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Oxfam running a sinister campaign against Assam tea, LRO writes to MHA asking for probe

By
The Commune
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Oxfam Indian tea

The global non-profit organisation Oxfam is regularly in the news for all the wrong reasons.

Caught in the eye of the storm for suppressing an inquiry into allegations of its staff members in Haiti soliciting sex from underage prostitutes, the global aid organisation is now under the scanner of Indian authorities for running a “motivated campaign” against tea plantations in the north-eastern state of Assam, reports Organiser.
 
An investigation against the UK-founded and Nairobi-headquartered NGO kicked off in February last year at the behest of the activist group Legal Rights Observatory (LRO), which had written to the Ministry of Home Affairs to probe into Oxfam’s “conspiracy” against Assam’s tea industry.

According to the LRO, Oxfam had started a campaign by asking countries to stop purchasing tea grown in Assam’s gardens, as Oxfam alleged that the tea workers in the state had deplorable working conditions and scant workers’ rights.

Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, addressing a rally in Assam’s Sonitpur, had spoken about the global conspiracy against tea production in Assam. He had said, “People who are conspiring to defame India have stooped so low that they are not sparing even Indian tea. You must have heard in the news that these conspirators are vowing to malign the image of Indian tea in a systematic manner across the world.”

Thanking PM Modi for taking up the issue, LRO had tweeted, “Thanks @narendramodi for directly naming enemies of #Assam Tea! Since yrs, @OxfamIndia headed by CEO @AmitabhBehar (treasurer of @harsh_mander NGO @CEStudies ) running defamatory campaign against #AssamTea using #Bollywood. Hope @himantabiswa @sarbanandsonwal fully crush them”.

Pointing out that Oxfam ran a #TruthAboutTea hashtag on Twitter over the last two years, LRO’s complaint had stated, “The Indian government is now faced with the task to defend its own tea industry because thousands of stories pertaining to the so-called pathetic state of Assam tea workers have already made their way to international media and human rights groups.”
 
LRO’s complaint alleges a “sinister plot” by Oxfam and other allied NGOs to “destroy the reputation of Assam’s tea” and warns of a “massive digital campaign” launched by this controversial NGO to malign India’s image.

According to LRO, the Indian government has the unenviable and very difficult task to correct the perception against Assam’s tea in other countries, a perception that was cultivated by Oxfam.

It must be noted that India is number two in terms of global tea production after China, the latter having a verifiable history of perpetrating human rights violations.

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Modi takes first dose of vaccine jab, asks those eligible to vaccine and make India COVID-19 free

By
The Commune
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modi vaccine
Image Credits: Twitter

Setting an example and leading from the front as usual, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday (1 March) got vaccinated against COVID-19 at the All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS), Delhi as India started the second phase of the vaccination drive against COVID-19.

From his official Twitter handle, the PM tweeted, “Took my first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at AIIMS. Remarkable how our doctors and scientists have worked in quick time to strengthen the global fight against COVID-19”.

“I appeal to all those who are eligible to take the vaccine. Together, let us make India COVID-19 free!”, he added.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was administered Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin vaccine against Covid-19 on March 1, according to a video posted by news agency ANI.

In the second of the vaccination drive, persons above 60 years of age and those over 45 with comorbidities can book slots in India from today (1 March). The registration for the vaccination process will open at 9.00 am today at www.cowin.gov.in.

“Citizens will be able to register and book and appointment for vaccination, anytime and anywhere, using the COWIN 2.0 portal or through other IT applications such as Arogya Setu etc.” a Ministry of Health statement said on Sunday (28 February).

The eligible persons can  register at the Co-WIN2.0 portal through their mobile number, through a step by step process. With one mobile number, a person can register as many as four beneficiaries. However, all those registered on one mobile number will have nothing in common except the mobile number.

Following Photo Identity Documents can be used by citizens for availing of online registration:

1. Aadhar Card

2. Electoral Photo Identity Card (EPIC)

3. Passport

4. Driving License

5. PAN Card

6. NPR Smart Card

7. Pension Document with photograph

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Mangaluru: Two arrested for prostitution racket, one woman rescued

By
The Commune
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Mangaluru prostitution
Featured Image: Mugshots of the accused | Credits: Daijiworld.com

Surathkal Police in Karnataka’s Mangaluru have arrested two people in connection with a prostitution racket.

