E-bike rally launched for outreach to ex-servicemen and veer naris
A team of one officer, one junior commissioned officer, and six other ranks will meet veterans to provide information on SPARSH (System for Pension Administration Raksha), documentation, and entitlements. The initiative aims to address queries, spread awareness of government welfare measures, and ensure better access to services through direct interaction.
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The Hindu
31-07-2025
- The Hindu
Lieutenant General V. Sreehari to take charge as GOC, Dakshin Bharat Area from August 1
Lieutenant General V. Sreehari will assume charge as the General Officer Commanding, Dakshin Bharat Area, Indian Army, from Friday (August 1, 2025). The formation covers Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and the Union Territories of Puducherry and Lakshadweep. Hailing from Malappuram, Kerala, he is an alumnus of Sainik School Amaravati Nagar, NDA Khadakvasla, and IMA Dehradun. He was commissioned into the 16 Sikh Light Infantry on June 13, 1987. He served in the many parts of the country and an United Nations Mission abroad. He commanded a Para Special Forces Battalion in Operation Rakshak, Base Camp at Siachen Glacier, and a Mountain Division in the northeast. He was awarded the Shaurya Chakra in 1998 while serving with the 31 Rashtriya Rifles (Commando), the Sena Medal (Distinguished Services) in 2021, and an Ati Vishist Seva Medal in 2023.
Indian Express
10-07-2025
- Indian Express
One roof for all: Tribal women in Gadchiroli's Sitatola join hands to end menstrual stigma
Tribal women from Sitatola in Maharashtra's Gadchiroli district have come together to end the centuries-old practice of isolating themselves in menstruation huts, locally known as kurma ghars. Rejecting the taboo that treated menstruation as impure, women of all ages in the village have collectively built a space they call mawa askan lon which translates from the Madia dialect as 'our rightful home as women'. The structure now serves not only as a shelter but also as a community centre for meetings and support groups. The initiative was spearheaded with support from Sparsh, a Gadchiroli-based NGO that has been working on eradication of the kurma ghar custom for over a decade. 'Our philosophy is simple: no woman should be forced out of her home due to menstruation,' said Dr Dilip Barsagade, president and executive director of Sparsh. 'This is a natural biological process. The emotional and physical support women need during this time can only come from family, not isolation.' Barsagade said the NGO initially focused on sensitising male community members and traditional faith leaders. 'It seemed impossible at first, but through honest dialogue, mindsets began to shift. The women themselves were clear they didn't want to step into kurma ghars even for a minute.' Over time, the duration of isolation reduced from five days to three, then two. Still, many households resisted allowing menstruating women into the home. That is when the women proposed an alternative: menstruating and non-menstruating women staying together under one roof. 'They believed this would naturally break the taboo,' Barsagade said. When the women asked for a space, Sparsh agreed on the condition that it would not resemble a kurma ghar. The women offered to build it themselves through voluntary labour, constructing the mawa askan lon with support from nearby villages and minimal external assistance. 'Today, all the women stay together, menstruating or not. The stigma is slowly fading. Some still spend the day at the centre but return home at night. The space is now used for regular meetings and has become a symbol of ownership and pride,' Barsagade added. To manage the centre, one woman from each of the 21 households forms a committee. They collect small contributions of Rs 10 to Rs 20 to cover electricity and maintenance expenses. Boards in Madia language have been installed, educating visitors about the harms of isolation and reinforcing the message: 'I belong in my home, not in isolation.' The kurma ghar system Kurma ghars are small huts, often worse than cattle sheds, used in several tribal villages in Gadchiroli to isolate menstruating women. Many lack toilets, running water, or beds, and during monsoons, women are sometimes forced to stay in cow sheds as the huts become uninhabitable. Touching food, water, or household items during this time can result in social penalties, including fines or being forced to arrange a village feast. Shakuntala Madavi, an ASHA worker in Ranipodur village, said the tradition remains widespread among the Madia tribe. 'Women eat alone, bathe in rivers, and are forbidden from interacting with others. Some government interventions have led to better-built kurma ghars, but many still use makeshift ones.' Baby Madkame, an ASHA worker from Nelgunda village and a member of the Madia tribe, said the huts often lack basic facilities. 'Many women go into the jungle or rivers to relieve themselves. Even where proper huts were built like in Hitapadi – where 15 were constructed – they were never used. Roofs blew off in storms, and the huts were abandoned,' she said. A doctor associated with the Jana Sangharsha Samiti in Gadchiroli added that in many villages, menstruating girls are not even allowed to touch rivers. 'In Binagunda, I saw girls barred from sitting in boats during their periods because the river was considered sacred. In Gondi areas, similar restrictions apply, though less strictly,' she said. She recalled girls bathing only on the third or fifth day of their periods and being told not to touch anything in the house. 'We kept telling them this could cause infections, but the elders were adamant,' she said. Are kurma ghars dangerous? In 2011, Sparsh conducted a survey across 223 kurma ghars and identified 28 cases in which girls had died due to isolation – ranging from causes like snake bites and wild animal attacks to untreated medical emergencies like excessive bleeding. 'These deaths were never officially linked to the practice. But in each case, it was clear that isolation had a role. Nearly 70 per cent of the victims were between 11 and 37 years of age,' said Barsagade. A more structured survey in 2012 reached 4,227 women and girls and further confirmed the dangers. The NGO submitted a report to the district administration, calling for urgent intervention. When no action was taken, the matter was taken to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). A year later, the NHRC admitted the case and asked the Maharashtra chief secretary for a report. Subsequently, the Tribal Research and Training Institute (TRTI) sent a team to Gadchiroli. Their 2014 report confirmed the risks and recommended coordinated interventions by departments like health, tribal affairs, and education, including awareness drives, block-level committees, and regular ASHA and Anganwadi worker visits to such huts. 'Despite the report, the recommendations were not implemented. That is when we decided to take direct action in 50 villages,' Barsagade said.
The Hindu
05-07-2025
- The Hindu
Outreach programme at MLIRC for veterans
The Madras Regimental Centre held 'Shaurya Samparavah', an outreach programme for armed forces veterans in Belagavi on Saturday. It was organised under the aegis of head quarters Dakshin Bharat Area at Kargil Hall in Maratha Light Infantry regimental centre. Brigadier Krishnendu Das, officer in charge, Records and Commandant The Madras Regimental Centre presided over the event and addressed the veteran fraternity of Belagavi and the nearby districts of Dharwad, Hubballi, Gadag, and Vijayapura attended. The commandant thanked the veterans, veer naris and their dependents for the contribution made by them in their service with the armed forces and for the nation. He further assured them of the organisation responsibility to ensure well-being of the veteran community and speedy redressal of their grievances. Lieutenant Colonel Kalam Singh, Chief Records Officer, Records The Madras Regiment, Wellington, welcomed the chief guest and all veterans and their families, and apprised them of the initiatives being taken by records office and Madras Regiment Centre to re-dress their grievances and educate them regarding various welfare schemes. As many as 1,233 veterans and veer naris attended the rally. Officials from different records offices and banks resolved the grievances of veterans and briefed them of various welfare schemes and facilities available to them. The teams of doctors from KLE Hospital, Netradarshan Eye Hospital, M.H. Belagavi, and ECHS Polyclinic, Belagavi provided on the spot medical examination and aid to 689 patients, said a release.
