam sevak since childhood” on his website.

Initiatives taken for urbanisation, women at workplace; panel set up with eye on subordinate OBC groups

The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs is expected to finalise the policy, which will form the blueprint for urban planning, by July-end after MoS Hardeep Singh Puri holds consultations with states.

More than two-thirds of India’s 640 districts, mainly in north and central India, have high to very high levels of stunting.

Social Justice Ministry invites feedback on panel recommendation

The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has drafted the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizen Draft Bill, 2018, that will amend the 2007 version of the legislation to expand its scope and provide for more stringent penalties.

In cases of transnational marital discords involving child custody, the Hague treaty requires contracting states to send back the runway parent and child to the child’s ‘habitual residence’.

Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Ramdas Athawale said that the ministry is considering the recommendation to include the communities under the Atrocities Act.

Following the outrage over the Kathua rape and murder, the Cabinet has issued an ordinance providing for death penalty for rape of minors.

Another demand is that all Dalit activists arrested during the Bharat Bandh should be released immediately and action should be taken against those who opened fire at the protesters.

The decision puts to an end a long-drawn disagreement between Maneka and NITI Aayog, with the former batting for packaged nutrients and the latter wanting to substitute food with cash given to beneficiaries through direct benefit transfer.

The poor conviction rate in cases of child rape goes to show that death penalty - which comes at the sentencing stage, post-convictions — will mean little to a vast majority of the victims.

After the Finance Ministry rejected the recommendations of two recent government panels, MGNREGA workers in 10 states will get no raises in 2018-19. Minimum farm wages are now higher in many states.

The Dalit groups, including Ambedkarite and Ravidassia organisations, state that they will voice their opposition to the recent changes of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.