The accused have ben identified as Harish (42) hailing from Haleangady in Thokoor Post and Loknath Poojary (42) from Daddalkad, Mooda Nadagodu village in Bantwal Taluk. Both are residents of Jardin Apartment, Iddya in Surathkal.

According to reports, a woman who was the victim in the racket was also rescued by police. The woman was originally a resident of Utttarahalli in Bengaulru.

The arrests were made when the police raided Ferrao Lodging and Boarding located in front of the BASF factory in Bala village within Surathkal police station limits.

In January this year, four people, including two women, were arrested for robbing ₹30,000 from a private bus owner by honey-trapping him.

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Author Paulo Coelho says “Bhagavad Gita should be read by everyone”

By
The Commune
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paulo coelho gita

Brazilian best-selling author Paulo Coelho took to Twitter and said that the Bhagavad Gita is “a book that everybody should read”. He then went on to share a verse from the Gita that says, “Do not yield to this degrading impotence, Give up such petty weakness of heart and arise”.

https://twitter.com/paulocoelho/status/1365495470320201730

Seeing his tweet regarding Gita, one netizen asked, “Have you read it ? It opens up so many possibilities because it makes you realise that “you do not know” and hence can expand and connect to the infinite.”

Coelho replied, “Not only I read, but in 1974 I wrote the lyrics for a song (#Gita) based on the moment when Arjuna asks Khrisna: “who are you?” It was an overwhelming success – Brazilians here can confirm. Conclusion: the Bhagavad Gita is universal [sic]”

https://twitter.com/paulocoelho/status/1365509398764912649

Paulo Coelho has expressed his fondness for the Bhagavad Gita in the past as well. In 2013, he had tweeted, “#readagain the “Bhagavad Gita”. A treasure about the importance of accepting our challenges. Strongly recommended.”

Best known as the author of the book The Alchemist, Coelho is also a lyricist and songwriter. He worked as an actor, journalist and theatre director before his writing career.

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Gopuram of temple near Thiruvannamalai at the brink of collapse

By
The Commune
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Feature Image: Representational

The Anavarathandeswarar Temple in the Aradapattu village in Thiruvannamalai district is one of the most popular Saivite temples in the district and comes under the control of Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department. A large number of devotees frequent this temple during major festivals including Maha Shivaratri and Karthigai Deepam.

The kumbhabhishekam ceremony was held for this temple eight years ago. However, due to lack of maintenance of the temple, plants have sprouted in the rajagopuram. These plants have now covered the entire gopuram thus putting its stability at risk. The people of the area have demanded that the entire temple be given a facelift, including the rajagopuram.

The temple, which is under the control of the HR&CE department, is a classic example of negligence of the HR&CE department in maintaining temples. Demands have arisen that the temples should be recovered from the HR&CE department and handed over to the Hindu community. Recently, actor Santhanam posted on his Twitter page that he supports the #FreeTNTemples campaign started by Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev.

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The 75 year old from Puducherry who is revolutionizing terrace farming

By
The Commune
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In Puducherry, a 75-year-old man has been cultivating a variety of vegetables, fruits, and greens naturally on his terrace for the past 10 years. Pururavan’s house is quite famous in his locality in Puducherry for his terrace farm.

Pururavan, who wanted to make a revolution in the terrace garden, bought his own space and has designed this house exclusively for it. He has installed broken tiles on the floor to prevent water from seeping in, pouring soil to a height of half a foot and turning it into a small field. Vegetable varieties such as eggplant, betel nut, tomato, chilies, drumstick, marigold, citrus fruit, water apple, barbed cherry, mini orange, lemon, pomegranate, betel, winged beans, zucchini, gut, bagel are just some of the plants grown by Pururavan in his mini forest.

Notably, over 10 rare eggplants including Vengeri, Ujala, Odisha are being grown by him. He says he uses only 100 percent natural fertilizers and uses a faulty washing machine as a container for composting vegetable waste.

All the vegetables and fruits available in this terrace garden are sufficient for Pururavan, his wife, three sons, their wives, and grandchildren who live in a joint family. He gives away the rest to friends and relatives.

Pururavan, who has won the first prize 6 times so far in the terrace garden category at the flower show organized by the Puducherry Government’s Department of Agriculture.

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First BSF contingent arrives in Madurai as Tamil Nadu polls scheduled on April 6

By
The Commune
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tamil nadu polls

The first contingent of the Border Security Force (BSF), comprising 1130 personnel divided into nine companies, arrived in Madurai on Sunday.

The nine companies have been deployed in Madurai and adjacent areas, as the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections are scheduled to be held in the coming weeks. They were sent to Tenkasi, Tuticorin and Nagercoil districts.

The BSF personnel were tested for COVID-19 after their arrival.

The elections for the 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly are scheduled to be held in a single phase on April 6. The counting of the votes will be done on May 2.

The ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) is contesting the polls in a pre-poll alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). They will face off against the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) led by MK Stalin, who has allied with the Congress However, the Congress and the Dravidian party have recently been at hostilities with one another.

Actor-turned-politician Kamal Hassan’s recently launched political party, the Makkal Neethi Maiam (MNM), is also contesting the polls. The pro-Hindu Indu Makkal Katchi (IMK) is also in the fray.

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After bureaucrat dismisses villagers’ concerns, LRPF seeks action against illegal construction of church

By
The Commune
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illegal church lrpf landgrab
Representational photograph

The Legal Rights Protection Forum (LRPF) wrote to Kalpana Kumari, the Revenue Divisional Officer (Sub-collector), Nandyal in Andhra Pradesh and asked that action be taken against the illegal construction of a church in Kurnool district.

Residents of Jillela village in Andhra Pradesh’s Kurnool district had earlier approached Kalpana Kumari and petitioned her to stop the illegal construction of a church in the village. They told the IAS officer that despite the objections from the villagers, the pastor had gone ahead with the unlawful construction.

However, Kalpana Kumari had dismissed their concerns and had said that India is a India is a secular nation. She had said that people of all faiths and religions – be they Hindus, Christians or Muslims – have the right to construct their places of worship and use them. Earlier, The Commune had reported on how, in a similar case in the state of Andhra Pradesh, a retired Deputy Inspector-General of police, a pastor and other individuals had threatened and filed cases under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes Atrocities (Prevention) Act against villagers who objected to a church being constructed in their village.

Unfortunately, according to the letter sent by the LRPF to the Revenue Divisional Officer, Christian groups in the state used this episode to denigrate the Hindu communities and downplay the communities’ anxiety regarding Christian missionary activities. The Christian groups came out with videos, memes and posts on social media ridiculing Hindus, claiming that “Hindu fanatics” were “snubbed” by the bureaucrat. One such post on social media is linked here.

“This has hurt the sentiments of all Hindus who have seen/read these posts. While the people from Christianity have gone ahead with unauthorised church construction in violation of multiple rules, it is the Hindus who are left to feel guilty”, the letter stated.

The letter further states that while the villagers may not have been fully conversant with the rules governing construction of religious structures, their objection to the construction of the church is genuine. Moreover, the letter indicates what kind of illegalities are involved in the construction of the structure.

The Andhra Pradesh Gram Panchayat Land Development (Layout and Building) Rules, 2002, Rule No 26 states that:

“No site shall be used for the construction of a building intended for public worship or religious purposes without the prior approval of the Collector of the District who may refuse such approval if, in his opinion, the use of the site for the proposed construction of the building is likely to endanger public peace and order, after giving an opportunity to the applicant to show cause against such refusal”

The letter states that in the present case, the construction is unauthorised and has no permissions from the concerned public authorities. Also, it appears that the said construction took place on agricultural land, which is another violation of rules.

The Section 3(1) of the Andhra Pradesh Agricultural Land (Conversion for non Agricultural Purposes) Act, 2006 clearly states that:

“–No agricultural land in the State shall be put to non-agricultural purposes, without the prior permission of the Competent authority”.

Section 3(2) – An application for such conversion of the agricultural land for non-agricultural purposes shall be made before the Competent authority in the form prescribed along with conversion tax..”

Pointing out the illicit nature of the construction, the LRPF sought an inquiry into the matter and demanded action against the perpetrators.

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Afghan Foreign Min welcomes Russia’s statement calling return of Taliban regime ‘unacceptable’

By
The Commune
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afghanistan russia
Pictured: Afghan Foreign Affairs Minister Mohammad Haneef Atmar (R) and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov

The Russian Federation has expressed its strong opposition to the return of the Taliban’s regime in Afghanistan and said that it prefers improvement in the ongoing peace efforts between the Afghan government and the Taliban.

This statement from Russia came as Afghan Foreign Affairs Minister Mohammad Haneef Atmar visited Moscow and met with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov.

Lavrov said that Moscow was in contact with other countries involved in the Afghanistan peace process. He urged that the Taliban avoid putting new demands in the talks. “Our main message to the Taliban is to resume meaningful dialogue as soon as possible, avoid further escalation of violence to reach to a conclusion and respect the decisions of the UN Security Council,” Lavrov said.

The Afghanistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) has welcomed Russia’s stance. “We strongly support Russia’s position on the Afghan peace process, particularly the stance that the return of Taliban regime will not be acceptable,” Atmar said hours after his meeting with Lavrov on Friday. “We also welcome Russia’s stance on the UN sanctions on the Taliban,” Atmar added.

A statement from the MoFA said that Russia is not in favor of removing the names of Taliban leaders from the UN blacklist without any progress in the Afghan peace talks. “The Taliban shouldn’t be removed from the sanctions list unless they abide by their commitments toward peace,” Atmar said.

“Durable peace in Afghanistan is possible only within the framework of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. The Republic will not allow international terrorism to operate in Afghanistan and this is in the interest of Russia”, Atmar further stated.

Meanwhile, State Ministry for Peace Affairs Sayed Saadat Mansoor Naderi called on the Taliban to demonstrate flexibility in the talks and agree on a ceasefire. “Afghans want an end to the bloodshed. Afghans want dignified peace, Let’s not waste this opportunity. The solution lies in the negotiating table,” Naderi said.

“The second round of talks is quite important. This round should move forward without any delay,” said Assadullah Saadati, the deputy head of the High Council for National Reconciliation.

Russia bats for transitional coalition government in Afghanistan

Earlier, Russian Special Envoy for Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov in an interview with Sputnik had said that Moscow prefers that all parties to the conflict in Afghanistan agree on the establishment of an inclusive and transitional coalition government.

Kaboluv stated that Russia believes it would be good if there was a transitional coalition government in place in which the Taliban had political status. He said the peace talks in Doha have failed, calling for the peace process to proceed in the Moscow format with the presence of the US, Russia, China and Afghanistan’s neighboring nations.

The Russian envoy said that the talks in Doha are only about making contact, not peace negotiations.

The Afghan Republic and the Taliban negotiators held their third meeting on Thursday evening after over a month-long deadlock in the talks with the main focus on the agenda of the negotiators. The meeting was held in working group level that is aimed at finalizing the agenda of the negotiations.

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DMK party leader arrested over scuffle with Panchayat Vice President

By
The Commune
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dmk manifesto gram panchayat

DMK party leader Shiva from Kodaikanal’s Poondi village was arrested after a complaint was filed against him for engaging in a scuffle with the village’s Gram Panchayat Vice President. The Gram Panchayat Vice President’s husband had complained to the local police about his constant harassment, leading to the arrest.

On the 22nd of February, Shiva had allegedly gotten engaged in a brawl with the woman, regarding his differences with the latter over the employment granted to the villagers under the 100-day employment scheme. This caused the her to subsequently file a case against him with the local police. The woman, along with her husband, complained to the police about the DMK leader’s harassment.

The police moved this issue to the district court and following a series of investigations, Shiva was tried in court. The district judge then ordered the local police to arrest Shiva and put him behind bars. Following this order, Shiva was arrested early on Thursday.

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The Commune is a news and views portal focusing on social and political issues of the southern part of India with a focus on Tamil Nadu.
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